‘Why does world burn your flag?’: IRGC spokesman challenges Americans to question US policies

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has urged Americans to ask why their country’s flag is burned or trampled in other parts of the world, saying that decades of US wars and support for Israel have fueled widespread hatred and hostility toward Washington.

Speaking at a news conference for foreign journalists on Tuesday on an IRGC letter addressed to the American people, IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said US military interventions had brought neither security nor prosperity to Americans.

“Why do people in different countries trample on your flag or set it on fire? Why does your president not dare travel to many countries, and why does he face protests even when he travels abroad under extensive security measures?” he asked, addressing the American people.

“The reason is the hatred people feel over the killings they attribute to the US president and the ruling American establishment. The US military sows atrocities and reaps hatred. People around the world are aware of the actions of America’s leaders and see that the trail of killings in different countries traces back to the US. Shouldn’t the American people think about the reason for this situation?” General Mohebbi further asked.

He said that the wars had instead produced mounting debt, hostility toward the United States, and greater risks for Americans abroad.

“Don’t the American people want to know why their country is in decline? In the letter, we have outlined the reasons for this trend and the measures that the American people can take to prevent it,” the IRGC senior official said.

General Mohebbi described the 25-page letter as a serious and detailed effort to communicate directly with Americans rather than a propaganda gesture, adding that Iran lacks the extensive television and radio networks available to the US and has therefore chosen a letter as a means of reaching American citizens.

He called on foreign journalists to help make the letter’s contents available to the American public.

General Mohebbi also questioned the scale of the US military presence overseas.

Because of America’s geographic isolation and the limited military capabilities of its neighbors, he said, the US maintains about 800 military bases worldwide and a military budget of $1.1 trillion, stressing that such spending primarily benefits major arms manufacturers and wealthy interests.

General Mohebbi further noted that the US’ military power had failed to deliver decisive results in conflicts involving Afghanistan, Yemen and Iran, emphasizing that the letter explains the reasons for these failures and urged Americans to pay heed to it.

Turning to domestic conditions, he questioned why a country like the US with abundant agricultural land, water, energy, mineral resources and access to international talent continues to experience widespread poverty and homelessness, criticizing the US healthcare system and asking who ultimately benefits from the vast arms trade and the wars financed by American taxpayers.

On the besieged Gaza Strip, General Mohebbi slammed Washington for enabling Israel’s military campaign by supplying weapons and political support, saying that the money spent on war could instead be used for reconstruction and poverty reduction.

Such a policy would earn the US international goodwill rather than hostility, he added.

General Mohebbi also rejected the idea that the IRGC’s slogan of “Death to America” means hostility toward the American people, saying it refers instead to US policies of aggression, killing and exploitation.

He also urged Americans to ask their government why it has designated the IRGC a terrorist organization, noting that the letter sets out the Corps’ history and record of providing services in Iran and the region.

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The senior IRGC official denounced successive US administrations for misleading the American public about foreign wars, citing the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the war in Afghanistan and Washington’s claims concerning Iran’s nuclear program.

He questioned why the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran - known as the JCPOA - if Washington had maintained the agreement was intended to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

'Great lie of century'

“About 25 years ago, the then US president announced that Iran was only a few weeks away from acquiring nuclear weapons. I ask the American people: Have those few weeks not elapsed over the past 25 years?” he asked, condemning Washington’s claim that Iran is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons as “the great lie of the century.”

General Mohebbi also challenged contradictory US statements about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, asking why Washington would continue to raise the issue if Iran’s nuclear capabilities had already been destroyed, as US President Donald Trump had previously claimed.

He said that the underlying objective was not nuclear proliferation but pressure on Iran and access to its national resources.

“Their concern is not nuclear weapons; it is the plundering of Iran’s national wealth, the disintegration of the country, and the restoration of Iran to a position of dependence on them. They know that Iran has not been pursuing nuclear weapons. Iran’s martyred Leader had declared their production religiously prohibited, and Iran, as a member of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), has obligations in this regard,” the IRGC senior official stressed.

General Mohebbi said the IRGC believed many Americans were unaware of these issues and would view US policies differently if they had access to the “facts.”

Americans who read the letter and remained unconvinced, he added, were invited to submit questions to the IRGC. He even offered to arrange visits to the Strait of Hormuz, with travel expenses covered, for those seeking to examine Iran’s claims firsthand.

General Mohebbi stressed that the aim of this letter is not to influence US elections, but to make people aware of the facts.

“The American people can be divided into three groups in this regard. The first consists of American intellectuals and free thinkers who undoubtedly oppose these policies and actions of the US government. The second consists of those who benefit from these tensions and the positions adopted by the US president and are pursuing their own interests. The third consists of people who are unaware of the facts and whose agreement or opposition cannot be judged, since their position depends on the extent of their access to facts and information,” he noted.

The 25-page letter was presented to foreign journalists at the end of the meeting, with General Mohebbi urging them to deliver it to American readers, particularly young people and intellectuals.

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