Massoumeh Ebtekar Accuses the US Government of Terrorism

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Can you tell me, will Iran respond to that call for de-escalation?

MASSOUMEH EBTEKAR, IRANIAN VICE PRESIDENT FOR WOMEN AND FAMILY AFFAIRS: Well, the Iranian people are now responding for the past three days. I think that it’s very evident. I’ve seen some footage coming through even in CNN of the millions who are marching in support and in commemoration of Commander Soleimani, who they call the Commander of the Hearts. And this is a very clear indication of the response of the Iranian nation and the fact that the presence of the people, the huge crowds are staggering. And even for us, we’ve been taking part in many of these marches and demonstrations from the beginning of the revolution, this is something else. And from one city to another city, it is a resurrection. It’s a revival of the Islamic revolution. It’s a revival of the Iranian nation. And the Iranian nation is strongly supporting its commander who they call the Commander of the Hearts. Who they call the soldier of Iran. And I think the response is very clear. The Iranian nation, they stand very firmly. It’s very clear that the American government has taken a terrorist action against a general, an official of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Of course, before that they took a terrorist action by imposing harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, against the people, even depriving our patients, our children from the different medicines that they need. This is a terrorist action by all means. And then, continuing on this level, and then this terrible assassination of our commander in Iraq. And it’s also very clear that Mr. Soleimani, Martyr Soleimani was in Iraq for pursuing what the prime minister of Iraq said that it was a political and diplomatic mission that he had and he was there on the request of the Iraqi government, all these days, all of these years.