[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[July 12, 2002]
[Page 1223]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Statement on Iran
July 12, 2002

    We have seen throughout history the power of one simple idea: When 
given a choice, people will choose freedom. As we have witnessed over 
the past few days, the people of Iran want the same freedoms, human 
rights, and opportunities as people around the world. Their Government 
should listen to their hopes.
    In the last two Iranian Presidential elections and in nearly a dozen 
parliamentary and local elections, the vast majority of the Iranian 
people voted for political and economic reform. Yet their voices are not 
being listened to by the unelected people who are the real rulers of 
Iran. Uncompromising, destructive policies have persisted, and far too 
little has changed in the daily lives of the Iranian people. Iranian 
students, journalists, and Parliamentarians are still arrested, 
intimidated, and abused for advocating reform or criticizing the ruling 
regime. Independent publications are suppressed. And talented students 
and professionals, faced with the dual specter of too few jobs and too 
many restrictions on their freedom, continue to seek opportunities 
abroad rather than help build Iran's future at home. Meanwhile, members 
of the ruling regime and their families continue to obstruct reform 
while reaping unfair benefits.
    Iran is an ancient land, home to a proud culture with a rich 
heritage of learning and progress. The future of Iran will be decided by 
the people of Iran. Right now, the Iranian people are struggling with 
difficult questions about how to build a modern 21st-century society 
that is at once Muslim, prosperous, and free. There is a long history of 
friendship between the American people and the people of Iran. As Iran's 
people move towards a future defined by greater freedom, greater 
tolerance, they will have no better friend than the United States of 
America.