Rafsanjani: Iran had to surrender or face war

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said Thursday that Iran faced two options prior to this month’s nuclear agreement with world powers, either to surrender or go to war.

During a visit to the Iranian province of Kerman, Rafsanjani criticized the performance of the government of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying it was “imbalanced.”

Ahmadinejad described the Western imposed economic sanctions as being “useless cards,” sticking to his plans for developing Iran’s nuclear program.

“[Iran] has to surrender immediately or face war,” Rafsanjani said on Thursday.

Rafsanjani added: “the world admits the change of direction of the Iranian people and its determination to refuse those empty slogans and promises… they were serious in negotiating with us based on this fact.”

Rafsanjani, who is chairman of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, said that Ahmadinejad’s attempts to gain the loyalty of the people through government subsidies was fruitless.

“They thought they were able to attract the people, or at least the villagers, with the government financial aids which represent the half or the third of what the government takes from them,” Rafsanjani said

“They used to say that if Ahmadinejad presents a candidate for the presidential elections he will get a high percentage of votes, and he did it in fact by supporting one of his relatives… but the villagers proved that they were the ones who needed change, even more than other citizens,” he stated.