Question: To begin the interview, please explain the government’s efforts in ensuring stability and managing society during the imposed Twelve-Day War, highlighting how critical services, such as the supply of essential goods and administrative functions, were not only sustained but also delivered with exceptional effort across different sectors of the executive branch.
Dr. Aref: In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Firstly, I extend my condolences on the mourning period of Imam Hussain (pbuh), the martyrdom of our dear martyrs in the defense and scientific sectors, and the martyrdom of our beloved people across the country.
From the very first day of its term, the fourteenth administration was effectively engaged in a state of war. A distinguished guest of our country [Ismail Haniyeh] was assassinated, and the message behind this assassination was the continuation of this course of action by the Zionist regime and its supporters. As a result, in the month of Mehr [October], we reached the conclusion that the country's governance must adopt a wartime footing.
The strategy formulated was to ensure maximum calm within society so that the people would not feel they were living under wartime conditions. However, for government officials, the management of the country’s affairs had to operate under wartime conditions. For this reason, we developed a plan for governing the country, particularly in economic matters, under a state of war. This plan, of course, was limited in scope, and was not made public. We consulted with higher-level institutions on this matter and foresaw two scenarios:
- Exporting 500,000 barrels of oil per day.
- Zero oil exports per day.
In any case, the government was prepared. One of the elements already anticipated in our strategic planning was that, in the event of a potential crisis, we would need to delegate authority. In other words, we would need to implement the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) system in practice. Accordingly, just a few hours after the attack occurred, the government held its first emergency meeting. In that session, authority was delegated: full authority at the provincial level was granted to the governors, based on Article 127 of the Constitution. Similarly, ministers were granted powers within their respective domains, in accordance with Article 138, assigning to them the inherent authorities of their ministries.
Thus, the government’s powers were distributed among four working groups:
- The Economic Working Group,
- The Infrastructure Working Group,
- The Security Working Group, and
- The Information and Communications Working Group.
These four groups, under the authority of Article 138, were granted full executive powers of the government. As a result, activities were launched through a well-structured and effective mechanism.
The Market Regulation Headquarters had also begun its work in earnest from the very start of the administration. Although we were pursuing price liberalization in accordance with the development plan law – except, of course, for a limited number of goods – we nevertheless had to make special decisions under wartime conditions. Fortunately, thanks to the foresight and planning we had undertaken, we brought the country’s strategic reserves to an excellent level. The condition of the country's reserves was so good that, even during the Zionist regime’s aggression, there was no need to tap into the country’s strategic stockpiles.
In any case, our economy was fully prepared, and the people, especially with the statements and televised messages of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, came forward wholeheartedly. Aside from petrol, we did not have any other queues, and since demand had suddenly increased, it was only natural that the number of petrol stations we had was not sufficient to meet the demand. Even in the petrol station queues, the people showed their cooperation and unity. Therefore, we didn't encounter the slightest problem. Our daily petrol production was 110 million liters, which, with the developments we made in the last seven or eight months, has reached approximately 120 million liters. Nevertheless, on the first day of the war consumption reached 197 million liters.
The reality is that people acted unprecedentedly well regarding consumable goods. I’m not saying moderately well. The sales of supermarkets, on average, are between 1.4 to 1.45 trillion Tomans per day. On the first day of the war, this purchase rate reached 1.9, which is nearly a 40% increase. The second day, it went below the average, and in the following days, there was a natural growth. This means the general public only purchased their necessary needs. There may be exceptions, which is natural, but overall, people cooperated. For this reason, store shelves, which were full, remained full.
As you are aware, the Zionist regime had pre-announced a three-day plan. Day one, they would achieve a defensive and military victory by targeting commanders and prominent forces. Day two, in their foolish and vain delusion, the people would come out in support of them. Day three, in the negotiations scheduled for Sunday, "surrender" would be agreed upon. However, the people, guided and led by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, came forward and truly observed the measures they knew they had to follow, such as maintaining balance in consumption, helping one another, and the voluntary acts of kindness that had become widespread among the people. We even saw a gentleman with his little daughter handing out drinks to people in the petrol station queue!
Under these circumstances, production actually exceeded our needs with some producers running second and even third shifts. Also, we should mention the valuable action taken by the Chamber of Guilds, as they got involved. So much so that many of their members sold goods at cost, and some companies even lowered their product prices by several percent! This was a very valuable effort.
Our main concern was about the goods we had in our ports and ships. In this regard, a truly dedicated effort was made, and in this effort, truck drivers took the lead – truck drivers who, as you know, had been staging protests and making demands about a month earlier. Some of these demands had been met, and some were still under review. All of a sudden, this situation occurred, and with the onset of this imposed war, truck drivers stepped forward fully prepared! As a result, our rate of unloading cargo from the ports doubled compared to normal conditions. This meant that our strategy was successful.
We also had the unparalleled support of the people in other matters, and fortunately, the country was well-managed economically. With the delegated authority given, managers made decisions on the spot. Of course, we have now reached a good conclusion and have asked all institutions to present their accounts of these twelve days of imposed war. Since we are currently in a "ceasefire" situation, we must be fully prepared for confrontation so that we can inflict more severe and serious blows. In this account, the plan is to conduct a thorough analysis of the performance of each sector to identify any shortcomings, deficiencies, or problems. God willing, through the mechanisms that the law allows, these issues will be resolved within the government so that we can become more prepared.
Fortunately, the enthusiasm displayed by the executive bodies during this period was truly unparalleled. Apart from the government, which held a meeting on the first day, almost all the main or key ministries had sent me their decision-making meeting reports by Friday morning. In other words, they all knew what they had to do by Friday noon. With the valuable action of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in appointing commanders – after all, prominent and high-ranking commanders of the Armed Forces had been martyred, and it usually takes time to change a manager – the situation was stabilized within a few hours, so much so that our first operation was carried out a few hours later.
Question: As you mentioned, we are currently in a "ceasefire" situation, and our counterparts are Netanyahu and Trump – who are likely to break their own promises. In recent days, the President of the United States has been engaging in extensive psychological warfare against public opinion, both directly and indirectly. He continues to emphasize the same rhetoric he used earlier about Iran's unconditional surrender – that the Iranians must now come to the negotiating table and accept what we dictate. What is your opinion, as the First Vice President, regarding the statements made by the US president?
Dr. Aref: Look, the word "surrender" has no place in our country's political and defense culture. We are a civilized nation with a distinguished cultural history spanning thousands of years. We are not warmongers, nor have we initiated any war. We believe in peace and tranquility, we are open to dialogue, but we will never surrender. Yes, it has been stated multiple times, including in the statements of the Leader, that we do not initiate wars, but if a war is started, we are the ones who will decide about how it ends.
That’s how it is now. Our enemy, the Zionist regime, is not trustworthy. We did not suggest a ceasefire. A ceasefire was established in Lebanon, but you see that they have had the highest number of martyrs after the ceasefire. Their approach toward Iran is the same. That is, if the regime feels it has the upper hand in any area, it will certainly take action. Therefore, to prevent this from happening or to ensure they receive a stronger blow, we must maintain the upper hand.
For this reason, even in this short period, task forces have been formed, and we have initiated actions on strategic matters. It is clear that in some sectors we have had shortcomings or need to work more. Therefore, we hope that in those areas, within a short time, some of the shortcomings and deficiencies we have faced on various fronts and in different fields will be addressed, so that our upper hand, God willing, will not only be maintained in our missile attack capabilities but also in other domains as well.
In war, they usually say things that lack substance; you’ve seen the positions they take, especially Trump, sometimes changing stances multiple times in a single day. We are not like that. We have a stable and well-defined strategy. Our framework for action is based on national interests, and the three principles that have always been emphasized in our foreign policy – "dignity", "wisdom", and "expediency" – form the basis of our actions.
Therefore, if we give our word, we don't go back on it, and if we say something, we stand by it. The statements we make are based on strategies and hierarchical authority. That is why we are confident in ourselves, and I believe the world’s assessment, has been – and continues to be – that Iran’s positions are clear, stable, and unchanging. Accordingly, our intention is to, God willing, continue to pursue our behavior, actions, and policies along this path.
Question: In your remarks, you mentioned the post-war and reconstruction period. What is your assessment of this issue?
Dr. Aref: This is a very important matter. We began working on it even before the ceasefire was in place. Our assessment was that this phase could be wrapped up in a manageable way, but we anticipated that a much larger phase lies ahead. We have initiated good measures, which I prefer not to detail at this moment, but I assure the people that we are in a state of greater readiness than during the Twelve-Day War.
Our strategy is that we must gain the upper hand in a short period, and it is imperative that we preserve the unity and social capital that has been established. Therefore, a working group has been formed that is working on this matter. Additional task forces have also been formed to address any weaknesses we might have in our supply of goods, in our ports, and other matters. God willing, we hope that at the earliest opportunity, which will not be far off, we will be able to present a full report to the noble people of our country.
Question: How do you assess the Leader of the Islamic Revolution’s role in managing the country, and especially his command during the Twelve-Day War?
Dr. Aref: If we take a brief look, we’ll see that the general policies in various sectors are perfectly clear, including the deep, precise, and forward-looking vision that he has and the positions that he announces so transparently and clearly in all areas. Truly, it has been this vision, this leadership, and these strategies that have enabled us to prevail and move forward, despite all the enmities and problems we have faced since the victory of the Revolution, and the sanctions the West itself deems back-breaking.
If I were to highlight the specific viewpoint of the Leader, [I would say that] his view is focused on the development of science and technology. If you take a look at this phrase in his remarks at various times, you will find that he places the most emphasis on this area. He has guided the conduct and actions of the country toward science and technology and development rooted in these areas.
Fortunately, this vision has been firmly established in the defense sector through his strategies. Our defense achievements stem entirely from the contributions of young, talented scientists within the country. It is this vision that has now placed our defensive capability in the region in an excellent position. Compare the early days of the Imposed War in 1980 with today. It is incomparable. This [progress] is the result of his vision.
He applies this perspective to the battlefield management as well. In other words, we see the same outlook from his position as Commander-in-Chief. In the management of this war too, if you look at his recent televised messages, the most important emphasis is the unity of the people and their active participation, followed by encouraging our combatants to act courageously within the framework of laws and regulations. And we saw the results: the fact that the highest-ranking military officials were appointed in less than ten hours is an extraordinary feat.
I give my friends an example: I say, when you want to appoint the head of a small office – an office with perhaps fifteen staff – it sometimes takes a month of consultations. Then, that gentleman or that lady who becomes the head of the department asks for a week's time from you to be able to begin their job. However, in this case, in less than ten hours, high-level commanders on par with the martyred commanders and leaders are appointed and carry out a successful operation in less than a few hours! This is the hallmark and distinctive feature of the Commander-in-Chief's leadership. And it's not just those of us who’ve worked with him for forty or fifty years who say this. Even our enemies acknowledge his courage and mastery of affairs.
Question: You were present when the Leader of the Islamic Revolution came to the Imam Khomeini (ra) Hussainiyah on the eve of Ashura. Please share your account of this event.
Dr. Aref: His presence at that ceremony was truly exceptional. I don't think anyone in the Hussainiyah imagined that he would come. Our own impression was that if he didn't come, it would be because of his heavy workload and busy schedule. Let me share a memory.
During the Bam earthquake, we accompanied him on the famous 707 aircraft and went to Bam. When he was about to return, at the hour we were scheduled to leave, a severe storm broke out, and the office staff told us the flight would be delayed. They did not allow us to fly that night. But after an hour, we found out that, despite the storm, the Leader had gone ahead with the flight but had not allowed us to accompany him, and we left the next morning on another flight. This incident illustrates his bravery in such [challenging] circumstances.
So, the enemies, through all the nonsense and absurd claims they’ve made time and again, and will continue to make, have only embarrassed themselves each time. They kept spouting nonsense about why he wouldn’t appear! But he came. The crowd present at the Hussainiyah wasn’t expecting [him to come] so [when they saw him] they instinctively voiced their feelings through chants from the heart. In my view – I was there and witnessed it – the slogans, the reaction, and the emotional outpouring of the people were not deliberate or planned; for two or three minutes, the crowd was in awe, enveloped in a truly meaningful and spiritual atmosphere that deeply affected all of us.
Of course, after two or three minutes of thinking, I told myself it was natural –
the Leader surely intended to come tonight, so that no one would claim, for instance, that he was afraid of an attack and that’s why he’d decided not to attend. There were a few points I personally felt very clearly during that moment: First was his personal qualities: a combination of authority, courage, and wisdom. Second, his status as a Marja' [religious authority] and a spiritual leader among Muslims and us Iranians. We believe that there is a spiritual reward in simply seeing a Marja'.
Thirdly, his presence was itself an act of high-level war management. It transformed the entire atmosphere of the country, doubling the palpable sense of vitality and joy, and we are still seeing its effects: the message that, yes, this is who we are. We fear nothing but God, we are afraid of nothing, and we will enter the field with courage. This was exemplified by the Leader's conduct and the highly valuable, admirable reaction of our people.
