Iran Won’t Seek Revenge for Downing of Jet, Rafsanjani Says
Iran’s acting commander in chief, Hashemi Rafsanjani, said today his nation will not seek revenge against the United States for shooting down an Iranian jetliner and killing all 290 people aboard.
In a prayer congregation, Rafsanjani said “the United States is trying to push us to commit the same crime . . . but if we did that, the world would turn against us.
“That is why we do not push to take revenge. Wise people understand why we do not take revenge.”
He spoke after the newly formed General Command issued a statement calling on “all persons who can carry a gun” to report for duty on the Iran-Iraq war front.
It was not the first general mobilization call, but it was the most sweeping to be issued in recent months and it followed several major battlefield defeats for Iran.
The remarks by Rafsanjani, who is also Parliament Speaker, signaled that Tehran may have decided on restraint in the wake of the incident, Western diplomatic sources said.
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