The World - News from Feb. 7, 1989

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati said that Iran will continue to export its Islamic revolution, but not by force. “We have a concept,” he told a Tehran press conference, “and we’re going to continue the policy to export the revolution. But this doesn’t mean we’re going to export the revolution with a gun.” Iran has been restoring relations with Western countries and its Persian Gulf neighbors in a new open-door policy aimed at ending a decade of self-imposed isolation. “Except for the Palestine-occupying regime (Israel) and the racist South African regime, and precluding American sabotage, we desire good relations with other countries of the world,” Velayati said.