پاسخ و پیام سعید شمیرانی به مردم عراق بخصوص جوانان Thank you for your comments and messages which I am going to respond to here. The problems that Iraq has are not caused by Iranian people. They are caused by the regime in Iran which has occupied my country for the last 40 years. Yes, I said “occupied” because they may speak our native language but they are not for Iran and do not have the interest of Iran and Iranian people in their heart or mind. They have no respect for our culture or history. Iranian people have been fighting this regime since day one. Thousands and thousands and thousands got killed, tortured, jailed and millions of us, like me, had no choice but leave our country and live in exile. The reason the regime in Iran came to power is because my country is very rich and has wealth in form of oil and other natural resources, same as your country. The people who govern both of our countries are not working for people, they work for their bosses and for their own pockets. Millions of barrels of oil have been sold every day, in all these years, and they continued to be sold. Where does the money go? Do you know? Why are Iranian and Iraqis so poor? These people are trying to use religion as their weapon to make you feel guilty or sentimental, but they are not religious at all and if anything, they are damaging Islam. My message to people of Iraq is: Stay united and fight for your freedom and democracy, and don't let them put distance between you. Stay strong on the street, every day and every night. Unity and persistence are keys to your victory. Don't give up, don't let them fool you with false promises. You should tell them what you want and who you want and show them that the country belongs to the people, not them or other governments. Always remember, the regime in Iran and in Iraq always try to put people against each other, so they don’t trust each other and not unite. Their propaganda machine always tries to put distance between people and even countries. That is the key to their survival. If everyone unites and stand shoulder to shoulder, they will not last. I repeat, Iranian people are kept like hostages and prisoners in their country. We are not the enemy of any other country. We, ourselves, are victims of the regime. Iranian people wish you luck and pray for you and are following the news on your uprising. My wish is that the new generation, the young people take control of my country and rule - people who love their country and want the best for their people. I wish the same for you. The world has been silent and they don't like to cover your revolution because they are getting oil for free, your current government acts on their behalf, gives them benefits and does not hesitate to sell out your country. So why would they want these corrupt people lose power? The same thing is true for Iran. However, with hard work, sacrifice, unity and awareness of what we do want and what we don’t want, we will get there. I wish you the best and I hope one day soon, with knowledge and mutual respect, we have peace and happiness in the region. Saied Shemirani 30,10,2019 @poshtpardeha