Bush Calls on Iranians to Revolt

Bush stressed that for the sake of peace in the Middle East, the US will stand up against countries sheltering terrorists and going after weapons of mass destructions. He demanded that the Syrian government stop supporting terrorism and open its door to freedom. He urged the Iranian people, "Stand up for your freedom, we will be with you."

Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hamid Reza Asefi said in an immediate response to the statement that Bush has forgotten that the US hegemony and presence in Iran ended with the Islamic Revolution 26 years ago. The US President used the word "freedom" 28 times during the State of the Union address.

Iran is one of the leading countries that is providing state support to terrorism in the world, insisted Bush. Iran is keeping its people away from freedom while seeking weapons of mass destruction, claims Bush. The US President said the US would cooperate with its allies to stop Tehran’s uranium enrichment and plutonium’s reprocessing.

Bush said his statements about developing freedom in the Middle East have been tested in Iraq and approved. The current situation in Iraq is a "victory of freedom," said the President and this victory will continue to inspire democratic reformists in Damascus and Tehran. He described Iraq as a "vital front" in the war on terrorism and with the victory in this country, future generations will be spared from this dreadful nightmare. Bush said they will not be releasing a timeline for an American withdrawal from Iraq because they didn’t want to give insurgents any hope that the US was leaving Iraq. He said his basic mission in Iraq is to create a democratic country that represents all of its people, that can be at peace with all its neighbors, and that is able to defend itself on its own. When these are achieved, Americans will return home with the honor they deserve, Bush said.