Iranian Pol Speaks Truth, Is Immediately Labelled Anti Semitic By NYT

Iran’s Vice President Makes Anti-Semitic Speech at Conference

TEHRAN — Iran’s vice president used the lectern of an international antidrug conference here Tuesday to deliver a baldly anti-Semitic speech, blaming Judaism’s holiest book, the Talmud, for teaching how to suck blood from people and for causing the spread of illegal drugs around the world.

European diplomats in attendance during the speech by the vice president, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, expressed shock. Even Iranian participants in the conference, co-sponsored by Iran and the United Nations, privately wondered at the Iranian government’s motivation for allowing such a speech, even given its longstanding antagonism toward Israel. More than 25,000 Jews live in Iran and they are recognized as a religious minority, with a representative in Parliament.

The speech seemed bound to further isolate Iran just days before a new set of onerous Western economic sanctions, notably a European embargo on Iranian oil, is set to be enforced because of the longstanding dispute over Iran’s nuclear program, which Iran says is peaceful and Western nations and Israel suspect is a cover to develop the ability to make nuclear weapons.

Mr. Rahimi, second in line to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the Talmud teaches to “destroy everyone who opposes the Jews.”

The “Zionists” are in firm control of the illegal drug trade, he said, asking foreign dignitaries to research his claims. “Zionists” is Iran’s ideological term for Jews who support the state of Israel."