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President Donald Trump’s threat against Iran on Tuesday has sparked reactions from two Iranian athletes.
Trump wrote in Truth Social: “An entire civilization will die tonight and will never be resurrected” in reference to Iran amid its threats to attack the nation’s power plants and bridges.
Former Iranian youth wrestling champion Sardar Pashaei, who now lives in the United States, responded to Trump’s threat in a statement to Pak Gazette Digital.
“The Iranian regime still has a chance—and every means necessary—to stop sacrificing its own people and put an end to this 47-year catastrophe. It has had many opportunities in the past. Instead, it opted for repression at home and conflict abroad. Today, the regime is effectively holding the Iranian people hostage, putting civilians in danger while claiming to act in its interests,” Pashaei said.
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“For decades, he has destroyed Iran’s natural resources, built tunnels deep in the mountains for missiles, and spent the country’s wealth on drones and wars, not on the well-being of his people. Above all, we must be clear: the Iranian people must never be targets of pressure or punishment. It has already suffered for decades under this regime.
“The responsibility for this crisis lies with the clerical establishment and the IRGC. For decades, the chants of ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel’ have been driven by the regime, not the Iranian people, who have instead sought dignity, opportunity and a normal life, but have never had a real choice through free and fair elections. The regime has already lost, both at home and on the global stage. The only question that remains is how much more suffering it will impose before to finally step aside.”
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Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rakabi, who won bronze at the 2021 IFSC Climbing World Championships, shared a different perspective in a statement provided to Pak Gazette Digital.
“As an Iranian athlete, I cannot remain silent when language is used that talks about the destruction of a nation as if millions of innocent lives were disposable. Any statement that suggests the collapse or destruction of Iran without recognizing the human cost is deeply dangerous. Iran is not just a regime. Iran is a people, a history, a civilization and millions of human beings who have already endured decades of repression, fear and suffering,” Rakabi said.
“At the same time, the world must not ignore the truth that the Islamic Republic has spent decades oppressing its own people, crushing peaceful protests, and investing the country’s wealth in ideology, militarization, and nuclear ambition rather than the well-being of its citizens.
“The people of Iran have repeatedly taken to the streets to demand freedom, dignity, justice and the right to live a normal life, only to be met with bullets, prisons, executions and fear. The Iranian people do not ask for violence. He doesn’t ask for war. Ask to be heard. He asks that his country’s resources be spent on life, not destruction. They ask for peace, dignity and the right to determine their own future.
“That is why the destruction of a nation can never be the answer. The people of Iran are not collateral damage. They are not bargaining chips in political rhetoric or international conflict. They are human beings. A peaceful and democratic change in Iran would not only serve the Iranian people, but also the cause of human rights, regional stability and global peace. That is why I ask: Is it really so difficult for those in power to choose peace over ideology, human dignity over political interest and innocent lives over yet another cycle of violence?”
Trump has given Iran until 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on its power plants and bridges. Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, responded by rejecting a temporary ceasefire proposal and promising “reciprocal measures.”
“Iran will not stand idly by in the face of such heinous war crimes,” Iravani said. “It will without hesitation exercise its inherent right to self-defense and take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures.”
Iran has reportedly threatened to attack energy facilities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
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Tehran will add Saudi Aramco’s oil facilities, as well as Yanbu and the United Arab Emirates’ Fujairah pipeline, to its list of targets in case Trump follows through on his threats to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure, Iran International reported.
Iran’s threats were first reported by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency, citing a military source.
