Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said in a statement published Thursday that the Egyptian revolution needs a leader similar to Ayatollah Khomeini – the man who led the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. “A leader like Imam Khomeini is needed for Egypt,” Rafsanjani said in an interview with the Jomhuri Eslami newspaper, adding that only a leader like Khomeini can “resist the cheating of America.” “In the end, Americans do not want the Egyptian uprising to drag on, while Israelis are completely against the revolution in Egypt,” said Rafsanjani, who is a leading supporter of the opposition to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “By coincidence, all things (in Egypt) are like Iran” in 1979, he added. Rafsanjani served two terms as Iranian president. He said he was optimistic about the revolt in Egypt, but argued that the protesters needed to go the distance and be willing to endure hardships. Already, over 300 Egyptians have died since protests began on January 25, the United Nations has reported. “If the Egyptian people continue to resist, they will succeed. It needs endurance. We too endured a lot of hardships in order to triumph over the shah,” he said. “I am optimistic, if the Egyptians continue their resistance,” he said, calling on the protesters to stay united. “Division will benefit America and Israel,” he warned. BM
