MSNBC Interview - Transcript

Interview

MSNBC Interview - Transcript: With Rep. Chris Van Hollen - Diplomacy With And Oppression Inside The Islamic Republic Of Iran

Interviewers: Carlos Watson, Mort Zuckerman

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MR. WATSON: Chris Van Hollen joins me now live. Congressman, good to see you this morning.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Good to be with you, Carlos.

MR. WATSON: Congressman, in your perspective, is there any more that the Obama administration should have on the table right now other than the quiet diplomacy that we know they're pursuing?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: I've they've calibrated their statements just right. As you know, their statements have changed based on the situation on the ground. Over the weekend, the president came out with a stronger statement. This is a confrontation between the regime in Iran and the people of Iran, and the last thing we want to do is turn it into a confrontation between Iran and the United States. To do that would be to play into the hands of the regime, which is why I think the president has been careful in his statements.

He's been clear that we are absolutely opposed to any violent action, unjust actions against the Iranian people. But we -- the last thing we want to do is to suggest that the United States is interfering in this situation and give the regime the excuse it's looking for to use the United States as a pretext for cracking down. This was not a demonstration that was triggered by U.S. actions. It was triggered by the desire for the Iranian people for freedom and change in Iran, and we should not allow the regime to change that conversation.

MR. WATSON: Congressman Van Hollen, we've got Mort Zuckerman here, who's our guest host with us today, chairman (sic) of U.S. News & World Report who's got a question for you. Mort?

MR. ZUCKERMAN: Yeah. To what extent is this also a rift within the ruling elites of Iran? And to what extent can we influence that? I mean, I mean, Rafsanjani was a major backer of the opposition to Ahmadinejad. And they've now at least arrested and released members of his family. I presume there's a message in that. But to -- how deep do you think this goes within the Iranian elites and the ruling mullahs?

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Well, I think that's an excellent point. The distinction between what's happening now and what happened in 1999 is that, in 1999, it was simply the students that were uprising against the regime. This time, you have many of the leaders of the Iranian sort of ruling party, including many who were involved in the original revolution, coming down on the side of greater freedom, greater democracy. And that is a very important development distinction, which gives us the, I think, greater hope that this could sustain itself.

Now the regime has a very difficult choice to make. It's not just a question of cracking down on people in the streets. It's a question about whether they're going to arrest Rafsanjani and his relatives -- they arrested one of his relatives, but apparently released them -- whether they're going to arrest Mousavi. And when they take those actions, they're not just taking on the street, they're taking on a big part of what had been a part of that ruling regime.

MR. WATSON: Congressman Van Hollen, thank you so much for joining us, sir. And I hope you'll come back to join us again in the future.

REP. VAN HOLLEN: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

MR. WATSON: Have a good morning.

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