Iranian senior MP: Leader’s call for heroic flexibility sets new sgenda for Iran’s foreign policy

A prominent Iranian lawmaker said the Iranian Supreme Leader's yesterday remarks about his belief in "heroic Flexibility" as a necessary tactic in diplomacy mean a new foreign policy guideline for President Hassan Rouhani’s government. Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that he has long held the belief in “heroic flexibility” in domestic and foreign policy, but he also cautioned that the tactic which is very necessary on some occasions should only be practiced after one gathers deep insight about the nature of his/her rivals and their goals. Following the leader's remarks, Vice-Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mansour Haqiqatpour said, “The Supreme Leader’s statements are a basic reality at international level and I hope that this will always be considered in our foreign diplomacy and our behavior at international level.” “… If we could not achieve much under the previous governments at international levels, it has been because of the fact that our approach was not based on flexibility,” he added. The Supreme Leader yesterday underlined his support for correct and logical moves on the scenes of foreign and domestic policy. “I agree with the issue that I called some years ago as heroic flexibility since this move is highly good and necessary on certain occasions, but with commitment to one main condition,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing high-ranking commanders and veterans of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Tehran. He described apprehending the opposite side's nature and gathering a correct understanding of his goal-setting as the main condition for using the heroic flexibility tactic, and said, "A technical wrestler also shows flexibility for technical reasons sometimes, but he would never forget who his rival is and what his main goal is." Ayatollah Khamenei underlined the necessity of complete loyalty to Islam and revolution values, saying whoever is more loyal to the main message of the Islamic Revolution and can analyze the enemies' plots and behavior within the framework of the hegemonic system's challenge with the Islamic Revolution will be further exposed to the arrogant powers' fury and wrath. ?