Statements in Meeting with the People of East Azerbaijan

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and infallible progeny, especially the Awaited One among the inhabitants of the earth.

Dear brothers and sisters! Welcome. You have traveled this long way in this cold weather and brought the warmth of sincerity, faith, and zeal to our Hussainiyah. We, as always, feel a deep eagerness to meet you, the people of Tabriz, the people of Azerbaijan. I send my greetings in the truest sense to the people of Azerbaijan, the people of Tabriz, and to the creators of the great and unforgettable epic of the 29th of Bahman in 1978.

Today, I will discuss a matter regarding Tabriz and Azerbaijan; the valuable and brilliant identity of Azerbaijan cannot be summarized in just a few words. We have spoken a lot about Tabriz and Azerbaijan, but the conversation continues. Today, I will share a few sentences on this topic; then I will present a general perspective on the issues of the country.

Before we begin the topics I mentioned, I must express my respect to the Iranian nation for the valuable movement they demonstrated on the 22nd of Bahman this year. This past Saturday — the 22nd of Bahman — was a historic Saturday, a truly historic 22nd of Bahman; across the country, the people created a real epic. All the opposing propaganda, the problems that people feel with all their being, the provocations of the enemies, the cold weather, and in some areas, sub-zero temperatures, all of these were overlooked under the influence of the warmth of the faith and insight of the Iranian people; the people came out with such grandeur. This gathering of the people expressed many truths, which I will return to later regarding the 22nd of Bahman this year. For now, I express my devotion to the Iranian nation everywhere: from the farthest east of the country to the farthest west; from the north to the south; in remote cities, in centers, in large cities like Tabriz, Isfahan, Mashhad, and elsewhere, down to the villages! The Iranian nation raised their voices together; this is very valuable. Iranian nation! May God reward your efforts. Of course, I do not consider myself worthy of thanking you; God must thank you; the Almighty God is grateful: Indeed, our Lord is Forgiving and Grateful.

Every movement you make, every expression you share, every word you utter, every step you take, the Almighty God acknowledges these with gratitude; even though your actions are a duty. What we do is a small part of thanking God, but "He thanks those who thank Him, and You inspire him to thank You." God willing, I will return and speak about the 22nd of Bahman.

Now regarding the 29th of Bahman in Tabriz in 1978. In my opinion, it can be said that on the 29th of Bahman in 1978, the history of Iran turned a page; it was a decisive historical moment. Well, on the 19th of Dey of that year, the uprising occurred in Qom; there is no doubt that the people of Qom did a great job and took the initiative; but like the 19th of Dey in Qom, something similar had happened in the country but was forgotten. The 15th of Khordad in 1963, with that massacre and the great movement that took place in Tehran, Qom, and some other cities, where the nation rose up, gave their lives, shed blood, and the numbers were very high, but it was forgotten, it disappeared. The policy of the oppressive regime and global arrogance is to make significant events that benefit the people forgotten through propaganda, various tricks, and force; if it were not for the actions of Tabriz, the 19th of Dey in Qom would also have been forgotten.

What did the people of Tabriz do? The people of Tabriz transformed the Qom uprising into a national uprising, turning it into a public incident; even though the oppression and severity in Tabriz were much greater; they brought tanks to the streets. Who was the opponent? The people, the scholars, the mosques; the scholars had invited the people to participate in the memorial for the martyrs of Qom; these were the opponents; there were no armed individuals; but the regime was so panicked that they brought tanks to the streets and massacred the people. However, the people of Tabriz did not retreat; they gave their lives, shed blood, stood firm, shouted slogans, and nationalized the uprising; their sacrifices reached all over the country, thus it became widespread. The memorial for the martyrs of Tabriz was held in several places; this meant that the cries of the people of Tabriz resonated throughout Iran. Less than a year later, the oppressive royal regime was toppled; this is what history-making means, this is what a historical moment means.

Tabriz, with its steadfastness, resistance, and courage, did not allow past experiences to be repeated; the flag of freedom in Iran is in the hands of the people of Tabriz; this is not surprising; Azerbaijan has shown such movements and such significant manifestations at other times as well. We must know this history; we must not let history be forgotten. In another period — during the rise of the Safavids — it was Azerbaijan, namely Tabriz and Ardabil and the cities of Azerbaijan that managed to save Iran from division, from feudalism, from the long domination of foreigners; it was Azerbaijan; Ardabil, Tabriz; these were the ones who could unite Iran. Before the unification of Iran and the independent government of Iran that has continued to this day, the country was feudal. During the Timurid period and before that, the Mongols and their successors, every corner of the country was under the control of a tribe or a group; the east was one way, the west another, the north another, and the south another. The movement that started from Azerbaijan united Iran. The flag of Iran's unity is in the hands of Azerbaijan; these are truths, these are not flattery. The accurate narration of the history of Azerbaijan is part of the requirements of Islamic historiography, and it is the duty of all to carry out this work; those who are skilled in it, those who are responsible for it must do this work.

In subsequent events, it was the same. In the tobacco issue, one of the places where the scholars, including the late Haj Mirza Javad Tabrizi — Haj Mirza Javad the jurist — cooperated with the tobacco boycott of Mirza Shirazi was Tabriz. In the Constitutional Revolution, the movement of Tabriz was significant; both at the beginning of the Constitutional Revolution, with the issue of Sattar Khan and Bagher Khan and such figures, and after various events and the entry of the Russians and so on, Sheikh Mohammad Khiyabani, Amirzadeh Ismail Nobari, and others; these were the ones who could demonstrate Iran's power of resistance against various events. In the Islamic Revolution, it was the same, in the Sacred Defense, it was the same, in the events after the Sacred Defense until today, it has been the same; as Mr. Al-Hashim mentioned, it has been the same in the recent events. Well, this is now from the perspective of the national display of power.

From a cultural perspective, Azerbaijan is the center of civilization and culture in the western part of the country; like Khorasan, which is the center of civilization and culture in the eastern part of the country. The culture of the country, the Iranian traditions, the Iranian civilization that has been exported throughout history to the farthest points of the Ottoman territories in the west and to the farthest points of the Baburi territories in India in the east, has moved from these two centers, from Azerbaijan and from Khorasan. Iran has always been proud of its cultural figures in Azerbaijan. Khaghani is Azerbaijani, Nizami is Azerbaijani; then we come to Shams Tabrizi, Qatran Tabrizi, Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari, then Saeb Tabrizi, and so on until we reach our time: the late Shahriyar and before him, Mrs. Parvin E'tesami; all of these are from Azerbaijan. The great services they have rendered to the literature of the country, to the culture of the country, are countless; far more than can be stated.

Well, therefore, the issue of the 29th of Bahman carries these backgrounds and attachments with it. I want to say that the issue of the 29th of Bahman was an identity-forming event; we must learn lessons; we are not telling stories to each other; we must learn lessons. We must use our past to build our future. Today we are in motion; the nation is in motion, Iran is in motion; we need lessons, we need experience; these are lessons for us. The 29th of Bahman was an identity-forming event.

Every nation finds its identity in the shadow of perseverance and steadfastness. What gives nations identity, personality, and greatness, and helps protect their culture is their perseverance and steadfastness. What does perseverance mean? It means to continue on the straight path that one has found; not to allow any deviation. The problem of nations is to deviate. They start on a path, then they either get tired or worldly attractions draw them in and they deviate. The degree of deviation is initially very small; but the longer it continues, the greater the degree becomes, and they separate from the main line, from the true line; this is the problem. We have had this problem in our country, in our revolution. Some were with the revolution, then they deviated. There are various factors. Sometimes it was not their fault, it was the fault of the institutions, the fault of the government, the fault of various factors, the fault of external influences; ultimately, for whatever reason, they found a deviation. This deviation progressed, leading to opposition to that movement, to that great ideal that had brought them into this path. They turned from one side to the other; sometimes they changed 180 degrees. We have had such cases, and we still have them. Perseverance does not allow this; it preserves identity, gives identity to a nation, a community. One must not get tired, one must not lose hope, one must not fear the enemy's threats. Dear brothers and sisters! This is the secret of their endurance.

Well, yes, it is clear that the enemy does not sit idle; either they strike or if they cannot, they threaten, and if the threat does not work, they shout to drive you out of the field; if you do not leave the field, the enemy is defeated; if you continue, you progress. The people of Tabriz had seen the Qom uprising; well, in Qom there was a massacre, the people of Qom were suppressed; the people knew that standing up against the regime meant being killed, giving their lives, but they stood firm, showed perseverance, and God blessed them. When we say history turned a page on the 29th of Bahman due to the movement of the people of Tabriz, this blessing that God granted to this action was because they showed perseverance: And if they had remained steadfast on the right path, We would have given them abundant water.

This 22nd of Bahman this year is another example of this perseverance. With this perspective, let us see and examine the issue. Simply having a crowd in the streets is good; sometimes there are various motivations for coming to the streets. More importantly, it is that we look and see that this "coming" was a manifestation of perseverance, a defiance against the enemy. The enemy's effort is to make us forget the path, to not see the path; that is their effort. There are also those inside who promote these ideas; they exist. We do not claim that there are no opponents within; there are opponents of the revolution; yes, there are those who oppose, and they pursue the same goals as the enemy. Inside, we have faced movements that targeted the resolute determination of the Iranian nation. One of the main goals of the recent disturbances in Tehran and some other places was to make the 22nd of Bahman forgotten by the people, to prevent the people from showing their massive presence on the anniversary of the victory of the revolution, to make them forget. Inside, there were those who, with flawed analyses and weak arguments, repeated this in newspapers, in cyberspace, in statements, to dissuade the people. But what did the people do? The people showed perseverance and came out, acting contrary to them. Thus, this "coming" was perseverance, and this perseverance is blessed.

This march of the people this year was filled with enthusiasm; the slogans they shouted were meaningful, the slogans had substance, and they indicated the direction. The enemy wanted the voice of the Iranian nation to not be heard; the enemy wanted this. The Iranian nation, amidst all the uproar of cyberspace and propaganda and televisions and the like, raised its voice and made it heard. Yes, some may not hear it; because they conceal it, they remain silent, they do not reflect it in global propaganda; it may not reach the ears of the people of other countries, but those who need to hear it have heard the voice of the Iranian nation this year on the 22nd of Bahman. The policymaking bodies in America, in England, in the conspiracy-ridden points of the world, in the intelligence services of countries — those who are attentive — heard the voice of the Iranian nation this year on the 22nd of Bahman. Those who needed to hear it heard it.

The message of the Iranian nation on this 22nd of Bahman was full support for the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic system; this was louder than all other voices. Of course, there were opposing and dissenting voices, and the enemies, the media empire of the world, which is in the hands of the Zionists and Americans, tried to overshadow their voices, but they could not; the voice of the nation prevailed over the voices of others. Of course, others made their efforts; the opponents and adversaries exerted their efforts; sometimes they said: the revolution, the Islamic Republic is going backward; indeed, the opposite is true. Are we going backward? By God's grace, with God's favor, with God's power, we are moving forward. It is not that we do not have problems; I will mention them now, we do have many problems, but today's country is very different from the country of twenty years ago, thirty years ago, and forty years ago; we have advanced significantly in all areas; in both material and spiritual aspects.

They say: the country is going backward! What backwardness? Why? Some said that the Islamic Republic has reached a dead end; well, if we have reached a dead end, why do the enemies spend so much to bring us down? Well, a nation that, a government that has reached a dead end does not need to be brought down; it will fall by itself. In the world, billions of dollars are being spent! Many countries that have money, wealth, and move against the Iranian nation are spending money to divert the Islamic Republic; they openly state this. Why do they do this? If we had reached a dead end, if we were collapsing — as some want to portray — it would not be necessary for them to spend so much money.

Sometimes, in an attempt to undermine progress, they say: why have you put all your efforts into weapons, drones, missiles, and the like? Some say this. Well, the answer is that, firstly, it is necessary; a country that has enemies must think of its own defense. At the beginning of the revolution, some wanted to sell our F-14s; I did not allow it; I found out, I exposed it. We were in Mashhad — we had gone for pilgrimage or had some work — I heard about it there, I did not let time pass; the very hour I heard, I called a reporter and exposed it, and it was broadcast; they got scared, and they backed off; this is the policy of the opponents and adversaries. We have enemies; we must strengthen our defense; reason dictates, and religion says: And prepare for them whatever strength you can muster and of trained horses.

"Whatever you can" means as much as you can; we have listened to this; we will strengthen the country's defense as much as we can, God willing.

Secondly, has less work been done in other areas than in the defense sector? Several times more work has been done in the industrial sector, in infrastructure, in the construction of roads, dams, and the like; so much work has been done. Now, defense issues are naturally such that the enemies want to constantly propagate for their own specific reasons that "Iran had drones, sold them to such and such places, and so on"; but they do not want to mention the industrial advancements, rather they have motives to conceal them, and they do conceal them. No, we have made significant progress in other areas as well. Of course, the nation has not paid attention to these temptations; the nation has not paid attention to these voices that are raised here and there; after this, God willing, they will not pay attention.

These are what make our enemy anxious; these advancements are what anger the enemy, make the enemy furious. The Quran said: Say, "Die in your rage"; this was translated by our great martyr [Beheshti] as: "Die from this anger"! This is the translation of the verse of the Quran: Die in your rage. The enemy becomes angry, upset; their actions are anxious actions, their words are anxious words. Anything that strengthens Iran makes them upset; why? Because they know that if Iran becomes strong, their plots against Iran will be ineffective; therefore, they do not want Iran to become strong. Anything that strengthens us makes them anxious, makes them upset. God willing, and by God's grace, it will be so. The movement is a movement; the revolution is a movement; the revolution does not stop or stagnate; it must progress and, God willing, it will continue. Therefore, the country must become strong. I have repeatedly said, I have stated — I will refer to it later — that everyone must strive; the country must be made strong.

We said we have made progress; this is a reality. Some individuals may not be aware of many of the advancements; well, yes, we are weak in propaganda and similar areas; let us also acknowledge this. In propaganda, in media work, we have not yet acquired the necessary expertise and skill; we are somewhat weak; therefore, [some advancements] are not mentioned, not seen, not understood. Those who go to visit and see exhibitions, [other] places are delighted; some are greatly surprised. When foreigners come, sometimes they take them to show them some places, and they are astonished, saying: You achieved these things under sanctions? I once said — of course, this was a few years ago — that a missile was made by our youth; they tested this missile. Well, satellites capture these things; the Zionists, Americans, and others understood that this missile was made. A specialized Israeli missile commander said something that was broadcast in some places; we received it; I quoted it. He said: I am an enemy of Iran, but in the face of this movement that they made — this missile that was made under sanctions — I take my hat off in respect.

Well, we said we have made progress, but do we have weaknesses alongside these advancements? Yes, indeed; we have weaknesses, we have many shortcomings; there are various reasons for this. Our shortcomings, our weaknesses are not few. Some of them are felt by the people, they understand; well, there is inflation, there is a decrease in the value of the national currency; these are weaknesses; we have these. There are other weaknesses in various sectors, administrative sectors, and so on. Weaknesses exist, but we can look at the issue in two ways.

Pay close attention; especially our dear youth should pay attention. On one side are the advancements, the successes, the achievements; on the other side are the weaknesses; there are two ways to look at it: one way is to look at the achievements, understand that we have the capability, and say: very well, with the same determination that we achieved these, we will also overcome these weaknesses; this is one way of looking at it; this is a revolutionary perspective. Another perspective is to look at the weaknesses and say: "Sir! It is useless. Look, see what weaknesses we have; it is useless, nothing can be done"; or to sit idle, do nothing, or complain or shout against this situation, or to amplify the weaknesses loudly; this perspective is a regressive perspective. Yes, there are weaknesses, but why do you look at the weaknesses with a regressive perspective?

Some, when they look at the weaknesses, deny the very essence of the Islamic Republic, deny the essence of the revolution! Why? If a nation has weaknesses, should its achievements be forgotten? Which nation has no weaknesses? The wealthy nations of the world that are the most advanced scientifically have no weaknesses? They have much greater weaknesses. If I were to list them, I would need a page to enumerate the weaknesses that exist in America, in England, in France, in advanced countries; they are much larger, more significant, and more severe than our weaknesses: widespread poverty, widespread disease, widespread discrimination, lack of social justice; many of these weaknesses exist there, several times more than ours. Weakness exists everywhere, but we must strive to overcome the weaknesses; the solution is this; the solution is not that when we see a weakness, we immediately start to undermine the essence and foundation.

I insist that the first path is correct: the revolutionary path; that is, when we observe our weaknesses, we say we have great achievements that seemed unattainable to us; therefore, we must strive. See, dear ones! I have been responsible in this country for forty years; various responsibilities, from before the presidency to the presidency and after the presidency. There were days when we could not believe that some of the advancements would one day come to pass; if I were to list these advancements, you would be astonished. For example, consider that steel production would reach millions of tons; it never crossed our minds; what we thought was that now it is five thousand tons, let it reach ten thousand tons! What is before our eyes today, we could not even imagine; but the nation strived, the youth strived, we had good officials during this time who strived to bring the country to this point. This determination exists today as well; let us strive to overcome the weaknesses; this is my recommendation.

Everyone must work. First and foremost, officials must work; each according to their legal duty. Officials are diverse; one is responsible for planning and designing, one is responsible for execution, one is responsible for supervision, one is responsible for legislation, one is responsible for policymaking; various sectors, various managements, various responsibilities, all have laws. Everyone should strive, engage in jihad-like activity, work tirelessly day and night, and follow up on tasks. This is for the officials.

What seems to me to be the most important tasks today are economic tasks. A few days ago, in this Hussainiyah, a number of successful producers and entrepreneurs of the country gathered; I told them; I said this country must achieve economic growth; without economic growth, work does not progress. Well, if economic growth is to occur, if production is to increase, there must be economic stability, inflation must be controlled. Today, one of the fundamental tasks that the officials of the country, the executive branch, the legislative branch, the monitoring bodies, and the executive bodies have — both direct and indirect officials — is to remedy the problems. It is treatable; it is not that it has no remedy; there is a way, they must find the way. They must remedy inflation; this economic stability, price stability will advance the country; thus, the perspective must be this perspective.

The people must also work in the same way. Of course, the responsibility of the officials is greater, but the people must also do the same. Students can work, professors can work, workers can work, merchants can work, farmers can strive; entrepreneurs, livestock breeders, religious scholars, all of these can work; each in their own way. For example, a religious scholar; you saw Mr. Al-Hashim said here that they go out, visit industrial centers, show this and that, or visit; this is a very good work; this is a great work. This [economy] brings movement. These movements are blessed. A political activist can work; a political activist can enlighten. Political activity is not just about sitting and finding a weakness in the government or in other institutions and then amplifying it in cyberspace with mockery and insult; political activity is not this. Political activity is to look at the political landscape of the world, the political landscape of the region, the goals of the enemies, the orientations of friends, and explain them to the people, those whom you know better than them, understand better than them; this is political activity.

Or social activists, service activists, likewise. We have repeatedly been able to address significant weaknesses through the people; one of them was the coronavirus. At the beginning of the coronavirus, the people entered the field, worked. Many of the tasks that the institutions were supposed to carry out were done by the people; they entered the field. In those days, the people entered and performed charitable acts. Many various service tasks were carried out by the people. The great celebration of Ghadir was organized by the people in Tehran; the people themselves did it with enthusiasm and eagerness. The people can do it. Social activities give the nation vitality, ensure progress in the country, and support it.

One of the things that is effective in creating strength in the country and makes the country strong is national unity. There should be no disputes over trivial matters. Of course, there are differences of opinion. In these differences of opinion, debate is good, discussion is good, but contention is not good. They should debate, speak, discuss in universities, in seminaries, in public media, with respect, and argue while preserving the dignity of others; this is good, but contention is not good, enmity is not good, sullying one's mouth with inappropriate words is not good; these are not good. Unity helps.

Well, now the general inclination of the Iranian nation is towards the revolution. We have not conducted a survey to say, for example, what percentage of their opinions on a particular political issue is contrary to public opinions or contrary to the opinions of the officials; we do not know these, but in general, we know that yes, there are those who have different opinions, opposing opinions. The Iranian nation is not with them; the Iranian nation is with the global arrogance. Everyone must be careful not to assist global arrogance; everyone must be careful not to allow the tools of global arrogance to stand against the revolution and against Islam and against dear Iran. As always, I see the future as bright. Thanks be to God, whenever there has been a bright horizon ahead, we have reached that horizon after a while. The capabilities of the nation are very high, the capabilities of the country are very high, and the capacities of the country are very high, and God willing, this nation will achieve even greater accomplishments.

We ask the Almighty God to keep us steadfast on this path. We ask the Almighty God to unite our dear Imam, who showed us this path, with His saints. We ask the Almighty God to unite our dear martyrs with the martyrs of the early Islam and Karbala and to join us with them.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.