Statements on the Meeting with Basij Forces on the Occasion of Basij Day

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 Muhammad and his pure family, especially the Remaining One of God among the people of the earth; may our souls be sacrificed for him.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, brave Basij youth; you have illuminated this Hussainiyah with the light of the Basij motivations that, thanks be to God, exist within you. Happy Basij Week to all of you, and indeed to the entire nation of Iran.

The Basij is one of the blessed initiatives of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); of course, his great initiatives were not limited to one or two cases, but one of the most important and greatest of these initiatives was the formation of the Basij, which he announced in his famous speech in early Azar 1358 (November 1979), declaring the necessity of forming a twenty-million-strong army for the country. Well, the Basij was formed after the Imam's command; this was in 1358 (1979). The blessings of the Basij and this great initiative were so significant that the Imam, in Azar 1367 (December 1988), issued that lofty, eloquent, and grand address in praise of the Basij. In these nine years, what events occurred in the country through the Basij that so profoundly affected the great Imam that he used such elevated expressions and remarkable literature?

Now I will mention a few sentences from that noble literature of the great Imam to remind you that our dear Imam, in this statement, and in fact in this address, speaks to the Basij as a father who loves his children. I read these phrases: "The Basij is a school of love and a school of the unknown martyrs who have raised the call of martyrdom and bravery on its lofty minarets." What exquisite literature, what lofty expressions! "It is a fruitful tree whose blossoms give the scent of the spring of union, the freshness of certainty, and the discourse of love." Of course, I am not reading these phrases consecutively; go and pay attention, these words are addressed to you. Then he says: "My pride is that I am a Basij member." The Imam, with that greatness that shook the world, that shook history, says, "My pride is that I am a Basij member." Then he says: "I kiss the hands of each one of you"; truly, these are unforgettable words. Well, you Basijis today are the audience of this statement. The Imam did not say the Basij of the 60s; he said Basij; you and the Basijis after you, for future generations, are all the audience of this statement where the Imam says, "I kiss your hands."

Well, in this statement — the statement of Azar 1367 (December 1988) — the Imam announces the necessity of a Basij of students and clerics; this has a specific meaning. He demands from students, he demands from religious scholars that they should have the Basij, they should become Basij members; this means that the Basij is not only for the military field; it must be present in all fields, including the field of knowledge — both religious knowledge and material knowledge — the Basij must be present; pay close attention, this is an important point. The great Imam, with this action, actually turned a threat into an opportunity; what was that threat? The Imam made this public announcement on the fourth of Azar 1358 (November 1979), and in fact, ordered the formation of the Basij; this was about twenty days after the occupation of the U.S. embassy. The embassy was occupied on the 13th of Aban (November 4); this first statement of the Imam and his remarks were issued on the fourth of Azar. After the incident on the 13th of Aban, when the students following the line of the Imam took over the embassy and extracted documents from there, the Americans became very angry and began to threaten; both verbally and practically. Their practical threat was that they gradually brought their warships towards the Persian Gulf; these were threats. Instead of becoming passive or afraid — usually, heads of countries become passive; the moment America frowns, they become passive, they become afraid, they become fearful; the Imam, no — he mobilized the nation in the form of a general Basij, meaning he turned this threat into an opportunity; this caused the battlefield not to be limited to official organizations, but for the entire nation to enter; this is the very transformation of threat into opportunity; this was one of the Imam's skills and God-given qualities that he turned threats into opportunities.

Well, there is an important point here, which I have mentioned, and that is that although the Basij truly shone in the military field — of course, when the Imam made this statement, the war had not yet started; later, when the war began in 1359 (1980), the presence of the Basij in the battlefield was very effective, it was a solution; it was, in the true sense of the word, a very important support for the official military organizations like the army and the IRGC — although the test of the Basij in the battlefield was a glorious test, the Basij is not merely a military organization; this is the essential point. The Basij is above these matters; its status and position are higher and more exalted than that of a military organization. What is the Basij? The Basij is a culture, the Basij is a discourse, the Basij is a thought.

What is this thought? What is this culture? This culture is characterized by selfless and unpretentious service to society and to the country; this is very important. Without expectation, without waiting for someone to say well done, even in many cases without being given a budget, money, or facilities to enter a field — after all, every movement requires some facilities — without these, they enter various fields, they serve jihadistically, and they risk their lives for the sake of jihadistic service; this is the Basij culture. What does Basij culture mean? It means to get knee-deep in mud to clean the mud from the rooms of flood-affected families; it means putting oneself at risk of contracting COVID-19 and risking death to save those infected with the virus and keep them away from the danger of death. Basij culture means not knowing fatigue in charitable assistance, one example of which was shown in this exhibition we attended; of course, I am fully aware of what the Basijis did in announcing charitable assistance and moving in this direction, or in jihad camps; this is the Basij; this is what Basij culture means. They did not wait for someone to say well done, bravo; no, they went and, in many cases with very innovative and interesting methods, expanded this charitable assistance throughout the country. In the field of science and research, the Basij was effective; young people who were knowledgeable, who were researchers, who were students, had a Basij spirit, were active in laboratories; both in the case of COVID-19 and in other matters. One example is our nuclear martyrs; they were Basijis, they are Basijis. One example is the late Kazemi and this extensive apparatus they established and the other scientific and research works; this is Basij culture. Then, in the field of confronting the enemy, that is, in the military battlefield, they entered fearlessly, did not fear the enemy, did not give the enemy an opportunity; this is Basij culture. Entering every political, military, and scientific campaign and putting all their efforts into it; this is Basij culture. Being Basij is the culture of unknown warriors — just as the Imam also referred to this meaning — it is the culture of selfless warriors; it is risk-taking, it is not fearing; it is serving everyone and the country; it is sacrificing oneself for others; even becoming a victim to free the oppressed. You saw in the recent events, the oppressed Basijis became victims themselves to prevent the nation from becoming victims of a bunch of rioters — whether ignorant, unaware, or mercenaries; they became victims themselves to stop the oppression of others; they do not allow despair to enter their hearts; this is one of the important aspects of Basij culture. Despair has no meaning for a Basij member.

Well, these are a brief description of the Basij and the Basijis. Of course, if we want to talk in this regard, it would become extensive, and we could express many profound and meaningful phrases; the summary is what we have presented; there are no generations of the 60s, 80s, or 90s. You are the youth of the 80s and 90s; you are fresh young people; you have not seen the Imam, you have not seen the revolution, you have not seen the sacred defense, but that youthful spirit in the battlefield exists within you as well; there is no distinction between the 60s and the 90s. The talk of generational disconnection and such things is the discourse of intellectuals within intellectual circles; the realities are different from this. Today, the Basij is the same Basij of the 60s.

Well, another important point is that today, both the country has the capacity to train Basij members, to cultivate new sprouts in the Basij, and the Basij has the capacity to advance the country step by step with great strides. That is, the country is ready to cultivate Basij members, to rejuvenate, and the Basij — the Basij organization and all Basij members; I will mention this later, we have organizational Basij and non-organizational Basij — and the world of Basij in our country is ready to develop and advance the country. When we say the country has the capacity, this capacity did not just come into existence; it has existed for a long time, but it was suppressed, it was not utilized. This spirit of cultivating the Basij with the characteristics we mentioned — such as entering the field, not fearing, confronting the enemy — existed even during the reign of tyrannical governments and in past eras, but either foreigners were dominant over the country and did not allow it and suppressed it, or the governments themselves were corrupt.

Now I have noted some examples here. For instance, during the foreign interventions — this is from our contemporary history, not long ago — in Tabriz, Sheikh Muhammad Khiyabani; he is, in a sense, a Basij member; he rises, he acts, and then he becomes a martyr; in Mashhad, Muhammad Taqi Khan Pessian; he is the same; unfortunately, you do not know much about the biographies of these figures; you should read a lot of books, you should understand their biographies, know them. In Rasht, Mirza Kuchak Khan Jangali; in Isfahan, Aqa Najafi and Hajj Aqa Noorollah; in Shiraz, Sayyid Abdollah Lari and some other great scholars, such as Sheikh Jafar Mohallati; in Bushehr, Raees Ali Delvari, for whom a film has actually been produced and broadcast; and many others in other places; now I just remembered these, I noted them down. Most of them were suppressed; that is, almost all of them — except for one or two cases — were suppressed; either they were suppressed or they were not supported, or the governments created obstacles for them. [Thus] this Basij spirit has existed. But during the revolution, this capacity first increased because the revolution gave hope; victory over a regime that they called a 2500-year-old regime strengthened the anti-global arrogance and anti-despotism spirit of the people, and this Basij capacity was enhanced; then someone like Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) at the head of the country gave life to the Basij, gave it spirit, thus this capacity was revived and this potential was actualized.

We mentioned that the Basij had an active presence during the sacred defense. Of course, at that time, we ourselves occasionally observed parts and corners of that vast battlefield; we had seen it, but what is in these books and in these biographies is hundreds and perhaps thousands of times more than what we observed with our own eyes; there are astonishing things in these books of the martyrs' biographies, the biographies of the greats of the battlefield; now even those greats who had no name or title, who were merely Basij members, but were great, had greatness. This was truly astonishing. This was in the battlefield; in the scientific environment, as well, nuclear scientists, Royan scientists, and other centers of science and research.

Well, today, thanks be to God, we have millions of official Basij members who are in the Basij organization; we have millions of unofficial Basij members; young people who in mosques, universities, associations, schools, and various places are doing the same Basij work and are, in fact, Basij members, but are not officially members of the Basij organization. In the continuation of the phenomenon of this Basij in our country, there is the Basij in the Islamic world; we have millions of Basij members in the Islamic world; Basij members who do not understand our language, and we do not understand their language, but the language of our hearts and their hearts is one; their orientation is the same as ours; in various countries; these are also among the blessings of the Basij.

Well, this is the legacy of the Imam that remains today and will remain tomorrow, God willing, and the country will witness its fruits. Well, among the statements that the Imam made regarding the Basij, he referred to it as a pure tree; the pure tree is the one that in the Quran says: "How God has struck a parable: A good word is like a good tree, whose root is firmly established and its branches are in the sky; it yields its fruit at all times by permission of its Lord." The characteristic of the pure tree is that it bears sweet fruits and shows its results in every era. We said the Basij has the capacity to advance the country; now I will mention a few of these fruits.

First, in every era, the presence of the Basij shows the vitality of the revolution; it shows that the revolution is alive. To the chagrin of those who are frightened by the word "revolution" and are upset by the name "revolution," who do not want the name "revolution" to be mentioned, who express aversion to the revolution, the existence of the Basij shows that the revolution is alive, the revolution is rejuvenating, it is a creator. Thus, one of the fruits of the presence of the Basij is that it indicates the rejuvenation of the revolution and the vitality of the revolution.

Second, this spirit we mentioned; the spirit of jihadistic work without expectation and without name and fame, without pretense, creates a leap in the country. Work that is done for admiration and to show off to this and that has no blessing. This very work of selflessness and jihadistic work sets the country on the right path and advances it; this is also one of the blessings and fruits of the Basij.

Third, in every activity that a Basij member engages in, they highlight the element of spirituality in that activity; this is very important; the element of spirituality. A prominent scientist at the Royan Center, when he achieves a scientific breakthrough, performs a prostration of gratitude; this was told to me by the late Kazemi in front of that scientist, and both of them cried. A prominent nuclear scientist, his student says that in one issue we were stuck, we were working until late at night — at Shahid Beheshti University — he said to me, let’s go; we stood up and came out of the workroom, we went into the prayer room, he took us into the prayer room, he started praying and making supplications; then suddenly he said, I understood, the problem was solved; he stood up and went there. You see, in the scientific environment, in the nuclear work environment, there is prostration, supplication, prayer! The presence of the Basij brings spirituality with it in various sectors; this is very important; it is very important.

Fourth, alongside being practical, they are also idealistic — this is how a Basij member is — because a Basij member is a person of action, a person of initiative. They do not just talk; they act; but alongside being practical, they do not become confined to practicality, they do not forget idealism, they move towards ideals; forgetting ideals is a great danger. This is also one of the fruits. If I were to count the fruits of this pure tree, there are more than these; now I have mentioned three or four of them; these blessings exist in the Basij.

Well, now we have described this Basij with the words of the great Imam and brought various examples for the Basij members; all of this is conditional on you maintaining the Basij spirit; do not become arrogant with the name. If we clerics maintain the clerical spirit, our existence becomes blessed; if we step outside the clerical spirit — which the Imam repeatedly warned the clerics in the institutions about, saying to them to maintain their clerical spirit — if we step outside of this, the blessing disappears; the Basij is the same; you must maintain the Basij spirit. Of course, pay attention to reciting the Quran, to the recommended acts, to the extent that you are able, to the extent that you have enthusiasm, to the extent that you are prepared, also read the biographies of the martyrs; read the biographies of these Basij members who went and became martyrs and many books have been published about them, read as much as you can. Well, this is now regarding the Basij.

Another discussion I have here is about the status of the Basij. I insist that a Basij member should recognize the value of the Basij, understand the status of the Basij, and know the philosophy of the presence of the Basij; I want to make a brief discussion in this regard. What is the Basij for? Who are you dealing with? Are you dealing with four rioters in the streets? Is the Basij only for this? In the political geography of the Islamic world, the Basij has a prominent status; I need to explain a bit. Of course, the thinkers, the intellectuals, you young people, should pay attention, think about this issue — not just now — pursue these issues; with study, with discussion, with dialogue, with thinking.

The front of Western colonialism has a specific approach towards our specific region, the region of West Asia, which they themselves call the "Middle East." After the two world wars, Western colonialism — first Europe, then America — created a special attention and approach towards this region; why? Because the region is important. The most important factor in the movement of the industrial wheels of the West is dependent on oil, and the main center of oil in the world is here. The region of West Asia is the region of connection between East and West, the region of connection between Asia and Europe and Africa; from a strategic position, and in common terms, it is an important region. Therefore, the Western colonizers, who had now found wealth and gained capabilities through plundering colonized countries, had advanced scientifically and had advanced weapons, paid special attention to the region of West Asia. It was because of this attention that they established the usurping Zionist regime in this region; they placed this usurping regime as the base of the West — first the base of Europe and then the base of America — in this region so that they could dominate the region, do whatever they wanted, pit countries against each other, create wars, impose, expand, and plunder; they established the Zionist regime for this purpose. Thus, they had a special view of this region.

In this region of West Asia, there is one point that is more important than all, and that is Iran. Iran is more important than all these countries and points in this region; because both its wealth — oil, gas, natural resources — is greater than all these countries, and the location of this country is the most sensitive point, it is a crossroads; the crossroads of East and West, the crossroads of North and South. It has been said for a long time that the important crossroads of this region is Iran. They were particularly sensitive about Iran, so they invested in Iran. First, the British came, infiltrated as much as they could, entered, established organizations, and created supporters and mercenaries from various classes — this issue of creating mercenaries and supporters by the British in Iran is a story! It has so many important corners that unfortunately have been less discussed and less written about, but they existed; we saw some of them, we felt some of them — then the Americans came. The Americans, when they first came, came as helpers. During Truman's presidency, the Four Point Program was assistance; they initially came under this title. Then gradually they solidified their foothold, sidelined or weakened others, and took control of Iran; everything was in their hands. If you look at the memories left by political figures during the Pahlavi era, you will see that even Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was himself a servant of the Americans and worked for them, complains about them, but does not dare to express it; in a private meeting with Asadollah Alam and his close associates, he expresses his grievances; that is, the Americans had put their foot down so much, were so domineering and extorting that even someone like Mohammad Reza was upset with them; they had such control over Iran.

Well, the same goes for other countries in the Middle East; each in its own way. Of course, in the case of colonial interventions, it was not only the Westerners; the former Soviet Union also intervened, but the Soviet Union had no control over Iran, they wanted to infiltrate through the Tudeh Party and leftist parties — the actions that now must be read in contemporary history — but in some other countries, they had more influence, like Iraq, like Syria; but at the same time, the West was dominant. They wanted to infiltrate, but for example, France had a definite presence in Lebanon and Syria; and other Westerners and other colonizers. This was the situation of the country and, in fact, the situation of the region before the revolution. Well, this was the focal point.

The Islamic revolution in Iran suddenly tore apart all their slumbers! An event occurred, the revolution dealt a heavy blow to this colonial policy, and they were bewildered. A few months before the victory of the revolution, the President of the United States came to Iran and said this is an island of stability; he referred to Iran as an island of stability. A few months later, the revolution occurred, in this very island of stability! This is how they were caught off guard, this is how the revolution suddenly appeared before them and drove them into a corner of isolation with fear and doubt; such a situation was created by the revolution. The revolution became a strong dam, expelled them; some of their agents fled, some left, some were executed; thus, the revolution created a dam against the presence of America and, in general, the presence of the West in the region.

Well, a new identity was formed; that is, the identity of dependency and being tied to England and America was transformed into the identity of independence, strength, standing on one's own feet, speaking powerfully, and not paying tribute; this was the main point: not paying tribute. A dam of this kind was created that naturally did not remain confined to Iran, and at that time we said; because they always propagated outside that "Iran wants to export the revolution," I once said in Friday prayers that our revolution's export is not like the export of revolutions in some other revolutions; our revolution is like the scent of a flower, like the spring air, no one can stop it; it spreads. When you have a garden full of flowers here, the neighbors, the surroundings, benefit from this scent; no one can stop it; and this happened; in other countries, nations awakened. We did not intend to carry out a coup in a country, to change its government; no, we were not pursuing this issue, but our revolution naturally transformed the hearts of the neighboring nations, changed them, affected them. Of course, the characteristic of Iran is the same, and it was the same in the national movement. When Mossadegh's national movement took place, the issue of oil and such things was done, Mossadegh was overthrown, but at that time everyone said that the uprising in Egypt by Nasser and the uprising of the Iraqis by the leaders of the Iraqi coup were due to the movement of Iran; it also had an impact then. Now, where is the national movement, where is the Islamic revolution!

Therefore, they had to think of a remedy. What should they do? The Westerners who had been dominant over Iran and this region until yesterday and had now lost almost everything or were losing it, what should they do? They had to overthrow the revolutionary government, they had to destroy it; this was the only way, they had no other way. They looked and saw they could not do it. This [thing] I am saying is from forty years ago; it is not about today; at that time, the revolution was still a sapling, this tree had not yet grown into this form, but they were afraid of that sapling; they knew they could not do this; the Iranian nation and the revolutionary force were in the scene, they knew they could not do it. Then, when the imposed war occurred, it lasted eight years, the whole world cooperated with Saddam, and at the same time, Saddam was defeated; they understood more that they could not confront Iran; it was difficult to confront; they saw the extension of the Islamic revolution, they saw the strategic depth of the revolution in the countries of the region; they saw these, so they thought that before they could attack Iran — whether a military attack or any kind of attack that would bring down the Islamic government, the Islamic Republic — they should first paralyze the surrounding countries, those places that are the strategic depth of Iran and each of which is related to the Islamic Republic in one way or another; these should first be weakened, they should first be taken down. This plan was revealed by the Americans themselves; what I am saying is not an analysis, this is the American plan; this plan, this conspiracy was also revealed by the Americans, prominent American figures, prominent political figures in the early years of this century, in 2006 and after.

They said there are six countries whose governments we must overthrow and gain control over before Iran; once these six countries are overthrown, Iran will weaken; then we can attack Iran. Where are these six countries? Each for a specific reason. One of them was Iraq; because Saddam, after the war, when he wanted to attack Kuwait, lost his friendship with Iran; he freed our prisoners, wrote a letter to me, to the then president, sent a messenger. So Saddam was dangerous; Saddam, whom they had supported until that day, became an undesirable element for them; this Iraq. Second, Syria; because Syria, since the time of Hafiz al-Assad, had been alongside us from the beginning of the war. Syria blocked the route of Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean Sea to help us, and after that, they did whatever help they could. My first foreign trip during my presidency was to Syria; that is, our relations with Syria were this close. So the Syrian government also had to be overthrown. Third, Lebanon. Why Lebanon? Because there are strong revolutionary bases there — namely Hezbollah and Amal — who are supporters of Iran. Fourth, Libya in North Africa. Because they knew that Libya had provided some support to us in some cases, had provided military support to us; they also supported us in language. Fifth, Sudan. Sudan also had specific reasons, it was clear. Its leaders had interactions with us; they came and went, during various periods after they had achieved victory there. Then Somalia, for another reason.

These six countries had to be weakened, eliminated, and their governments overthrown. In fact, the strategic depth of Iran, in their view, was these six countries; these had to be placed under the control of America and colonialism, and then they would come for Iran. Well, what did Iran do? What did the Islamic Republic do? The Islamic Republic did not intervene at all in North Africa; neither in Libya, nor in Sudan, nor in Somalia, for clear reasons that now is not the time to discuss. There were reasons; we did not want to intervene and we did not intervene. But in these three countries, namely Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, Iran's policy worked there. We did not have military presence in that way, but work was done there; significant work, important work. What was the result of this work? The defeat of America in these three countries. They wanted to take control of Iraq, they could not; they wanted to overthrow the government of Syria, they could not; they wanted to eliminate Hezbollah and Amal in Lebanon, they could not, they failed.

This was a plan that the Americans had laid out with thousands of dollars — that is, several billion dollars — and with thousands of hours of intellectual work by hundreds or perhaps thousands of their political thinkers, they had prepared this readiness to be able to harm Iran; this plan of theirs, this conspiracy was thwarted by the powerful and effective force of the Islamic Republic, the embodiment and banner of this powerful force was a person named Hajj Qassem Soleimani. Now it becomes clear why the name Hajj Qassem Soleimani is so beloved among the Iranian nation and so hated by Iran's enemies that they become angry when his name is mentioned, they become furious. The banner of the Islamic Republic's policy in confronting the enemy that thwarted the enemy's deep plan was Hajj Qassem Soleimani; may God's blessings be upon him.

Well, now with this statement I have presented, you dear Basijis, you young people, visualize the scene of the Islamic Republic's struggle with the enemies; where is the scene of this great struggle, what is the issue? The issue is not about a few counter-revolutionaries inside the country. Here you understand the enemy's insistence on the JCPOA 2 and JCPOA 3. What does JCPOA 2 mean? It means Iran must completely withdraw from the region, abandon its regional presence. What does JCPOA 3 mean? It means Iran must commit not to produce any important strategic weapons; it must not have drones, it must not have missiles so that if we attack one day, they can come with a G3 and fight our tanks! That was their insistence; now inside, some, perhaps out of ignorance, repeat their words. The battlefield is this; you are fighting in this battlefield. The presence of the Basij in the country means standing firm against such great conspiracies; you defended the shrine, you stood against the American-made group, namely ISIS, you fought; you were there. You helped the brave warriors of Lebanon in every way you could, you helped the Palestinians, and you will continue to help them.

The battlefield is such a battlefield; it is not just about four rioters in the streets. Of course, this does not mean that we should overlook these rioters; no, every rioter, every terrorist must be punished — there is no doubt about this — but the battlefield is not just this; the battlefield is much broader than this, the battlefield is much deeper than this. You are standing in the middle of this battlefield. I want the Basij member to know his worth. Know the value of the Basij. You are fighting in such a battlefield; do not limit yourselves to these minor tasks that exist around. Of course, these tasks must also be addressed; confronting the rioters is one of the most important tasks of the Basij. This rioter is the finger of those who failed in that grand plan; they failed there, they want to enter the battlefield in another way, then they start this riot; one shouts slogans, one writes, one does something else. Well, the Basij must not forget that the confrontation is with global arrogance, the main confrontation is there; now they will also deal with these, but the main enemy is there, the main confrontation is there. These four [rioters] are either ignorant, or unaware, or misinformed, or some are mercenaries; the main enemy is there, the main confrontation is there.

Well, here one truly becomes regretful; a number of people claim to have political understanding, but their analyses in some newspapers or in some sections of the virtual space truly make one regret. They say to end the riots that have erupted in the country in recent weeks — now this is said by those who claim to be political practitioners and knowledgeable about the world situation! — you must resolve your issues with America; they write this explicitly! They explicitly write that you must resolve your issues with America. Or they say you must listen to the voice of the nation. I have seen these two expressions in their writings: resolve your issues with America, listen to the voice of the nation.

Well, how is the problem resolved with America? This is a serious question. We do not want to quarrel; we ask: how is the problem resolved with America? Is the problem resolved by sitting down and negotiating and getting commitments from America? [That is] to sit down and negotiate with America, get commitments that you must do this and that, will the problem be resolved? In the case of the Algiers Agreement, regarding the issue of the release of hostages in 1360 (1981), you sat down and talked with America. At that time, I was a member of parliament — of course, I was not in parliament, I was in the front, in Ahvaz — at that time, these gentlemen here in Tehran sat down through Algeria and spoke with the Americans without facing them — of course, it was a parliamentary resolution, it was not illegal — they made a contract, got multiple commitments that you should release our wealth, lift our sanctions, do not interfere in our internal affairs, and we will release the hostages from our side. We released the hostages; did America fulfill those commitments? Did America lift the sanctions? Did America return our frozen assets? No, America does not fulfill commitments; very well, this is also negotiation and sitting with America. Or in the JCPOA; they said that [if] you reduce your nuclear industrial activities — now they did not dare to say completely stop — reduce it to this extent, we will do these things; we will lift the sanctions, we will do this, we will do that; did they do these things? They did not. Negotiation does not resolve our problem with America.

Yes, one thing resolves our problem with America; what is that? To pay tribute to America; not just once; the Americans are not satisfied with one tribute; today we pay tribute, tomorrow they come and want another tribute, [we must] pay tribute again; the day after tomorrow they come and want another tribute, [we must] pay tribute again. Today they say stop the nuclear program — first they say stop it at twenty percent, then they say stop it at five percent, then they say dismantle the nuclear program — then they say change the constitution, then they say remove the Guardian Council; the Americans take tribute. If you want your problem with America to be resolved, you must do this; you must keep paying tribute. America wants these: to confine yourself behind your borders, to empty your hands, to dismantle your defense industries. Which Iranian with dignity is willing to pay such a tribute? I do not say [support] the Islamic Republic; one may not even accept the Islamic Republic, but be an Iranian, have Iranian dignity; [he too] would not be willing to pay these tributes. America is not satisfied with less than this; why do they not understand? Negotiating with America does not solve the problem. If you are willing to pay tribute, not just once, not just twice, repeatedly, in all fundamental matters, and cross all your red lines, then yes, at that time America will no longer have any issue with you, just like in the Pahlavi era. The people revolted for [freedom from] this; they sacrificed so many martyrs for this. This country that is advancing in this way, these young people who are working in all fields, should we speak to them like this? Should we talk to them like this?

They say listen to the voice of the nation! The thunderous voice of the nation rose on the 13th of Aban this year; did you hear? You listen to the voice of the nation. How long has it been since the funeral of martyr Soleimani? That massive crowd was the voice of the Iranian nation, that ten-million-strong or perhaps in a sense more than ten-million-strong funeral was the voice of the Iranian nation. Today, the funerals of the martyrs are the voice of the Iranian nation. As long as someone is martyred in Isfahan, in Shiraz, in Mashhad, in Karaj, in any other place, a multitude of people rise up and shout slogans against terrorists, against rioters; this is the voice of the nation; why do you not hear the voice of the nation?

Well, this is what I wanted to say regarding the Basij. Now time is passing; let me give you a few pieces of advice to you Basij brothers [and sisters] here and everywhere else in the country who hear these words. First advice; remain Basij! Seek God's help to remain Basij. Maintain the Basij spirit, the faith of a Basij member.

Second, know your worth. Not that you should boast; no, the characteristic of being Basij is not to boast, but know that God Almighty has granted you the success to choose and have chosen such an important position; know the value of this.

Third, know your enemy and first know who the enemy is; do not mistake the enemy. Secondly, when you know who the enemy is, recognize the enemy's weaknesses, recognize the enemy's incapacities. The enemy always tries to present itself as big and strong in your eyes. Try to understand what situation the enemy is in, what weaknesses, what points of weakness, what incapacities it has. Know the enemy, know the enemy's plans. Many people are caught off guard by the enemy's plans; [be careful] do not be caught off guard.

The next recommendation is your spiritual growth. Measure your spiritual growth. Be careful that you are moving forward or moving backward; this is important. See what good deeds you did last month, what good movement you made, what help you provided, or God forbid, what bad deed you did; this month has your good deeds increased or decreased? Or for example, that bad deed you were doing, has it increased this month or decreased? Measure it. Try to move forward, to progress.

Well, we said to recognize the enemy's methods. Today, the most important method of the enemy is fabrication and lying. Right now, the most important thing the enemy is doing is [spreading] lies; that is, these televisions that you know and see belong to the enemy or this virtual space, they give false news, they provide false analyses, they introduce false casualties, they misrepresent people, they make one person bad, they make another good; lies. Some believe it. Know that the enemy today operates based on lies and fabrication. Well, when you know this, naturally, a duty falls on your shoulders. Clarify. The "Jihad of Clarification" that we mentioned, one of its places is here; the Jihad of Clarification.

We said to recognize the enemy's vulnerabilities. One of the vulnerabilities of the enemy is your insight. If you are insightful, it suffers. Try to increase your insight. The enemy seeks to dominate minds. Dominating minds is much more valuable to the enemy than dominating lands. If they can seize the minds of a nation, that nation will hand over its land to the enemy with both hands. Minds must be preserved; domination over minds. Some did not lie themselves, but unfortunately confirmed the enemy's lies. Be careful that these dangers do not arise for you and your people; help your people.

Also, maintain your practical readiness; you must not be caught off guard; in the realm of politics, such surprises happen frequently. They have various methods; now I will mention one of their methods. One of the enemy's tactics is to start a noise in one place to draw all attention to that point; then they carry out a main operation that they want to do [somewhere else]. All attention is focused on that side, not on this side; everyone must be vigilant, especially the officials of the country. The officials of the country must pay attention to the surroundings of the country, to the inside of the country, to the outside of the country, to all surroundings; for us, both the West Asian region is important, and the Caucasus region is important, and our eastern regions are important, all of these are important. Our attention must be on all of these to see what the enemy wants to do; everyone must strive in these areas. And now this is also a point, especially when the World Cup [football] is happening; I have been informed of the actions that have been taken in various World Cups that have taken advantage of the surprise; because during the World Cup, all eyes in the world are on the World Cup, which lasts for several weeks. Many take advantage of this global negligence, they do various things. Now that we mentioned the World Cup, yesterday our national team made our nation happy, God willing, may their eyes be bright; yesterday they made the people happy. Well, this is also a recommendation.

Before the last recommendation, be vigilant about the enemy's infiltration within the Basij organization. Be aware of this; sometimes a corrupt person, sometimes a bad person wears a false uniform, places himself in a certain organization, wears a clerical robe and pretends to be among the clerics. A corrupt person, a bad person can come in the guise of a cleric, can come in the guise of a Basij member; be aware of this too, this is also a recommendation.

My last recommendation is a verse from the Quran: "And do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be the uppermost if you are believers."

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