Statements at the Conference of Tens of Thousands of 'Service Basijis' at Azadi Stadium

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 chosen progeny, the infallible and honored guides, especially the Awaited One of God among the inhabitants of the earth. Peace be upon you, O Aba Abdillah, and upon the souls that have settled in your vicinity; may God's peace be upon you as long as I remain and as long as night and day endure, and may God not make this the last time I visit you. Peace be upon Hussein, and upon Ali ibn Hussein, and upon the children of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein.

Tonight marks the martyrdom of the Master of the Worshippers, Imam Ali ibn Hussein (peace be upon him). These are very important days after Ashura; in fact, they are the days of Zainabi heroism. In such days, the path from Karbala to Kufa to Sham and then to Medina is the radiant and glorious path of the epic of Zainab al-Kubra and Imam Sajjad and the rest of the Ashura captives; they who were able to eternalize the event of Ashura, to make it everlasting, to render it indelible. Today, we feel a deeper emotional connection with those great martyrs. Arbaeen is also approaching. Our nation, the nation of Iraq, and many people from other nations are preparing for the great Arbaeen epic. The Arbaeen epic is an extraordinary phenomenon that, by God's grace, has emerged at a time when the Islamic world is in dire need of such an epic. We cherish the memory of the Master of Martyrs in our hearts and minds. We send our respectful and sincere greetings to that great one and those great ones and to the pure soil of the martyrs, and we say: O breeze, O messenger of the departed, Deliver our tears to their pure soil.

This great gathering today, this youthful and enthusiastic Basij crowd, reminds us of the gathering in this very arena and stadium in the 60s, where the youth went forth and achieved victory, and God willing, you too will achieve complete victory in the arenas that lie ahead.

This large session has been convened at a very sensitive time; the situation of the country, the situation of the region, the situation of the world are all sensitive, especially for us, the Iranian nation. The sensitivity arises from the fact that on one hand, there are the blusterings of the leaders of global arrogance and the politicians of the world-devouring America, on another hand, the demonstrations of the faithful youth and the continuous victories in various fields, and on yet another hand, the economic problems of the country and the tight living conditions of a large segment of the weak population, and on the other hand, the sensitivity and mobilization of the country's elites, which has made their situation sensitive and compelled them to intellectual and practical efforts. The country, due to the existence of problems, has emerged from lethargy and inactivity; many who were merely spectators now feel a sense of duty and engage in efforts; these are various aspects, a unique situation for the country, and this session has been convened under such conditions.

The essence of my speech today is as follows: first, the greatness of Iran; second, the power of the Islamic Republic; and third, the invincibility of the Iranian nation. These are not mere boasts, not mere slogans, not empty words like some slogans and statements made by others; these are realities that the enemies of the Iranian nation wish for us to be unaware of or to neglect, and to have a different perception of ourselves, our country, and our nation; but these truths are clearer than anyone can deny.

We spoke of the greatness of Iran, not only in the present time. The greatness of Iran is a historical matter. Throughout time, our dear country has been able to stand proudly in the fields of science, philosophy, politics, art, and in leading Islamic sciences among Muslim nations, and at one point in time, among all nations of the world. The greatness of Iran is a clear matter that any fair-minded person must acknowledge. Of course, this pertains to our time as well as historical periods; it has been an exception during the two hundred years prior to the victory of the revolution; during the mid-Qajar period and beyond, and during the cursed Pahlavi era - during these two hundred years - the greatness of Iran was unfortunately trampled upon, which is not the subject of our discussion now.

Regarding the power of the Islamic Republic, it suffices to say that the Islamic Republic liberated Iran from the domination of Britain and America. This domination had begun almost at the beginning of the nineteenth century; ruthless and arrogant foreigners were dominant over all affairs of this country; the power of the Islamic Republic is evident in that it was able to rescue the country and the nation from this oppressive domination. Additionally, one of the manifestations of the power of the Islamic Republic is the liberation of the country from the tyranny of the hereditary monarchy. Furthermore, throughout its forty years of existence, the Islamic Republic has stood firm against the encroachments of enemies and for the first time in recent centuries, in a war, the Islamic Republic has been able to prevent the disintegration of the country. Before the era of the Islamic Republic, during the Pahlavi and Qajar periods, in every war that occurred, either the enemies disintegrated part of the country's territory or they established a military presence in the country and humiliated the nation. For the first time, the Iranian nation was able to completely thwart the vast front of the enemy in the eight-year imposed war, drive them out of the country, and preserve the territorial integrity of the country; this is the meaning of power. Power means that the Islamic Republic has been able to elevate the credibility and respect of this country in the region and in the entire world and stand alone against the vast front of global arrogance.

We spoke of the invincibility of the Iranian nation, which is, of course, a blessing of Islam. The reason for this invincibility and the sign of this invincibility can be observed in the victory of the Iranian nation in the great Islamic revolution, the victory of the Iranian nation in the sacred defense, and the steadfastness of the Iranian nation over the past forty years against the plots of the enemies. Our nation did not retreat, did not falter, did not feel weakness or defeat in the face of the enemy; this is the victory of the Iranian nation. This is the state of the country. Of course, I will provide further explanation on these matters, God willing. This is our current situation.

But dear brothers and sisters, great nation of Iran! In the political and economic battle, just like in the military battlefield, if a front that feels victorious becomes arrogant, the path to victory will be closed before it. Becoming arrogant about victory, lacking a plan, lacking initiative for the continuation of victories will certainly lead to falling behind against the enemy and will allow the enemy to advance. If we become arrogant, if we fall into inactivity and lack of initiative, we will remain unsuccessful. We must continue efforts, striving, initiative, and the optimal use of resources. We are halfway there, at the beginning of the path, and we must reach the summit that the Islamic revolution envisions. Both effort and guidance are necessary, as well as courage and prudence; however, what is important for you young people to pay attention to is that you are the spearhead of this great national movement; you are the ones who will pave the way. If the experienced elders are not tired, not lethargic, not incapacitated, they can guide, but the driving force of this train is you young people.

It has always been this way; in all fields of jihad, it has been this way. Over these forty years, we have had multiple struggles; in all these struggles, the youth have been at the forefront, the youth have been the pathfinders, the youth have been the spearhead. In the struggle against the tyrants before the victory - during the period of struggle - in the struggle against the separatists at the beginning of the revolution, when separatists emerged in the east, west, and north of the country, in the struggle against these separatists, the youth were the leaders of this great movement; in the jihad of construction that emerged after the revolution, the youth were at the forefront and they were the ones who initiated this great jihad of construction; in the struggle against the treacherous and hypocritical terrorism in the early 60s, in the struggle against the aggressors in the eight years of sacred defense, in the struggle to repair the damages after the war after 67, in the cultural jihad against the cultural onslaught of 70, it was the youth who were able to change that difficult atmosphere in favor of the revolution and Islam; and finally, in the jihad against Takfiri terrorism in the 90s in recent years.

And today, in the intellectual and practical jihad to untie the economic knots, it is again the youth. In the face of the economic problems of the country, they provide us with proposals - which we also convey to the officials and say they should pursue these - many of which are related to the youth and are mature and completely constructive and solution-oriented. Our youth, thanks be to God, today in relation to the issues that the country faces, are both thinkers and motivated; and as has been pointed out, the problems have compelled everyone to mobilize, and our youth feel a sense of duty, feel a sense of responsibility.

Today, there are about ten thousand nuclei of jihadist groups across the country who are actually the harbingers of the future of the country, a tremendous asset for the future of the country; they are engaged in work, engaged in effort; perhaps hundreds of thousands of important tasks related to the weak classes have been and are being carried out by them in remote areas of the country; small and large tasks - according to the needs of the people - this is a tremendous asset for the country. Again, it is the role of the youth that brings us the promise of a better future.

You young people are the owners of the country. When I praise the youth in my speeches, some say it seems that I am unaware of some of the wayward youth, of the carelessness and wrongdoing of some of the youth; no, I am aware of them too. After all, there are certainly some youth in the country who do not possess these positive and brilliant qualities; they are our fallouts. My point is that our growths outweigh our fallouts, they prevail. More than the number of individuals who lean towards carelessness, the youth are moving towards commitment, towards thought and action in pursuit of goals, and this is the promise of the future. Some do not understand this, do not properly recognize the role of the youth in the future of the country, even in the present state of the country. Some even try to pretend that the youth are the problem of the country or even do things that turn the youth into the problem of the country; I, on the contrary, believe that the youth are the solution to the problem, not the problem.

Now, I have some remarks for you dear youth, who are considered my dear children; you must pay attention to these. It is important that you young people do not imagine that the path ahead of us is a smooth asphalt highway without obstacles; no. The path to progress is open to us, but it is a winding path, a path with ups and downs, there are obstacles in this path, the enemy is fully active against us. We must traverse this path in confronting the obstacles; this requires conditions. The first step to correctly traverse this path is to sense the presence of the enemy. The comfortable, hypocritical, and opportunistic pseudo-intellectual who fundamentally denies the enmity of America and does not understand this enmity and writes a surrender prescription for the nation and government, is not a man of this field; if he is not an agent of the enemy, at least he is not a man of the important field of the country's progress. Therefore, the first step is to feel the presence of the enemy and the existence of the enemy. Until one knows that the enemy is in front of him, he will not create a refuge and protection and will not take the necessary weapons in hand.

The second step is self-confidence and determination to stand firm. People who are demoralized, hesitant, cowardly, opportunistic, and self-deprecating cannot show any skill in this field, unless they do not create obstacles for others. They themselves cannot do anything, and sometimes they create obstacles for others; they are hopeless, and they make others hopeless too; they are lazy, and they compel others to laziness. The Holy Quran speaks about a group of individuals who were present at that time: "If they had gone out among you, they would have added nothing to you except for confusion, and they would have caused disorder among you"; meaning that even if they come to the battlefield with you, they will lead you to corruption; they do not help, they create obstacles. Of course, our youth in all those struggles I previously mentioned were not afflicted by this calamity; they had self-confidence, they had courage, they had no doubts, they were not cowardly or timid; if they had been, the work would not have progressed. This is the second step.

The third step is to recognize the domain and arena of the attack. Where is our war with the enemy and the enemy's attack against us? This must be correctly diagnosed. We must understand the enemy's threat correctly, recognize its magnitude, and determine where the arena of attack is. If the enemy attacks from the eastern border, you take your forces to the western border, you will not get anywhere, you will not benefit from the presence of your forces. You must know where the enemy is attacking from. The entire system, the entire country, all the people must have a correct understanding of the arena of the enemy's battles.

Well, where is the arena of battle? I will mention two or three areas of the enemy's battle. First, it is Islam and Islamic faith. America has been struck by Islam, it harbors animosity towards Islam. America has been struck by the Islamic revolution, it harbors animosity towards the Islamic revolution. They were the ones who were in charge of everything in Iran, everything was under their control, the officials of the country were obedient to them, the resources of the country were at their disposal, the national wealth was transferred according to their whims, the economic, social, and cultural policies of the country were planned according to their desires; their hands have been cut off from all of this. Who cut them off? Islam cut them off, the Islamic revolution cut them off; hence, they are enemies. Some, including the critics, say do not speak ill of America so that they do not become your enemies; their enmity is not merely due to this criticism and the slogans of 'Death to America' that you chant; their enmity is rooted in the very essence of the revolution, in the very essence of the great movement of the Iranian nation; their plots and schemes stem from this; this is the first arena of war. Therefore, they fear that a great Islamic power will rise in this region and completely thwart their ambitions; they do not want this to happen; they fear this and confront it with resistance and positioning.

They fear Islamic power and revolutionary power, so they try to undermine and eliminate the elements of power. What are our elements of power? Political stability, social security, national unity, adherence to the principles and foundations of the revolution, the forward movement of scientific development, the deepening and expansion of revolutionary and Islamic culture; these are our elements of power; they oppose these. Of course, they also oppose our military progress, they oppose our missiles, they oppose our presence in the region; because these are also among the factors of power and elements of our power; thus, the battlefield is here. The battlefield and the confrontation between global arrogance and Islamic Iran consists of everything that enhances the power of Islamic Iran; this must be regarded as one of the centers of conflict with the arrogant powers. This is one of the areas of conflict.

Another point of conflict is the correct understanding of the realities of Iran and the world. That you have a correct understanding of the realities of your country is detrimental to them; they oppose this, they fight against this; with what tools? With the very dangerous tool of media, especially the newly emerging media. Through false imagery, they try to mislead the thoughts of the Iranian nation; both false images about Iran, false images about themselves, and false images about the situation in the region. One of their false images is that they pretend to be in a position of power, while they are not in a position of power. Yes, their hard power is a demonstrable power; they have money, they have military tools, they have media capabilities; these are tools of power, but in global confrontation, soft power speaks first; soft power means logic, means reasoning, means new discourse; new discourse that determines life; bringing forth new words. They have no new discourse, they have no logic. In terms of soft power, America is severely weak; its discourse is bullying, its logic is weak, its liberal democracy is today discredited in the world - the behaviors and methods of implementing liberal democracy that they used to take pride in are now criticized as disgraceful by the world's intellectuals - and that is why you see that America, despite being a nuclear power, possessing advanced technology, and abundant wealth, has been defeated in many parts of the world; it was defeated in Iraq, it was defeated in Syria, it was defeated in Lebanon, it was defeated in Pakistan, it was defeated in Afghanistan, it has been defeated in the face of the powers of the world and continues to be defeated, and today, further defeats are awaiting America as one can observe. This is their false imagery of themselves, which is a deceptive and misleading image.

They also have another misleading and deceptive image, which is their image of Islamic Iran; an image they try to promote in the public opinion of the world and even try to inject this image into us, into the Iranian nation, and convince us of their false opinions about our country. Relying on the economic problems we currently face in the country, which are realities, they nurture fantasies in their small-mindedness and lack of foresight. Recently, I heard that the President of America told some European leaders to wait two or three months, after two or three months the Islamic Republic will collapse. He said this to them! We recalled the words of those who were the American lackeys inside the country four decades ago, who were giving each other assurances and hopes that if you wait six months, it will collapse; six months passed, and it did not collapse, they said wait another year, the issue will be resolved; forty years have passed since that time, and that thin sapling has turned into this mighty tree; now this unfortunate person gives himself and his European colleagues false hopes that if you wait two or three months; I recalled this popular poem: The camel dreams of cotton seeds, Sometimes it eats them whole, sometimes one by one.

The enemy does not know you, the enemy does not know the Iranian nation, does not know the revolution, and does not recognize the revolutionary and faithful spirit, and this erroneous analysis has misled him throughout these years, and still misleads him, and according to this prayer attributed to the infallible (peace be upon him), "Thanks be to God who made our enemies among the fools," God has made the enemies of the Iranian nation fools; the enemies of the Iranian nation are fools.

Of course, we have problems, yes, we have economic problems. The dear youth and our motivated and faithful people should pay close attention; we have economic problems, we have an oil-based economy, which is a major flaw in itself, we lack a culture of thrift, the culture of thrift among us is very weak; this is a flaw, extravagance is a flaw; we have these flaws, but the real flaw is not theirs; the real flaw is the deadlock that, thanks be to God, we do not have; we do not have a deadlock. The real flaw is that the youth of the country think that there is no solution other than turning to the enemy; this is a flaw. Some try to instill this in our youth; the enemy wants this. The enemy wants the Iranian nation to conclude that there is a deadlock, that there is no solution except turning to America and kneeling before America and surrendering to America. I declare explicitly, I declare explicitly: those who promote this idea within the country, which is desired and favored by the enemies, are committing treason; this is treason against the country. That we promote according to the enemy's desire that there is no way other than turning to the enemy is the greatest treason against the nation. Of course, this will not happen; I, with God's grace and with your cooperation, as long as I have life and strength, will not allow this to happen in the country.

This is the enemy's image; this is the deceptive image of the enemy regarding its own situation and our situation; these are false images that are being poured towards the Iranian nation and our public opinion through thousands of television, radio, and internet networks today. This false imagery is deceptive, but what is the real image? The real image is that you and all the youth of the country must know the current status of your country and nation; this is the first condition for your effectiveness. First, today, the great politicians of the world and the seasoned political minds of the world honor the Iranian nation for its forty-year resistance; this is a reality, this is something we see clearly and know, and I am conveying this to you. Seasoned politicians, even in America, even in the West and European countries that are not friendly with us - let alone in other countries - praise the Iranian nation for the fact that this nation has not retreated in the face of the pressures of enemies for forty years, but has also made great advances and has turned itself into a power; this is commendable. A few years ago, I mentioned that a prominent Zionist officer said that I dislike Iran, but in front of someone who has created this missile - one of the dozens of types of missiles that have been created - I stand up in respect and take off my hat. This is how the political minds of the world feel respect in front of this country, in front of this nation, in front of its resistance, in front of its progress.

Secondly, another reality is that our country has many capacities that few countries in the world possess; both geographical capacity, climatic capacity, human resource capacity, underground resource capacity, and surface resource capacity. The capacities of this country, which are extremely important for the economy and progress of the country, are abundant. Of course, we have not made proper use of these capacities; I saw a statistic and mentioned it in a meeting - and this statement was also broadcast - that we are the first in the world in terms of not utilizing our capacities! Not utilizing capacities. My constant recommendation to the officials is to identify the unused capacities and utilize them for the country, for the production of national wealth. This is the second.

Thirdly, the actual capacity of the country is you faithful youth; this is the real image. Faithful youth in the country who have defensive capabilities, scientific capabilities, cultural capabilities, social capabilities, and in many arenas, these capabilities have manifested; this is a real image of this country. The enemy that thinks of Islamic Iran in such a way does not see this vast collection of faithful youth in the country.

Fourthly, the enemy, after extensive investigation, has resorted to sanctions to confront the Islamic Republic; that is, other avenues are closed to him. Apart from economic sanctions, he has no other options, and the rest of the avenues are blocked for him. But I tell you that economic sanctions are more fragile than our national economy. Our national economy can break the sanctions, and by God's grace, with God's power, we will break the sanctions, and the breaking of the sanctions will be a defeat for America, and America will have to suffer another blow from the Iranian nation with the breaking of the sanctions.

The fifth point - fifth - of the correct image of the state of the country is the Basij, the Basij of the underprivileged; this vast organization, this nationwide organization, this vast popular collection that has become a model for some other countries to turn to their youth to solve various problems, the Basij, which is the embodiment of this noble verse: "Those who were told by the people, 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.' But it increased them in faith; and they said, 'Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.'" After the battle of Uhud, they spread rumors that an attack was to be made on Medina, be afraid of the enemy; but the believers, in the face of these threats and blusterings, their faith increased; this is the Basij. The Basij is the embodiment of this noble verse that in the face of the enemy's threats, not only does it not retreat but "it increased them in faith"; this is a point of strength. The Basij is one of the prominent points of the real image of our dear country, and the enemy is very opposed to the Basij, and the agents of the enemy are also very opposed to the Basij.

The sixth point is the brilliant and shining sections that one observes throughout the year in the country; including the jihadist groups - which I mentioned that there are nearly ten thousand active jihadist nuclei - the Basij construction, the caravans of light, the revolutionary marches, the retreats, the Hussaini and Ashura ceremonies that are gaining more and more momentum day by day; this is the real image of the country; these are things that, considering them, one can recognize the Iranian nation. Of course, all institutions are obliged to assist both the Basij and these jihadist forces and their activities and the caravans of light.

I will gradually conclude my remarks and present three or four points to you dear ones. The first point is that currently the enemy is using media tools to influence public opinion. Pay attention! Media tools are important, and if they are in the hands of the enemy, they are dangerous tools. Media tools are likened to chemical weapons in military warfare; when chemical weapons are used, they do not destroy tanks and equipment; the equipment remains, and humans perish and lose the ability to use the tools; chemical weapons in military warfare work this way; media tools work similarly. Today, television, radio, the internet, social networks, and various forms of virtual space are being used against our public opinion; those who are responsible for this sector of the country - the communications sector - must pay close attention. We have warned them in face-to-face meetings, emphasized it, and now we say it again; they must not become tools for the enemy to easily use their chemical weapons against this people. They must know their duty and act with seriousness.

The second point; my dear ones! If the enemy observes unity in us, sees a sense of power in us - that we feel powerful - sees a resolute determination in us, it will retreat. If the enemy sees that the Iranian nation and the faithful Iranian youth feel their presence, feel their duty, and are powerfully in the middle of the field, it will retreat; but if they feel weakness, if they feel division, if they feel that there is no alignment and consensus among the officials of the country or that there is a gap between the people and the officials of the country, they will be encouraged to increase their severity. Everyone must pay attention to this, both the officials of the country and all the people, especially the dear youth; we must send a message of power to the enemy, not a message of weakness; in our words, in our behavior, in our way of life, the enemy must feel that it is facing a powerful entity; if it senses weakness in us, it will become emboldened and will increase its severity; be cautious. This is the second point.

The third point; I firmly state, with the knowledge I have of the situation of the country, that this nation and this new and young generation have decided that they will no longer be humiliated, they have decided not to follow foreign powers and enemies, they have decided to elevate dear Iran to the peak of honor and dignity, and they have the capability to do so; they have both the decision, the resolute determination, and the capability, and God willing, they will reach this point.

This gathering of one hundred thousand people in this stadium reminds us of the gathering of one hundred thousand people in the late 60s here, who we spoke to and who moved and went to the front lines and brought great victories for the country, and you dear youth, God willing, in the fields of science, in the field of activity, in the field of economic movement, in the field of entrepreneurship, in the field of individual and collective work, in the field of necessary social and cultural networking, in the field of necessary actions, God willing, you will be victorious and successful.

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