Statements in Meeting with Members of the Assembly of Experts

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 Awaited One on earth.

Welcome, esteemed gentlemen. It has been almost a year since we renewed our covenant and visited you; however, we wished to see our friends under better circumstances and speak with them closely, which unfortunately the current conditions do not permit. I congratulate you on the birth of the Commander of the Pious, Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), which is in a couple of days, and also on the blessed birth of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (peace be upon him). In this interval, some good brothers, dear friends, and prominent figures from this assembly have passed away; we pray for their forgiveness. Of course, I have been given a list of all the deceased from the fifth term, but I will not take up time with that; Mr. Raisi also mentioned it. May God elevate their ranks and grant them a good reward, and may He enable us to appreciate these prominent scientific and practical figures more.

I have prepared two topics to present: one regarding a cognitive need of society, which I will elaborate on, suitable for this session—given the presence of scholars and the like—and its audience is essentially the scientific centers and scholars of the seminary and university, and the other is an international political matter that I will also address.

The necessity of bringing Islamic value and cognitive concepts into the realm of action In the first topic, one of the needs that all Islamic societies and all Islamic countries face, and particularly our dear country, which is fortunately governed by the Islamic system, is that we need to bring Islamic concepts into the realm of action. The cognitive and value system of Islam is a collection of concepts, and bringing these concepts among the people and putting them into practice is a very significant and important task. Wherever we have accomplished this regarding any of these concepts, which I will briefly mention later, it has been valuable for the nation and the country and for the dignity of Islam and the Islamic Republic; and wherever we have been negligent, we have been deprived. In fact, my point is that the titles and cognitive concepts of Islam need to acquire operational aspects and become practical and prevalent, which does not happen by itself and requires effort. Now, I will provide two or three examples in this regard.

Creating a movement of charitable assistance by expanding the concept of mutual support into action For instance, consider the recent issue of COVID-19; the concept of "mutual support" is a key concept in the value and cognitive system of Islam, which, with some explanation in society, has led to the emergence of a movement during these days: the movement of charitable assistance; and a great work was accomplished. This means that people brought mutual support from the status of a valid and, for example, valuable religious concept that everyone accepted into the realm of action, and you saw how much work was done across the country, how much value was created by the efforts of the youth, the people, the groups, and the revolutionary institutional bodies; a movement was initiated, a movement took place, it opened knots, and set things in motion. This means that the concept of mutual support had the capacity to have such an impact and to influence society.

Transforming and popularizing value concepts into action through Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) Or let us go further; these important concepts that Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) utilized, such as the concept of reliance on God, the concept of duty, the concept of self-sacrifice—these are all religious concepts—up to the concept of martyrdom, the concept of jihad; these were raised and, with the presence of Imam and his movement and his explanation and his will, which was supported by divine will, they entered the lives of the people. The result was that, for example, during eight years, we were able to achieve victory over our opponents in what was essentially an international war; this great movement of the people in the battlefield was due to these concepts; Imam popularized these concepts among the people and brought them from the conceptual status that we used to read in the Quran and hadith but were not present in action into the realm of action.

The impact of transforming value and cognitive concepts into action in life Another example that I find even more important is the noble verse "We did not send any messenger except that he should be obeyed by the permission of God"; the sending of messengers is for them to be obeyed; this obedience is absolute, meaning in all matters of life; the implication of the verse is that the lives of the people—whether personal or public—must be governed by religion. Of course, some may limit this to personal matters, such as prayer and fasting, and so on; this is not the case; firstly, due to the very generality of this verse, and secondly, due to other verses, such as the one that states: "And how many a prophet fought alongside many devoted ones"; well, this fighting with many devoted ones is not a personal matter; it is a social matter, a public matter, a governmental matter. Thus, this verse has such an implication; Imam brought this meaning into the realm of action; from the noble verse: "Indeed, I only advise you of one thing: that you stand for God, in pairs and individually" he utilized this meaning, not that "that you stand for God, in pairs and individually" to go and pray; no, to establish a government, to establish an Islamic system. Imam utilized this, initiated a movement in 1961, and over time, thinkers, enthusiasts, and followers of Imam, led by Imam himself, nourished this thought until it culminated in the emergence of the revolution, the victory of the revolution, and the establishment of the system arising from the revolution. Thus, you see, Quranic and Islamic concepts, the cognitive concepts of Islam, can have such an impact on life when they enter the realm of action. This is one example of the miraculous impact of this mechanism and this movement, and how this movement should be carried out is another discussion.

The need for the Islamic government to have appropriate tools from the cognitive system of Islam Now, the Islamic system has been established. What we want to convey is this: the Islamic system that has been established has proposed ideals that are related to Islam and derived from the Quran. These ideals were previously expressed as aspirations, or they might have come to someone's mind as unattainable aspirations, such as the establishment of justice, the non-tolerance of oppression, the absence of arrogance, the absence of oppression, the existence of a good life, the moral elevation of humanity, the promotion of virtues, and similar ideals—these are Islamic ideals; these are the ideals that the Islamic Republic has proposed—but they were not things that could be addressed in practice. To achieve these ideals, appropriate tools are necessary. Those tools that will lead us to those ideals undoubtedly exist within the cognitive system of Islam; because it is impossible for the destination to be indicated to us and for us to be urged to reach that destination without the path being laid before us; such a thing is impossible. Therefore, the way is also in the Book and the Sunnah. Now, the Islamic system wants to reach these ideals; thus, it must seek, find, operationalize, and embark on these means and tools that are part of the spiritual concepts and cognitive system of Islam; in fact, this is a software for the hardware of the Islamic government. Consider the Islamic government as hardware; if it does not have its appropriate software, it is of no use. Its software is to specify the paths to reach those ideals and to continue moving in that direction.

The necessity of updating Islamic thought as the software of the Islamic government Now, I want to convey today that the Islamic system needs such software. The more the Islamic system expands and the scope of its activities broadens and new fields open up before the Islamic Republic and it faces new challenges—challenges that did not exist before; because as time passes, new challenges, new fields, and new tasks arise for the Islamic system—it needs to renew and update that software, that spiritual collection. This is what I am conveying. This is what should be demanded from knowledgeable and thoughtful scholars, and this work must be done. When we say to update Islamic thought and to renew and update the cognitive system of Islam, it does not mean at all to tamper with that spiritual system; no, it means that there are truths in the Book and the Sunnah that we are not aware of until we need them; when we find ourselves in need, we become aware. There are many examples that I will now present.

Examples of careful consideration of concepts and extracting necessary themes For instance, suppose the Islamic system faces conditional pressures from the enemy; by conditional pressure, we mean that they impose a pressure, for example, sanctions, and then say they will lift it on the condition that a certain action is taken—this is not that they completely discourage a person; they say they will lift it, but the condition is that this action must be taken; this is very dangerous, very important; these conditions may be severely misleading and destructive—what should a person do in such a situation? Here, one realizes that the remedy is "So stand firm as you have been commanded, and whoever repents with you"; because this issue is a public matter, not a personal one. For example, in the Quran, the obligation of patience and steadfastness is for the person [the Prophet]; the addressee of "And be patient for your Lord" is the Prophet and does not relate to the people, but this [case] relates to the people: "So stand firm as you have been commanded, and whoever repents with you"; everyone must be steadfast, everyone must stand firm; that is, it calls for a collective movement of patience and steadfastness. Thus, we understood that in these matters, we must act in this way: "So stand firm as you have been commanded" must be acted upon; or "And advise one another to patience"; advising one another to patience, encouraging each other to stand firm and endure. When such a situation arises, the concept of "So stand firm as you have been commanded, and whoever repents with you" becomes completely clear to us; before this, it did not have a clear meaning for us—"And whoever repents with you" means that the people are obliged to be steadfast—this is a general matter, but when such a situation arises, one understands what it means. Today, we are facing this issue; our people are experiencing difficulties, some of which stem from the pressures of the enemy, and we want the people to be steadfast against these [difficulties], to stand firm; this is a significant and important movement that, thanks be to God, is taking place in our country.

Or suppose that as long as the composite front of the enemy—the front of Satan, which consists of various devils—has not confronted a person and a person is not surrounded from all sides, the meaning of this verse is not properly understood: "And when the believers saw the confederates, they said: 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us, and God and His Messenger spoke the truth, and it only increased them in faith and submission'"; that is, when we face such a phenomenon that is a difficult phenomenon, we should not panic; that is, do not panic yourself, nor should the people panic; do not panic; 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us'; this is something that was previously said that if you move in the path of truth, you should expect that "And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy, devils of men and jinn, inspiring some of them to others with adorned speech as a delusion"; these things should not be contrary to your expectations; this was said, we knew it. Thus, at that time and in those conditions, this verse manifests itself, brings it to life, and shows us the way of life; and similarly, there are other cases.

For example, one of the things that often occupies my mind as a responsible person is the address to Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him), who took an action that stemmed from despair and fatigue, meaning his people did not respond to him; at that time, the Almighty God says to this Prophet, who had labored among this population for a lifetime and fatigue had no meaning for him: "And the man of the fish, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not constrain him"; he thought that We would not hold him accountable; no, We will hold him accountable; and He held him accountable, and that punishment for Jonah came about. I often remember this [verse] when I feel inactive—whether in myself, in others, or in officials—that "He thought that We would not constrain him"; we think that this negligence, this indifference, this inactivity will not provoke a strong reaction from the Almighty God; no, it will; this meaning becomes operational for us, becomes tangible, and shows itself.

The necessity of expanding the intellectual foundation of the Islamic system by thinkers while avoiding eclecticism and rigidity In summary, as the Islamic system expands and progresses, it will face new internal and international issues, new challenges, and new situations, and this necessitates that the intellectual foundation that nourishes the system also expands. That intellectual foundation that drives the system forward and nourishes it and prevents its deviation must be strengthened, and new concepts must be introduced. I mentioned that these new concepts do not come from outside; they arise from within the Islamic concepts, from the text of the Quran and the Sunnah. Of course, this work—finding new concepts and discussing them—is not for everyone; scholars and thinkers must pursue this work who are thoroughly familiar with Islamic principles, who have studied the Quran carefully, recited it, contemplated it, and are far from rigidity and intellectual stagnation; because on one side, there is the danger that an unqualified, semi-educated, and eclectic person enters into new interpretations of divine verses, and on the other side, there is the danger that a rigid person who has not yet resolved the issue of the intervention of religion in social life and politics and governance wants to enter; no, thoughtful individuals, prominent personalities must engage in this work. This was the first issue I wanted to present. This discussion has a lot of capacity for examination, study, and discussion, and reaching conclusions.

Cooperation between the government and the parliament to resolve differences and avoid duality in the nuclear issue The second issue, which is political and I will briefly mention, relates to the nuclear issue. Well, a law was passed in the parliament, and the government welcomed it, and until yesterday, the necessary actions were taken. There is a deadline tomorrow, which, God willing, they will also fulfill. Of course, I heard that today there is a difference of opinion between the government and the parliament regarding the actions taken by the government and the interpretation that the parliament has; this difference of opinion should be resolved, and such differences should not be left to their own devices or exacerbated, showing duality; no, these are resolvable and must be resolved. Ultimately, the government considers itself obliged to implement the law, and the law is a good law. It must be implemented carefully. Both sides should cooperate in this regard to ensure this implementation. This is now the main issue of the law.

The necessity for European countries to fulfill their commitments under the JCPOA and avoid using arrogant rhetoric However, the opposing parties, these four countries—namely, the three European countries and the United States—in their recent statements and in the statement they issued, the rhetoric they have used is arrogant rhetoric, speaking from a high position and in a demanding and unfair manner. This is a wrong and erroneous rhetoric that they are employing. They constantly discuss Iran's JCPOA commitments, asking why some of these commitments were canceled, and they do not acknowledge that they themselves have not adhered to these commitments from the very beginning; that is, those who should be reprimanded and addressed are them. The Islamic Republic adhered to all that it had committed to for a long time, based on the Islamic teaching that commitments must be honored; then, when it saw that they were acting this way, one of them withdrew, and the others accompanied him, "Then declare to them on equal terms"; this is also in the Quran, [it says] well, you too should let go. Now, in any case, our respected government did not let go, [rather] gradually did not fulfill some of its commitments, which can be reversed; if they fulfill their duties, these can also be reversed. Meanwhile, they do not mention this at all, do not acknowledge it, and keep talking about Iran's issues, all with the rhetoric of arrogance; and they should know—now our discussion with the United States is another matter—that these three European countries should also know that speaking in such an arrogant and haughty manner is severely detested by the Iranian nation and is detested by the revolution, and it makes them more despised in our public opinion than they already are.

The prohibition of nuclear weapons based on Islamic teachings and enrichment based on the country's needs Well, some [that is] that international Zionist clown who keeps saying that we will not allow; what are you to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons! If we had decided to acquire nuclear weapons, you and those greater than you could not have prevented it. We do not intend to; this is our Islamic thought; our Islamic thought says that any weapon whose use results in the death of non-combatants, civilians, and ordinary people is prohibited. This weapon is prohibited; whether it is nuclear or chemical or otherwise; this weapon is prohibited. We do not pursue this weapon because of Islamic considerations; otherwise, if we wanted to pursue it, who are you, what are you to be able to prevent it? You yourselves do not observe these principles; the United States has massacred 220,000 ordinary people in one day. For five years now, in Yemen, Western-equipped planes have been continuously bombing people, neighborhoods, markets, mosques, hospitals, schools, killing ordinary people, and besieging them; this is their conduct. The Islamic Republic does not accept this approach and this method; therefore, we do not think about nuclear weapons at all; however, we do consider other actions. Our enrichment limit is not even twenty percent; if necessary, for example, for a nuclear propulsion system or other matters, we may increase enrichment to sixty percent; these are actions that we will undertake as needed. Now, a multi-year agreement has been established; if they fulfill it, we will also adhere to it for those years, but in general, no.

The enemies' opposition to the components of the Islamic Republic's power to extort from us They say we oppose nuclear weapons; they are lying; this is not their issue; perhaps many of them or all of them know that we are not pursuing nuclear weapons; they even oppose our conventional weapons, our defensive capabilities; they want to take away the components of power from Iran; otherwise, the fundamental need of the country for enrichment is an established matter. In a few years, undoubtedly, nuclear power plants will be one of the most important sources of energy in countries. The day oil runs out or the day new directions arise for oil, nuclear power plants, which produce energy more safely, cleanly, and cheaply, will become prevalent in countries. We will need that day [but] enrichment cannot be started then; we must start today so that we are prepared and capable, and they do not want that; the arrogant Westerners do not want that. They want Iran to be in a position where, when it needs nuclear energy, it will be dependent on them, needing them so that they can impose their conditions, so that they can bully and extort; they are pursuing this.

Relying on the capabilities and potential of the Iranian nation to stand against bullying These days, they are taking oil barrel by barrel at a very low price—meaning that the money paid for oil is truly a very low price—and they are also demanding. If it were the case that oil was in their hands, suppose that England, France, and Germany were producing oil, and we, as Iran, wanted to buy oil, they would not easily give it to us, and as the saying goes, they would put the price of our fathers and mothers' blood on it to give us even a little oil! They want to bring nuclear energy to this level; no, enrichment is our need, we will have it, and it is not something that can be used as a means for bullying and such. And what is certain and clear to us is that in this matter, like other matters, the Islamic Republic will not retreat; a group that sees themselves as powerful and considers themselves powerful wants to bully, extort, and force the Islamic Republic to retreat; and the Islamic Republic will not retreat. With God's grace and divine assistance, we will advance whatever is in the interest of the country, whatever the country needs, whether it is the current needs of the country or the future needs of the country, to the extent that our capacity allows—thanks be to God, our capacity is not small; the potential of the Iranian nation is great—to the extent that we can, God willing, we will move forward.

I hope that the Almighty God purifies our intentions for Himself, and may He grant success to our officials so that they can fulfill their responsibilities and not tire from work and effort, not give up, and continue, seeking God's pleasure, and may the prayers of the Awaited Imam (may our souls be sacrificed for him) encompass our nation and our officials, and may the pure spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and our dear martyrs be pleased with all of us. We hope that this assembly of yours will also be a successful assembly and can contribute to the advancement of the work of the Assembly of Experts.

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