Statements on the 36th Anniversary of the Passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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, our prophet, our beloved of our hearts, and the healer of our souls, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, infallible, and honored progeny, especially the remainder of God among the worlds.

Before anything else, I send greetings to the pure soul of the great Imam and in these days of worship, attention, and remembrance, I beseech the Almighty for the elevation of his ranks. Tomorrow is the Day of Arafah, the spring of supplication, the spring of humility, attention, and intercession; we must all, God willing, take advantage of this opportunity. I particularly advise the youth to make the utmost use of the Day of Arafah; to pray, to intercede, to share their requests, needs, and goals with the Almighty, and to seek His help and guidance. I especially recommend to the youth that in addition to the supplication of Imam Hussein on the Day of Arafah, which is a very heartfelt and passionate prayer, they also read the supplication of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), which is the forty-seventh supplication of Sahifa Sajjadiyya; of course, it is a lengthy supplication, but whatever amount you can read with the spirit of prayer is sufficient; it is not necessary to read the entire supplication if one does not have the time or the spirit for it.

The topic I wish to discuss today, which I have prepared, is a discourse about the great departed Imam, and after that, a brief discussion about a national issue that I hope will be beneficial for the people. I want to begin by stating that our political system — which, thanks be to God, is a system of growth, stability, and power — is born out of a great revolution. The leader of that revolution, the creator of that revolution, and the architect of the Islamic system that emerged from that revolution is a great man whose presence in the world remains palpable even after more than thirty years since his passing, and one can clearly observe his immense influence and the impact of his revolution in today’s world: the multipolar international order is influenced by his revolution; the decline of great powers is influenced by his revolution; the severe decline of America’s position and influence in the world is influenced by his revolution; the widespread hatred of Zionism — which is clearly seen in the world today — is influenced by his revolution; the frankness of many nations, especially their youth, in rejecting Western values that we observe today is influenced by his revolution. Today, in the Western world, in Europe, even in America and countries dependent on them, one can see a movement towards a rejection of Western values. The revolution of our great Imam and the Iranian nation has undoubtedly been significantly influential in all these matters and has left its mark. Such a revolution was brought about by the great Imam with the help of the people.

They were taken by surprise; they did not feel it, they did not expect that a solitary cleric without equipment and without considerable financial resources could mobilize a nation; in the West, no one anticipated this. The Islamic Revolution of Iran surprised the Western world! They did not expect that this nation, under the guidance and leadership of this religious scholar, could overcome the heavily armed regime ruling Iran, a regime supported by all the powers of the world — both Eastern and Western; they did not expect that this regime would be toppled. They did not expect that this revolution and this Imam could sweep away the Americans and Zionists who had settled in Iran for years and had control over everything, and that they could expel them from the country, leaving no trace of them behind.

The next surprise for them was the establishment of the Islamic Republic. If a compromising government had come to power after the revolution — as there were some signs of this in the early days, indicating that a compromising government with the West might come to power — if such a thing had happened, the Westerners would have hoped to regain their influence in Iran and secure their illegitimate interests in this country, but the Imam clearly and explicitly expressed his positions in building the Islamic country; that is, the Imam announced — both in words and in action — that the system arising from this revolution is an Islamic system, a religious system. From here, the plots began; after the Westerners realized the direction in which the revolution was moving, and where the Iranian nation was heading, the plots of the enemies, their destructive schemes, and their ruinous plans for our dear country and nation began.

I do not know of any revolutionary system in the world in the history of these two or three centuries of revolutions that has been so exposed to plots and enmity and the scheming of enemies. Look at how from the very beginning of the revolution, from inciting ethnic and tribal tensions, to arming leftist groups — there were leftist groups in Iran to some extent; they armed them, integrated them into universities and other places, preparing them to move against the system — to inciting and supporting a bloodthirsty wolf like Saddam Hussein, who was provoked, encouraged, and urged to attack our borders, to targeted assassinations, the assassination of Martyr Motahhari, the assassination of Martyr Beheshti, the assassination of Martyr Mofatteh, the assassination of Martyr Rajai, the assassination of the martyrs of the pulpits, and so on, continuing to the assassination of nuclear scientists, to the assassination of active revolutionary youth; see, these are a collection of schemes that were carried out against the system arising from the revolution in Iran. Then there were comprehensive sanctions, followed by direct attacks such as the American attack on Tabas and that famous and miraculous incident, or the attack on the passenger plane and its downing, and similar actions; these actions against the system arising from the Islamic revolution began from the very first days of the revolution and, of course, continue to this day. The variety of these schemes and plots, in terms of diversity, intensity of action, and the malicious content of them, in my opinion, has no precedent in any of the known revolutions in the world.

Who was carrying out these plots? There is a time when terrorist groups carry out actions, but in Iran, it was not like that; these plots, these schemes, these malice were carried out by arrogant governments — primarily America and Zionism — and by the well-known intelligence agencies of the world such as the CIA, which belongs to America, MI6, which belongs to England, and Mossad, which belongs to the Zionist regime.

The Islamic system, the Islamic Republic, withstood all these plots, schemes, and enmities and thwarted them; perhaps if we count, more than a thousand plots have been thwarted by the Islamic Republic, some of which were also responded to. The important thing is that these plots were carried out to weaken the Islamic Republic, but the Islamic Republic not only was not weakened, but its capabilities and power increased day by day; not only within the country but even outside the country, the various capabilities of the Islamic Republic have increased. And here I want to tell the Iranian nation and all those who are interested in Iranian affairs that from now on, with God's grace, we will continue to enhance our comprehensive national power.

Here I want to mention a necessary point, and after this point, I will present my main topic. That point is that social uprisings, everywhere in the world, are usually shaped by emotions. Emotions help to shape and succeed social uprisings. If there is also a rational thought behind these emotions, it often gets lost or diminished among the opinions and interpretations arising from these emotions; emotions often influence the rational goals of the uprisings. What is the result? The result is that when emotions subside, the movement that the revolution was created for changes direction; because the rationality that was behind this uprising has been lost and diminished, hence the path changes. There are numerous examples in history; for instance, the French Revolution in the eighteenth century arose to combat the monarchy of a family — the Bourbons — after the revolution succeeded and even killed the king and his wife, various emotions among the people seized the atmosphere so much that people forgot why they rose, why they fought, and came to the field; after about fifteen years, Napoleon's monarchy was established in France, and after his departure, the same family against which the revolution was fought returned and ruled for about seventy or eighty years; that is, the rational basis behind that uprising and revolution was completely lost and disappeared; we see this in almost all revolutions or in most revolutions around the world.

My main point is that the Imam preserved the Islamic revolution against this destructive affliction and provided it with immunity. The great Imam, with divine wisdom and the rationality arising from faith in God and belief in the unseen, did what prevented this affliction from taking hold of the Islamic revolution; that is, he ensured that emotions — which were abundant in our revolution as well — could not divert the original and correct path of the revolution and the movement of the people.

What did the Imam do? The manifestation of the Imam's rationality, that rationality that enabled him to accomplish this, consisted of two essential pillars: one pillar is the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist (Wilayat-e Faqih), and the other pillar is national independence. I introduce the meaning that was in the blessed mind of the Imam and was repeated in his words under the title of national independence; when I think about it, I see that there is no expression more suitable than national independence.

Regarding the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, extensive explanations have been given; I do not want to delve into that. The Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist preserved the religious aspect of this revolution. If there were no Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist, this revolution, which was born out of religious motivation and the selflessness stemming from faith in God, would have deviated from the path of religion. Therefore, the first pillar was the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist. This is the rationality of the great Imam; the rationality that stands behind this public movement and drives it forward and guides it. I will not speak more about the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist.

The second pillar is national independence. Many of the key points that have been repeatedly mentioned in the Imam's statements fall under the title of national independence. Of course, independence does not mean severing ties with the surrounding environment and the world; some may fall into the fallacy of saying that we have isolated ourselves; no, independence does not mean cutting off relations with anyone. The meaning of national independence is that the country of Iran, the nation of Iran, stands on its own feet, does not rely on others, makes its own judgments, makes its own decisions, and acts on its own; this is the meaning of national independence. The meaning of independence is that it does not wait for a green light from America and others; it is not concerned about a red light from America and others; the judgment is with the Iranian nation, the decision-making is with the Iranian nation, and action wherever necessary is with the Iranian nation; whether others, the powers, America, or others agree or disagree is of no importance; this is the meaning of independence. Well, we said that the repeatedly mentioned key points of the Imam fall under this national independence. I will mention a few of these key points.

One key point is the principle of "we can." The Imam taught us to say and believe that we can. In the previous regime, it was said and instilled that we cannot, that nothing can be done, that others must do it for us; the Imam introduced the opposite of this by 180 degrees into the national identity of the Iranian nation: "we can"; that is, he revived self-confidence in the nation and in our youth. I should also mention here that this "we can" is so important that they design plans to negate this "we can." Now, in the recent nuclear issue and the discussions regarding the nuclear matter mediated by Oman, the plan presented by the Americans is entirely against "we can." The Imam revived self-confidence in our youth, in our politicians; he said we can, and we experienced it and saw that yes, we can. These scientific advancements, these technological advancements, these defensive capabilities, these great works that governments have done over the years in the development of this country, we did not believe they could be achieved; it was said that it could not be done, we tried and saw that no, the Iranian nation can and we can. This is one of the important key points and a principle in national independence that has been repeated in the Imam's statements.

The next principle is the principle of "resistance." Resistance means not bowing to the will of great powers; if one believes in something, considers something necessary or forbidden, they should act according to their own beliefs and not bow to the will of the enemy, the imposition of the enemy, the bullying of the enemy; this is the meaning of resistance. One of the components of national independence is also resistance.

Another principle is the "enhancement of the country's defensive power." We did not have defensive capabilities at the beginning of the revolution, and our defensive production was so negligible that it was close to zero; the amount we produced was practically zero. The Imam taught us that we must elevate our defensive power. I went to the Imam and informed him that our youth are producing an anti-tank missile with such and such capabilities; and they even set a specific time for it, and I told the Imam that they said they would do this by this time; the Imam was so happy that I saw less happiness like that on his face! He encouraged us to elevate our defensive power; what has been the result? The result is that today, evaluators of the world's defensive powers judge that in this region, in a certain aspect, Iran ranks first; or they express astonishment that Iran, despite sanctions, can launch satellites into space and similar feats; this is the result of these capabilities related to defensive power, which is also one of the important key points of the Imam's teachings.

Another key point is the principle of "clarification." The Imam believed in clarification. Clarification means putting the people in the loop regarding issues they need to know, using appropriate language. The Imam himself, from the beginning of the movement, from the very first year — from 1962 — spoke to the people, clarified for the people, until the last year of his life, when the writings of the great Imam in the last year of his blessed life are among his best writings; addressing the people, addressing the seminaries and students and scholars, addressing university students and others. It is good to mention that when the Imam clarified, his clarification was not just about stirring emotions; he guided emotions, he reasoned, and he convinced minds; he spoke to hearts and minds; he could clarify in this way. This clarification is also one of the things that falls within the framework of the national independence of our country — which is the main pillar of the Imam's activity.

Another principle is the principle of "steadfastness." Steadfastness is different from the resistance I mentioned. Steadfastness means following the path, not abandoning the straight path, pursuing it, and maintaining continuity; this is the meaning of steadfastness.

National independence is a collection of these principles and some other principles; these were introduced by the Imam into the identity of the Iranian nation, and he acquainted the people, hearts, minds, and youth with these principles. Today, our youth are familiar with the issue of "self-belief," with the issue of "we can," with the issue of "resistance," with the issue of "continuing the path"; their minds and hearts are familiar with this; this was done by the great Imam, thus preserving the identity of the revolution. This is the rationality that the Imam used to keep the Islamic revolution and the system arising from the Islamic revolution on the same path that it was created for and that was outlined from the beginning.

Today, sometimes we see in some statements that they mention "rationality," but their meaning of "rationality" is that we should bow to America; they say this is "rationality!" Their intention is that we should submit to the bullying power; they consider this "rationality!" This is not rationality. Rationality is the rationality of the Imam; it is what was able to advance this nation, to strengthen this nation, to empower this nation, to dignify it in the world, to make it respectable, and to present a bright future for this nation. God willing, the country, with the rationality that the Imam established, can achieve progress, can attain lasting security, can achieve public welfare, and can elevate its status in the international environment.

Now, regarding the clarification of a national issue; the nuclear issue. I must say a few sentences about the nuclear issue for the awareness of the Iranian nation. My dear ones! Iran, thanks to the intelligence of its youth, the efforts of its scientists, and their hard work, has managed to achieve a complete nuclear fuel cycle; that is, today we are capable of producing nuclear fuel from the mine to the power plant and advancing it; our youth and scientists have accomplished this. In the world, there are perhaps fewer than ten countries that have this capability; this has been achieved by the Iranian nation.

Let me first mention one point. The nuclear industry is not only for energy; some think that the nuclear industry is only for clean and cheap energy — which it certainly is — and this is a result of the nuclear industry, but it is not just this; this is a part of the benefits of the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry is a mother industry, a mother industry; specialists and scientists who are in this field have explained to us, and I hope they will explain more to the people. Various scientific fields are influenced by the nuclear industry, including precise and sensitive technologies such as medical equipment, aerospace, precise sensors, electronics; these are related to the nuclear industry, influenced by the nuclear industry. Including basic sciences and engineering such as nuclear physics, energy engineering, materials engineering; including medical and pharmaceutical applications, both in diagnosis and treatment; these are influenced by the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry plays a leading role in the treatment of some serious diseases, both in diagnosis and treatment. Including industries related to agriculture and industries related to the environment; there are many such cases that are dependent on or influenced by the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry is a mother industry, a primary industry.

Now, in the nuclear industry, there is a point that is like a key, and that is enrichment; uranium enrichment. Our enemies have focused on this uranium enrichment, they have pointed their finger at this. The nuclear industry, with this magnitude, is useless without having the capability of enrichment, because for our power plants, we would have to reach out to others for fuel. This is like having oil in your country but not being allowed to build a refinery and produce gasoline! You have oil, but you have to buy gasoline from someone else; that country, if it wants, sells it to you, at whatever price it wants, and if it does not want, it does not sell it; it makes excuses and does not sell: do this, or else I will not give you gasoline; this is their goal. If we have a hundred nuclear power plants but do not have enrichment, it will not be useful to us; because a nuclear power plant needs fuel, and if we cannot produce this fuel domestically, we will have to reach out to America, and they may impose dozens of conditions for providing nuclear fuel; we have tested this. In the 1980s, regarding twenty percent fuel, the President of America himself sent two of our friendly presidents as intermediaries to tell Iran to give us some of the three-and-a-half percent enrichments, and we will give you the twenty percent you need; we needed twenty percent, the officials agreed, and it was decided that an exchange would take place. I said that this exchange should be such that they bring the twenty percent to Bandar Abbas, we will test it to see if it is correct, then we will take it, and we will give them the three-and-a-half percent. When they saw that we were insisting on getting the twenty percent and were careful about it, they broke their promise and did not deliver! Of course, during this time, while our officials were busy with these political negotiations, our scientists produced the twenty percent themselves.

The first demand of the Americans is that you should not have a nuclear industry at all, that Iran should not have a nuclear industry, that you should need us for radio drugs, that you should need us for energy, that you should need us for desalination plants, that you should be dependent on us in dozens of other important fields, and that you should not have a nuclear industry at all. They want to discourage thousands of scientists and researchers who have been trained in Iran — we now have thousands of young scientists in nuclear and related fields who have been trained in recent years — they want to make all of them hopeless, unemployed, and disheartened about the future of our country; this is what the Americans want, this is what they are demanding from us; the rude and arrogant leaders of America repeat this demand in various languages. They oppose Iran's progress, they oppose the self-sufficiency of the Iranian nation.

I mention these points so that our dear nation is somewhat informed about the issue; of course, more explanations are needed. Our response to the nonsense of the noisy and ill-considered American government is clear; it is clear what answer we will give. One day — several years ago — one of the American presidents said that if I could, I would unscrew and destroy the nuts and bolts of Iran's nuclear industry! Of course, he admitted that he could not, and since that day, the nuts and bolts of our nuclear industry have become much more secure. He of course acknowledged that he could not unscrew the nuts and bolts; he said I cannot, if I could, I would. Those who are in power today — the Zionists and Americans — should also know that in this matter, they cannot do anything. Of course, before these statements, before these explanations, the first thing we say regarding the nuclear issue to the Americans and others is that what business do you have? Why do you interfere in whether Iran should have enrichment or not? What is it to you? You have nuclear capabilities, you have nuclear bombs, you have severe destructive power in your hands, what is it to you whether the Iranian nation has enrichment or not, whether it has a nuclear industry or not? [The Iranian nation] is a nation whose destiny is in its own hands; it is none of your business; what is it to you? From what legal standpoint do you make these statements? This is our stance. This is regarding the nuclear issue.

My final point relates to the astonishing crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza; it is truly astonishing! One cannot believe that they have such criminal schemes. Look, they would drop a bomb, and one or two houses would be destroyed, for example, ten or fifteen people would be martyred; they saw that this is not enough; now what do they do? Now they create a center called "food distribution" — since food supplies do not enter Gaza — people rush to get food from there, and they with a machine gun kill ten times more than what they would destroy with a bomb! Killing people became costly for them, they made it cheap; they had to use bombs, now they use bullets. This is astonishing; truly, this crime leaves one bewildered at how low, wicked, and cruel a person can be to commit such an act! Of course, America is also complicit in this crime; America's hand is stained with these crimes; that is why we have said, repeated, and insisted that America must leave this region.

I would also like to say a word to the Islamic governments. Islamic governments today have a great responsibility. I want to tell the governments clearly that today is not a time for politeness, caution, or neutrality; today is not a day for silence. If any government among the Islamic governments supports the Zionist regime in any way or for any reason — whether by normalizing relations, by closing off aid to Palestine, or by justifying the crimes of the Zionists — let them be certain that an eternal disgrace will remain on their forehead. Of course, there is also an afterlife, there is also a Day of Judgment, there is also divine retribution, which is very severe, very heavy; before God, they cannot answer, but it is not only divine retribution; in this world, nations will not forget this betrayal. And governments should know that relying on the Zionist regime will not bring security to any government; security cannot be achieved by relying on the Zionist regime; because the Zionist regime, by divine decree, is in a state of collapse, and God willing, it will not be long.

O Lord! Increase Your blessings upon the Iranian nation day by day; crush and subdue the enemies of the Iranian nation. O Lord! Fulfill the lofty goals and ideals of the great Imam among the Iranian nation; make the sacred heart of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us, with the Iranian nation, and with all the servants; place the pure soul of the great Imam in the highest ranks of the righteous and in Your grace.

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