Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a Meeting with Members of the Assembly of Experts

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

First, I welcome the esteemed gentlemen and thank you for the two days you have spent discussing important issues among yourselves. I also congratulate you on the very significant days of the blessed month of Sha'ban, which is indeed a corridor for entering the banquet hall of the blessed month of Ramadan. God willing, we will be able to pass through in a manner worthy of the banquet in Ramadan.

The gentlemen have raised noteworthy points. As Mr. Amini provided a comprehensive and concise report of the sessions, important issues have been raised. I will first address this, and then I will present two or three brief points.

Many of the concerns that you have expressed in your pre-agenda speeches are fundamental concerns of the system, and perhaps for all or most of them, efforts and endeavors have been made by the officials and those involved. However, the existence of some disarray necessitates that these concerns remain in the minds of the officials and those who have the ability to act to resolve these disarrays, and their determination should not falter; it should remain steadfast and be pursued, because all these problems can be resolved with determination, planning, and action. Although a lot of work has indeed been done.

At the beginning, the Islamic Republic was an unattainable hope. The Islamic system came to the minds of some, but it was perceived like a dream, like an unattainable wish. Gradually, through effort and struggle, it transformed into social faith. The society, the elites, and the masses of our people in various parts of this great nation became believers in this foundation and this principle, and it turned into a faith and a desire. After this faith was realized, again in the shadow of struggles, it transformed into a practical program and realization in the external world, leading to the revolution and the movements of the early days of the revolution and the constitution, and then it became a real model. Now, the Islamic Republic is a model and a real truth in the world, and despite disbelief, it is a reality. The impact of this real model in drawing attention to Islam and the possibility of its realization is greater than thousands of books and speeches; that is, today in the Islamic world and among the elites and youth of the Islamic world, this version is a practical, realized, and tangible version; it is not a theoretical and philosophical discussion to convince someone of something; no, this has happened; a system based on Islamic principles and values has been established and is now realized. This system now shows itself externally and has become a model for the world; both for the Islamic world and, in a weaker aspect, for non-Islamic countries. What the arrogant and powerful enemies of Islam and the Islamic Republic fear is precisely this modeling and becoming a model. They mention missiles and atoms and such things, but the truth of the matter is that they do not fear missiles or atoms or the fuel cycle and enrichment; rather, their fear is that this model is increasingly imposing itself on the mentality and beliefs of the Islamic world, and the mentality is accepting this reality. They said it would disappear, they said it could not continue, they said it would fall short in scientific, economic, and other areas; but they saw that this is not the case.

We have made progress scientifically and in construction, and what has been done in this country in various sectors can truly serve as a model. A lot of work has been done in all areas regarding the promotion of religion, the growth, expansion, and promotion of science, the flourishing of talents, the massive infrastructures necessary for managing the country and for public welfare, and in various fields. In these cultural and moral areas, and in response to the declines that the gentlemen are concerned about, which is indeed justified, you also observe remarkable growths. Today, a generation of young researchers, scholars, and diligent individuals exists in the country; both in universities and in seminaries; these are truths and realities. This indicates that this entity was sustainable, stable, expandable, and capable of rooting itself; the world sees this.

This Islamic Republic stands today against the global system of domination. In the words of politicians, the opposition to the global system of domination is the Islamic Republic today. The only place that stands firmly against this system of domination, which is based on two pillars of the oppressor and the oppressed - there is no third party - is the Islamic Republic. Other countries may occasionally make statements, show examples; but they have not stood against this system of domination.

We refute the existing satanic system in the world by presenting a correct system that is based on reason and the desires of human beings. This system is one that relies on justice in the relationships of all human beings with one another; not just in the relationships of people within the country; hence, all the tyrants have allied against us. You see which of the great and small tyrants and the petty devils have not opposed and resisted the Islamic Republic; however, we have passed through various phases and today you see that the Islamic Republic stands firm against all of them, and it shows that it can stand. And if we ourselves - which I will address later - gather ourselves a bit, work better, think more, act more strongly, and show more serious determination, we can collect and resolve many of the problems and disarray that we observe around us.

The second point is that in the Islamic Republic system, our goals, principles, and values are divine, but our tools, methods, and people are material and human. And those divine goals are not meant to be implemented by the righteous, the prophets, the infallibles, and the angels in our society, but rather by these ordinary human beings - whom you observe - who want to implement and realize those lofty and noble goals. Therefore, the possibility of error and vulnerability exists everywhere. Of course, it is precisely because of these errors that vulnerabilities arise; hence, a major duty of all officials in various sectors is to constantly monitor themselves; identify their errors and correct those errors and learn from their past mistakes; we are all obliged to do this and must learn from the mistakes we have made or the mistakes others have made, and with diligence and follow-up, identify our own mistakes and rectify them.

In terms of goals and principles, our criterion should be "So stand firm as you have been commanded." There is absolutely no room for deviation from principles and values; the goals are divine goals, and there is no doubt, suspicion, or deviation from these goals is permissible; however, in methods, evolution, reform, change, and error correction must be part of our permanent work and ongoing programs; we must see which of our methods, even if we have become accustomed to them, are wrong, and change and correct them. We must be careful that the place of these expressions is not swapped; that is, in terms of goals, we say steadfastness; we must not confuse the place of "goal" with "method." Steadfastness in methods is not necessary; steadfastness in goals is necessary. In the work of methods, trial and error is ongoing. Of course, we must use experiences so that our trial is a successful one, and we do not want to keep experimenting and making mistakes one after another; but in terms of goals, we must stand firm and not take a step back. Of course, deviation from both is also a mistake. Some, in the name of modernity and reform, make changes in the goals; they reconsider the goals; this is not reform; this is a retreat from the path and a regression; it is retrogression. If today we touch the lofty goals of the Islamic Revolution, whether in cultural areas, economic areas, or governmental and political areas, and turn back towards what the world - the material and dominating world; the world under the grip of Satan - demands from us, this is a regression to the past. In the past, during the era of tyranny, the same worldly goals prevailed; but with very corrupt and ugly and dependent tools. We must not accept this regression. Our goals are divine goals; the governance of God and monotheism and moving towards a truly religious society and the implementation of divine laws. Of course, in contrast, we must not become rigid in the name of firmness and insist on methods that we have tried and have proven to be wrong. Therefore, I fully agree with the slogan of 100% reform; reform in methods, reform in approaches, and steadfastness in goals and principles. Of course, it is possible that someone, in the name of reform, wants to tamper with the principles; just as the Westerners have desired. You have seen in recent years in the media and in global propaganda, they have constantly emphasized reform in Iran. They did not want us to correct any mistakes we have in the economic field, or any immaturity we have in cultural and promotional areas; rather, they wanted us to reconsider the principles and the governance of Sharia and the governance of God. This is the same reform that we have always observed in the advancement of the goals of global arrogance in Iran. Reza Khan also came in the name of reform; he also said he wanted to reform! This is not reform; tampering with the principles and reconsidering the goals is not reform; it is corruption. Reform means that we maintain lofty goals and clarity in expressing them - we must not have any kind of taqiyyah (dissimulation) in expressing goals, values, and principles. Today, we are a great government and a power that has a nation behind it. This is the place to express the truth in Islamic principles and in the governance of God; we must express the truth here - review our methods and see what we should have done that we have not done, and what we should not have done that we have done.

As someone who has been closely involved in the issues of the country from the beginning of the revolution until now, I say that our progress everywhere has been due to steadfastness and resilience based on values; wherever we have stood firm and insisted on our principles and have not backed down and have not lost ourselves in the face of threats, we have made progress. This steadfastness and resilience is the most important thing we can use to achieve our goals. And of course, we must also maintain revolutionary courage. That revolution which retreats and pulls back in the face of threats from its enemies and is afraid, is respected neither by friends nor by enemies; no one shows mercy to a cowardly and weak nation. That revolution and movement which shows weakness in front of its enemies first loses its dignity; its respect is broken, and then it destroys itself and is swept away and eliminated.

The last point is that the legitimacy of all of us is dependent on fulfilling our duties and the effectiveness in fulfilling those duties. I insist and emphasize that the effectiveness and efficiency of officials should be based on the same criteria that our laws derived from Sharia and the constitution stipulate. Wherever there is no effectiveness, legitimacy will be lost. The fact that we have stipulated conditions for the leader, the president, the members of parliament, and for ministers in the constitution, and have said that this duty can be performed under these conditions, these conditions are the criterion for the legitimacy of taking on these duties and the powers that the law and the nation grant us; that is, this mandate of guardianship, with all its branches and branches that stem from it, has gone to these titles, not to individuals. As long as these titles are preserved and exist, this legitimacy exists. When these titles are lost, whether from the leadership or from other officials in various sectors, that legitimacy will also be lost. We must pursue effectiveness. Each of those who hold these responsibilities, from top to bottom, must be able to perform what is reasonably expected of them. We do not expect miracles or extraordinary work; we should not have such expectations; but we should expect successful efforts, in which signs of success are also observed.

The duty of all of us is to establish justice, execute justice, educate the nation, and advance the material and spiritual progress of the nation and lead it out of the deprivation that has been imposed on it for decades by the rule of tyrants and foreigners. Many of the deprivations that exist in our country and that you observe signs of today in various corners are the result of a long public movement that the rule of tyrants and oppressors, despots and exploiters have created for this nation, which naturally has consequences and repercussions and is difficult to remove; but it is possible. Even after twenty-five years, I, observing the state of the country and the state of the nation, have become increasingly convinced of the ability of the Islamic system to build a clean, growing, and flourishing society in all dimensions, and I believe that with the same thought that is embodied in the framework of the constitution, we can lead the country to welfare and progress; but the condition is that we maintain our effectiveness and the effectiveness of our officials in all elections, in all selections, and in all appointments.

We ask the Almighty God to grant us success in this noble month - which in this supplication; "You have granted mercy and good pleasure" is the month of mercy and good pleasure, God willing, and "in which the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) used to strive in his fasting and standing in its nights and days for your honor" - to take advantage of the honor of this month, and that honor is that we, God willing, bring ourselves and our hearts closer to the lofty goals of the Islamic system, and use the opportunity of this month for humility, remembrance, and attention of our hearts, and seek help from the Almighty God and rely on Him, so that in all circumstances He may be our helper, God willing. God willing, the pure supplications of the Awaited Savior may include all of you.

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