Message of the Supreme Leader on the Beginning of the Year 1386

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

O Turner of hearts and sights, O Manager of night and day, O Transformer of years and conditions, transform our state into the best state.

O God, send blessings upon Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, the chosen Imam, the pious and pure.

I congratulate the arrival of Nowruz and the new solar year to all our dear compatriots; also to all Iranians around the world and wherever they live; and to all nations that honor Nowruz. I especially congratulate the esteemed families of our dear martyrs, the Disabled and their families, and all the self-sacrificers and activists in the life of the Iranian nation.

Nowruz is the beginning of the freshness of nature and the rejuvenation of the world and the renewal of the natural living space of humanity. And how beautiful it is that along with the freshness of the world, the soul and heart of humanity also becomes fresh; the freshness of the soul and heart through the remembrance of God, through seeking help from the Lord, through planting the seed of goodwill and kindness for all brothers and sisters and for all humanity.

The custom of Nowruz has many beauties within itself; in addition to the fact that at every point, Iranians begin this moment of transition with the name of God and with a request for fundamental transformation in their lives. One of the most beautiful customs of Nowruz is the custom of visiting and strengthening emotional ties among members of society. If we compare this with some national celebrations of other nations - which are accompanied by immoral acts and devoid of these emotional connections - we then realize that our national celebration and the beginning of the new year, in addition to coinciding with the spring of nature, which is an advantage, has noble and kind characteristics within itself. The joy of hearts, smiles, greetings, and the continuation of human relationships and renewing the living environment are very good and desirable customs that Iranians have adhered to from the past to the present, and all of these are confirmed by the sacred teachings of Islam and Islamic law.

Looking back at the year 1385, which is coming to an end, and looking forward to the year 1386, which begins at this moment: the year 1385 was blessed with the name of the great Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and from beginning to end, it was filled with the remembrance of that great figure and efforts for greater knowledge regarding the noble Prophet and the characteristics of his life, his states, and the lessons and teachings of that great Prophet. Of course, there is still much room for knowledge of the Prophet, and all our years are, in fact, years of the great Prophet. Year 1385, like all other years and like all human life, was filled with various events, with bitterness and sweetness, with joys and sorrows. All of life is like this. However, in a summarized view, I can confidently tell our dear nation that in the year 1385, the successes of the Iranian nation outweighed the bitterness and failures; our advancements were greater than our stagnations; the joys of events surpassed the bitterness. In the internal arena, concentrated efforts for the advancement of the country were seen everywhere; appropriate and good decisions by officials and public mobilization in these areas were a desirable movement that I will, God willing, provide more explanations about in my upcoming speech.

In the international and global political arena, the advancements of the Islamic Republic of Iran were significant. Our nation and our country, thanks to the Islamic Republic, have become proud in the world; our national dignity and the kind gaze of our people towards the nations of the world and the Muslim nations were revealed in all events; our national resolve in scientific fields and economic mobilization for others became quite clear. We have, thanks be to God, made significant advancements in both domestic and foreign matters.

In the year 1386, the continuation of our national movement must be in accordance with the needs of our nation. It is a reality that the Iranian nation, due to the dominance of tyrannical powers and corrupt powers and dependent or incompetent governments over decades - perhaps close to two hundred years - has suffered many setbacks in various fields. Today, as the Iranian nation has achieved self-awareness and self-confidence thanks to Islam and the Islamic Republic, we must rapidly cover these long distances. We have very large gaps with what befits a proud and glorious Iran; these gaps can only be bridged with high ambition, endless hope, and comprehensive national effort.

Our nation has a clear goal; our great national goal is "national independence, national dignity, and the public welfare of the nation." All of these can be realized thanks to Islam and Islamic faith. We have experienced and realized this. Our nation has a very high capacity for traversing difficult paths toward beloved and desirable futures. If our national capacity is fully and comprehensively utilized, without a doubt, the Iranian nation will be able to achieve all its hopes and aspirations.

The movement of the Iranian nation began thanks to Islam, and this awakening, this hope, and this self-confidence have increased day by day until today, and every new year, we must renew our resolve and step into new fields.

It is obvious that a living nation faces challenges; challenges are a necessity of being alive. Every living being must pay the cost of its existence to achieve its goals. Being alive is accompanied by challenges; it is accompanied by obstacles; one must overcome obstacles. Sometimes it is accompanied by enmities; for enmities, one must have firm planning and thought. A strong resolve must be the foundation of this movement. The Iranian nation needs this national resolve, which it has shown until today, and day by day, the foundations of this resolve must be strengthened.

Looking at global events and issues, we clearly understand that the enemies of the Iranian nation seek to realize their enmity against the Iranian nation through two paths (what is evident today in the world). One is to create division among the ranks of the nation; to destroy the unity of the Iranian nation; to rob this great force of unity from the Iranian nation and to distract them with internal conflicts. The second is to create economic problems and to strive to halt the Iranian nation in various fields of national construction and public welfare. These two are what are visibly present in the short-term and medium-term plans of our enemies, which, even if they do not openly express, can be guessed; however, our enemies have themselves admitted to both points.

In the year 1386, in the field of economic efforts, all national forces, those committed to the lofty ideals of the Iranian nation, the officials of the country, and the energetic youth must come together and strive. The field for economic efforts is vast; especially with the announcement of the policies of Article 44 of the Constitution and what has been recommended and emphasized to the officials, who have also expressed their resolve regarding this matter, the field for economic efforts for the people has been opened, and the paths are clear. Officials must explain to the people the possibilities available to them and they themselves must strive. Our country has a very high economic capacity, and we can work towards building a society that enjoys welfare.

Another issue is the matter of the general unity of the people. The enemies, with their propaganda, with their psychological warfare, and with their various insidious efforts, try to sow discord among the ranks of the Iranian nation; under the pretext of ethnicity, under the pretext of religion, under the pretext of professional tendencies, they aim to destroy the unity of the word of the nation; in addition, at the level of the Islamic world, there is also a deep and extensive effort by the enemy to create distance between the Iranian nation and various other Muslim communities; to magnify sectarian differences; to create a Shiite-Sunni war wherever possible in the world; and to diminish the greatness and dignity of the Iranian nation among other nations - which, thanks be to God, has increased day by day until today.

Our nation must be vigilant. The efforts for the construction of the country and, more importantly, the efforts for the unity of the word and national cohesion and the unity of the Islamic Ummah must continue. This unity must be preserved wisely, vigilantly, intelligently, and prudently, and must be strengthened day by day. For this reason, I emphasize the issue of the unity of our nation. And in my opinion, this year is the year of "national unity and Islamic cohesion"; that is, within our nation, the unity of the word of all individuals of the nation and various ethnicities and religions; and at the international level, the cohesion among all Muslims and the brotherly relations among all members of the Islamic Ummah from various sects and their unity of word.

Today, the greatness of Islam is also dependent on the independence of nations and the firm resolve of nations, and the Muslim Iranian nation has, thanks be to God, been the flag bearer in this path and will continue to be the flag bearer.

We ask God Almighty for forgiveness and elevation of the ranks for the heavenly spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), who opened this path for us, and I hope that the Iranian nation will be successful and supported in this path.

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