Statements at the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza on the First Day of 1393

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

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen family, the infallible guides, especially the Remaining One of God among the people. O God, send blessings upon Fatimah and her father, her husband, and her children. O God, send blessings upon Your guardian, Ali ibn Musa, as many as Your knowledge encompasses, a blessing that lasts as long as Your greatness and majesty. O God, grant peace to Your guardian, Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha, as many as are in Your knowledge, a peace that lasts as long as Your glory, greatness, and majesty.

I am grateful to the Almighty God for granting us the favor and life to once again, in this blessed and heavenly shrine, in this enthusiastic and sincere gathering, converse with you, dear brothers and sisters. First, we must congratulate all the brothers and sisters who hear our words and the entire Iranian nation on the occasion of Nowruz and the arrival of the new year, and we ask the Almighty God for a blessed year and a life filled with happiness for the Iranian nation and all Muslims around the world. We hope that the Almighty God will grant us a year worthy of the great Iranian nation, a year full of goodness and blessings, endowed with divine favors and the attention of the Lord.

I would like to make a brief remark about the year 1392, which just ended. In the first message of the year, we pointed out that in 1392, what was expected as a political epic was created and brought forth by the Iranian nation. Certainly, the political epic was more prominently displayed in two major movements of the Iranian nation: one was the elections in the first half of the year, and the other was the nationwide and massive march of the nation in the second half. We have spoken extensively about the elections; both this election and all the various elections that have taken place since the beginning of the revolution. Likewise, regarding the great nationwide marches of the 22nd of Bahman, both I and others have expressed numerous points that we do not wish to repeat; however, there are two points regarding these two events that I would like to address before discussing the matters related to the year 1393.

The first point is about the elections. Dear brothers and sisters, please pay attention that from the beginning of the revolution until today, the rate of public participation in elections has not decreased; it has not declined. This is very important. In the last election, when our nation went to the ballot box — that is, the eleventh presidential election — the public participation was 72 percent; this figure is high among elections worldwide and is one of the highest rates among the elections that have occurred since the beginning of the revolution. What does this mean? The meaning of this wide public participation in the elections is that religious democracy has been established in the country; it means that the Islamic Republic has succeeded in institutionalizing democracy in the country; this is no small matter. A country that has spent centuries under tyrannical and dictatorial rulers has become so familiar and intertwined with democracy and public participation in choosing those in power that after 35 years from the initial excitements of the revolution, when it comes time for elections, 72 percent participate; this must be appreciated. I say to you young people and to all those who are thinkers across the country: let us not be ungrateful for this great blessing; just as in 1388, some were ungrateful for this divine blessing. Also, it is ungrateful to sometimes hear that the elections of the country are attributed to a lack of integrity — that is, repeating the words of the enemies of the Iranian nation — this is also ingratitude. Democracy in the country has become an ordinary flow; hence, people across the country, in villages and cities, feel a duty to go to the ballot box, they go to the ballot box; 72 percent vote; this is very significant; in the world, this figure is among the high figures.

The second point that my dear brothers and sisters should pay attention to is regarding the march of the 22nd of Bahman. Some calculate the crowds by estimating the population or using cameras and various tools; this year, all those who were active in this regard and all those who closely monitored this march reported to us that the crowd at the march in Tehran and in major and well-known cities was both larger and more enthusiastic than in previous years, meaning that the slogans of the people were profound, meaningful, and passionate. Why? Analysts who analyze various issues have understood this and, in our opinion, they have understood it correctly; the reason was that this year, the influential factors in the policies of global arrogance had a more rude and insulting tone towards the Iranian nation. Because negotiations had taken place regarding nuclear issues, American politicians expressed that it seems the Iranian nation has abandoned its words, has disregarded its principles! With this background, their tone towards the Iranian nation was rude and insulting; the people heard this, they understood. When the enemy presents itself with its true face or close to its true face in the field, the people have more motivation and higher determination to show up; because the people saw that the Americans were being rude to them and attributed that they had separated from the system, they wanted to show on the 22nd of Bahman that they are wholeheartedly attached to the Islamic system and the Islamic Republic and the raised flag of Islam. This demonstrates the sensitivity of our people and the pride of our people in the face of the enmity and malice of the enemies of the Islamic Republic and the enemies of Iran. This is also the point related to the march of the 22nd of Bahman.

Now, regarding what pertains to this year; I have made some notes here, I have some remarks, and I will try to present these remarks in a concise manner — in this opportunity we have today; since today is Friday and our time at the end is limited to the Friday prayer — God willing, in this time, I will present what is intended; however, if something remains unsaid, we hope that in the words of the experts and knowledgeable individuals in society who understand what the policies of the Islamic Republic are today and what it is doing, it will become clear to public opinion. My point — what I want to say today in summary and in one sentence — is that the Iranian nation must strengthen itself; this is my message. The discussion is about national power. I say to our dear nation that if a nation is not strong and is weak, it will hear force; it will be told to submit; if a nation is weak, the tribute-takers of the world will take tribute from it, they will demand tribute from it; if they can, they will insult it; if they can, they will trample it underfoot. The nature of a world governed by materialistic thoughts is such; whoever feels powerful will bully those whom they feel weak; whether towards an individual or towards a nation. A famous poet says:

"Death for the weak is a natural matter. Every strong one first becomes weak and then dies."

He says that a cooked chicken was brought before someone who does not eat chicken meat and looked at it: "Tears of regret flowed from both eyes"; to this chicken that was placed before him, he said:

"Why did you not become a fierce lion So that no one could bring you to slaughter?"

If you could defend yourself and had power within you, they would not dare to cut your head off like this. I neither accept that poet nor Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri, from whom this saying is attributed; however, I accept that death in a world governed by materialistic thoughts is a natural matter for the weak; I accept this. If a nation does not awaken, does not strengthen itself, others will bully it. Some nations are far from becoming strong; there is no hope that they will create the power within themselves to confront the bullies and the tyrants of the world; however, our nation is not like that; we, first of all, have a lot of potential to become strong; we have many capabilities and capacities; our nation has also embarked on the path to national power and has traversed a long way; based on this, I see the overall plan for the year 1393 in these two elements that I mentioned in the first message of the year: economy and culture with national determination and jihadist management.

Strengthening a nation is not only about having advanced military weapons; of course, weapons are also necessary, but no nation becomes strong solely with weapons. When I look, I find three elements, two of which are the same two points I mentioned in the message; if these three elements are considered, a nation becomes strong: one is the economy, one is culture, and the third is science and knowledge. Regarding knowledge, much has been said in the past ten to twelve years, and thanks be to God, it has had an effect. Today we are advancing in knowledge — which I may refer to later — but regarding the economy and culture, more than usual attention is needed to shape the economy of the country in such a way that no one from the other side of the world can affect our economy and the livelihood of our nation with a decision or a meeting; this is in our hands, we must do it; this is the same resistant economy whose policies were announced in Esfand; I also had a meeting with the prominent officials and managers of the country, and we discussed it in detail; they responded positively; that is, the officials of the three branches, who were also influential in formulating these policies and were present, welcomed it and said we will do this. I want to talk a little today with our dear people about the resistant economy, and I want the people to hear from me what I want to say.

A resistant economy means an economy that is resilient; it is not overturned by global provocations, by global shocks, by the policies of America and others; it is an economy based on the people. There are three questions regarding the resistant economy, which is essentially a resilient economy; I will raise these three questions. The first question is: what is a resistant economy and what is it not? What are its positive characteristics and its negative and exclusionary characteristics? The second question: is the resistant economy that we are proclaiming achievable, possible, or is it just a pipe dream? The third question: if achieving a resistant economy is possible, what are its requirements, what actions must be taken? Today I will answer these three questions; this pertains to the economy. Then I will also present remarks regarding the issue of culture, which I believe is a very important issue.

The first question: we said what a resistant economy is and what it is not. First of all, it is a scientific model suitable for the needs of our country — this is its positive aspect — but it is not limited to our country; that is, many countries today, considering the social shocks and economic upheavals that have occurred in the past twenty to thirty years, have thought of such a thing according to their own conditions. So the first point is that this movement we are undertaking is also a concern for other countries; it is not exclusive to us.

Secondly, we said this economy is endogenous. What does endogenous mean? It means it springs from the capacities of our own country and our own people; the growth of this sapling and this tree relies on the capabilities of our own country; this is what endogenous means. However, at the same time, it is not introverted; that is, this resistant economy does not mean that we confine our economy and limit it within the country; no, it is endogenous, but it is also extroverted; it interacts with global economies, it confronts the economies of other countries with strength. Therefore, it is endogenous, but it is not introverted. I mention these points because in these areas, there are now pens, tongues, and biased minds working to convey that [they want to] "yes, they want to limit the economy of the country and confine it within the country." They are making various analyses to separate the nation and the officials from this path — which is the path to happiness. I say this so that it is clear to our public opinion.

Thirdly, the economy that is proposed as a resistant economy is people-centered; it is not centered on the government and is not a state economy; it is a people’s economy; it is realized with the will of the people, the capital of the people, and the presence of the people. However, "it is not governmental" does not mean that the government has no responsibility in this regard; yes, the government has the responsibility of planning, creating the groundwork, creating capacities, guiding, and assisting. Economic activity and economic activity are in the hands of the people, it belongs to the people; however, the government — as a public official — supervises, guides, and assists. Where some want to exploit and engage in economic corruption, it prevents them; where some need help, it helps them. Therefore, preparing the conditions is the duty of the government; it facilitates.

Fourthly, we said this economy is knowledge-based, meaning it utilizes scientific advancements, relies on scientific advancements, and places the economy at the center of science; however, this does not mean that this economy is exclusive to scientists and only scientists can play a role in the resistant economy; no, experiences and skills — the experiences of industrialists, the experiences and skills of workers who have experience — can have an impact and can play a role in this economy. The claim that it is knowledge-based does not mean that experienced elements of industrialists or farmers who have done great work based on experience over the years should not play a role; no, they have a very important role.

Fifthly, this economy is justice-oriented; it does not merely rely on the indicators of capitalist economies — [such as] national growth, gross national product — it is not about saying that national growth has increased this much, or gross national product has increased this much; which you observe in global indicators and in capitalist economies. While the gross national product of a country may rise significantly, there are still people in that country who die of hunger! We do not accept this. Therefore, the indicator of justice — economic justice and social justice in society — is one of the important indicators in the resistant economy; however, this does not mean that the existing scientific indicators of the world should be ignored; no, attention is also paid to those indicators, but work is also done on the basis of "justice." Justice in this statement and in this program means producing wealth and increasing national wealth, not dividing poverty.

Sixthly, regarding the fact that we said the resistant economy is the best solution to the economic problems of the country, there is no doubt; however, this does not mean that it is only in regard to the current problems of the country — some of which are related to sanctions, some of which are related to the wrongness of certain programs — no, this is always the case. The resistant economy means strengthening and solidifying the foundations of the economy; such an economy will flourish and help the people whether in conditions of sanctions or in conditions without sanctions. This was the first question.

The second question was whether this economic program that you say is a resistant economy is a fanciful and illusory matter and you wish it to be realized; or is it practically possible? The answer is no, it is completely, practically, definitely possible; why? Because of the capacities; because this country has extraordinary capacities. Now I will mention a few of the capacities of the country. These are things that do not require strange statistics; they are in front of everyone, everyone sees them.

One of our important capacities is our human resources. Human resources in our country are one of the greatest capacities of our country; this is a great opportunity. We have mentioned that the youth population of the country — from fifteen to thirty years old — constitutes a huge volume of our nation; this itself is a capacity. We have ten million university graduates; ten million of our youth have graduated from universities over the years. Right now, we have more than four million students who will graduate in the coming years; dear young people should know that this four million I mention is 25 times the number of students at the end of the Pahlavi regime; the population of the country has doubled compared to that time, but the number of students has increased 25 times; today we have this number of students and graduates. In addition to these, we have millions of experienced and skilled forces. See, those who came to the aid of our armed forces during the war. During the imposed war, one of our problems was the breakdown of our equipment, the bombing of our various centers, the deprivation of our forces from necessary tools — such as transportation tools and such things. A group of skilled, experienced industrialists set out from Tehran and the provinces — I witnessed this myself at the beginning of the war; recently, thanks be to God, we had the opportunity to meet a group of them; they were young then, but now they have aged, yet they still have the same motivation and enthusiasm — they went into the battlefields, into the front lines, some of them became martyrs; they repaired, constructed, and built industrial structures; these amazing bridges that were useful to our armed forces during the war were created by these skilled and experienced forces; today they are still present, today in our country, there are plenty of them; they may not be educated, but their experience and skills can sometimes be much more beneficial than those of the educated; this is also one of our forces' capabilities; we have this in agriculture, we have this in industry.

Another important capacity of our country is natural resources. Last year, I mentioned here about oil and gas, stating that our total oil and gas reserves are top-notch in the world; that is, no country in the world has as much oil and gas as Iran. Our total oil and gas reserves are greater than all the countries of the world — east and west. This year, as I speak to you, discoveries regarding gas have been made that indicate that our gas resources and reserves have increased from what was reported last year; this is the status of our oil and gas. The highest reserves of energy resources — from which the whole world derives its light, warmth, and industry — come from oil and gas in our country. In addition to this, gold mines and rare metal mines are scattered throughout this country and exist. Iron ore, precious stones, various essential metals — which are considered the mother of industries — exist in the country; this is also a great capacity.

Another capacity is our geographical location; we share borders with fifteen neighboring countries that have interactions. Transit transportation is one of the great opportunities for countries; this is available for our country and leads to the open sea in the south and to limited waters in the north. In these neighboring countries, about 370 million people live, and this amount of connections and neighbors is a very great opportunity for the economic prosperity of a country. This is in addition to our own domestic market; a 75 million population is a significant market for any economy.

Another capacity that exists in the country is the software and hardware infrastructure; software like these policies of Article 44, the vision document, and the various works that have been done in recent years, as well as various infrastructures like roads, dams, bridges, factories, and such; these are very good grounds for the advancement of the country's economy, these are the capacities of a country.

Well, someone might say that if there were no sanctions, you could have made good use of these capacities, but [because] there are sanctions, you cannot utilize these capacities; this is a mistake; this statement is not correct. We have been able to achieve very prominent and high points in many other matters even in the face of sanctions; one example is the production of knowledge; one example is industry and technology; we have been sanctioned in these areas, and we are still under sanctions. Regarding advanced and modern sciences, even now, the doors of important scientific centers in the world are closed to Iranian scholars and students; however, at the same time, we have made progress in nanotechnology, in nuclear technology, in stem cells, in defense industries, in drone and missile industries, to the chagrin of the enemy, we have made progress; why can we not make progress in the economy?! We have achieved so much success in various fields; if we resolve our determination and work hand in hand, we can flourish the economy. Let us not look to the enemy's hand to see when they will lift these sanctions, when they will agree on a certain point; to hell with that! Let us look and see what we can do ourselves.

I will raise the third question and answer it. The third question was: for this great task, the resistant economy, to be realized, what are the requirements and what actions must be taken? In summary, I say: first, officials must support national production. National production is the foundation and the essential link for economic advancement. Officials must support national production. How? Where a law is needed, they must provide legal support; where judicial support is needed, it must be provided; where executive support is needed, they must encourage and take action; these actions must be taken. National production must flourish.

Secondly, capital owners and labor forces who are producers must also give importance to national production; what does this mean? It means that they must increase productivity. Productivity means making the maximum optimal use of the available resources; when a worker works, they must do the work with precision; "May God's mercy be upon the one who does the work they do with precision and thoroughness," this is the meaning of productivity; it is narrated from the Prophet: "God's mercy be upon the one who does the work they do firmly and thoroughly." Those who invest must strive to make the maximum use of that investment; that is, they must reduce production costs; some mismanagements and poor policies cause production costs to rise, and the productivity of capital and labor to decrease.

Thirdly, capital owners in the country should prefer productive activities over other activities. We have seen people who had capital — whether small or large — and could have invested it in ways that would yield significant income, but they did not; they turned to production; they said we want to strengthen the production of the country; this is a good deed, this is a charity, this is among the best actions; those who have capital — whether small or large — should place it more in the service of the country's production.

Next, people at all levels should promote national production. What does this mean? It means the same thing I insisted on two or three years ago here, and fortunately, some people acted on it, but everyone must act on it, and that is "consuming domestic products." My dear ones! When you buy a domestic product instead of a foreign product, you have created jobs and employment to that extent, and you have encouraged the Iranian worker to bring their creativity to the field; when domestic products are consumed, you have increased national wealth. In the past, during the Pahlavi era, preferring foreign consumption was a tradition; when they went to buy a product, they would ask whether it was domestic or foreign; if it was foreign, they were more inclined towards it; this must change and be reversed. We do not say that buying foreign products is forbidden, but we say that buying domestic products is a necessity for strengthening the economy and will impact everything in this country. This must be taken into account; this is the role of all people. Of course, here, like in many other places, the responsibility of the officials and managers of the country is greater than others; many of the excesses and wasteful behaviors among the people are due to looking at the behaviors of those they consider "the elders"; if extravagance is not present among the upper levels, extravagance will also decrease among the people. Therefore, preferring domestic production is one of the actions.

I will summarize this section. I say: the resistant economy, meaning strengthening the foundations of the economy, is one of our public duties today, and everyone can play a role in it, both the officials and the officials of the three branches, and all the people, and those who have work skills, and those who have capital, and the experts. Of course, what we have presented is a summary of what should be said; it is up to the experts to present the details of these matters.

The second part of my speech is about culture. I will say in one sentence: my dear ones! Culture is more important than the economy. Why? Because culture is like the air we breathe; you inevitably breathe air, whether you want to or not; if this air is clean, it has effects on your body; if this air is dirty, it has other effects. The culture of a country is like air; if it is correct, it has effects. Now we were talking about domestic production; if we want the consumption of domestic products to be realized in the true sense, the culture of [consuming] domestic products must be ingrained in the minds of the people; if we want people not to waste, this belief must be established in the people; this is culture. Culture means the beliefs of the people, the faith of the people, the habits of the people, those things that people deal with in their daily lives and inspire them in their movements and actions; this is culture; thus, it is very important. For example, in the social sphere, law-abidingness — that people respect the law — is a culture; social cooperation is a culture; forming families and marriage is a culture; the number of children is a culture; if in these matters the outlook of the people and the orientation of the people are correct, life in society will be shaped in a certain way; if, God forbid, the orientation is wrong, life will be shaped differently; God forbid, we will fall into the same calamity that today the countries that have destroyed the family foundation and unleashed desires have faced — "And they followed their desires, and they will find themselves in a state of loss" (1) — and they will face that fate. Therefore, the focus of the enemies on culture is more than anywhere else. Why? Because of the significant impact culture has. The goal and target of the enemies' movements in the field of culture is the faith of the people and the beliefs of the people. Cultural officials must be vigilant against cultural infiltration; cultural infiltrations are very dangerous; they must be sensitive, they must be alert. We do not want to say that all cultural damages are the work of foreigners; no, we ourselves are also to blame; various officials, cultural officials, non-cultural officials, shortcomings, wrongdoings, these have had an impact; we do not place all the blame on the enemy; however, we cannot forget the presence of the enemy in cultural matters. Today, from the very first days of the revolution, propaganda devices have put all their efforts into making the people lose faith in the foundations of this revolution. Is this cultural work? They have attacked the faith of the people, they have attacked the heartfelt beliefs of the people; this cannot be ignored.

A question may arise here, asking: well, you say the officials of the country should be sensitive, how sensitive should they be? Does this not contradict freedom — which is one of the slogans of the revolution and one of the foundations of the Islamic Republic? The answer is no, it does not contradict freedom at all; freedom is different from anarchy; freedom is different from the release of all regulations. Freedom — which is a great divine blessing — has its own regulations; without regulations, freedom has no meaning. If there are those in the country who are trying to undermine the faith of the youth, this cannot be watched as if it is freedom. Just as if someone wants to distribute heroin and other substances that poison the body and ruin families, one cannot remain indifferent. If we see people using art, expression, and various tools, using money, to mislead the people, to attack the faith of the people, to create infiltration in the Islamic and revolutionary culture of the people, we cannot sit back and watch and say this is freedom; this kind of freedom does not exist anywhere in the world! In no place in the world. The same countries that claim freedom are very strict about the red lines they have. You see in European countries, no one dares to speak about the Holocaust, which is uncertain whether this issue is real or not, or if it is real, in what form it was; expressing doubt about the Holocaust is considered one of the greatest sins, they prevent it, they arrest the person, they prosecute them; they claim freedom. What they consider a red line, they stand against it with all their might. How can they expect us to ignore the red lines of our beliefs and revolutionary values? If someone is targeting the spirit of national independence — there are people who mock independence when it is mentioned, saying that independence is backwardness, what is independence — and wants to theorize dependency, mock independence, and shake the hearts of the youth for independent living, we cannot remain indifferent to them; we must react against them. One insults the moral and religious necessities of society, mocks the Persian language, belittles Iranian characteristics; these exist; these are present today. There are those who try to strike at the spirit of national dignity of the Iranian youth; repeatedly, they attribute negative characteristics: learn from the Europeans, learn from the Westerners, we tolerate each other, but we do not tolerate each other! Is this the reality? In the streets of European countries and European capitals — now, not twenty years ago or fifty years ago — a person who has slightly observed hijab is attacked by young people, in front of the eyes of the people, they beat the veiled woman, injuring or killing her, no one dares to say why! Someone is set on fire in front of the eyes of the people because they are not from that country! This is tolerance towards the opposition? This is something that just happened; a few months ago, some young ruffians in one of the cities of one of the European countries beat an Iranian, then poured gasoline on him, set him on fire, and the neighbors stood by and looked on without reacting! Is this tolerance towards the opposition? Those who belittle the Iranian nation and Iranian identity; those who undermine Islamic principles in the minds; those who seriously attack the main slogans of the revolution; those who devalue the institution of family and portray marriage as meaningless — these are present in our society today; there are those who are doing these things — those who promote hedonism as a desirable and valuable thing — hedonism; "the essence of pleasure" is the cultural legacy of the West; whatever brings pleasure; well, one enjoys with addiction, another enjoys with sexual desires, another enjoys by beating this or that; whatever is a source of pleasure for someone, they consider it permissible — those who promote these ideas cannot be indifferent to them. The official agencies must feel their duty. In cultural destruction, what the destroyers of culture do is that instead of promoting national determination, they promote doubt among the people. A nation cannot reach anywhere without a firm national determination; they try to disrupt the firm determination of the nation regarding important matters related to the fate of the country, to create doubt in them; instead of feeling national dignity and self-confidence, they inject feelings of national inferiority; instead of firm faith, they promote doubt and disbelief; instead of work, effort, and high ambition, they promote hedonism and lust; these are the actions that are being carried out. The official cultural institutions of our country must fulfill their duties in the face of these issues. Of course, some duties are proactive, and some are defensive; both must be carried out; both proactive and defensive duties. Our propaganda agencies — whether those directly related to the government or those not directly related to the government — should not be afraid of the media frenzy of foreign media or media that have foreign languages in their mouths; they should not adjust their behavior according to them; this pertains to the official cultural institutions.

However, what is more important in my speech is addressed to the young people who have started cultural activities spontaneously across the country, which, thanks be to God, have become very widespread. I want to say to those young people who are working culturally in Tehran, in various cities, in different provinces, in Mashhad itself, and in many other cities, that they should pursue their work as seriously as they can and continue. They should know that this expansion of cultural work among committed and revolutionary youth has played a very significant role in the advancement of this country and in our steadfastness against the enemies of this nation. In addition to these, cultural references. What are cultural references? They are scholars, revolutionary intellectuals, committed artists; they should maintain their critical perspective towards the cultural situation of the country and provide reminders. Of course, regarding reminders, I believe they should present their correct viewpoints with strong logic and clear expression. I do not agree with slandering and creating uproar; I do not agree with excommunicating and accusing this or that. My belief is that the revolutionary community of the country — which, thanks be to God, has countless numbers among our youth, among our thinkers, our professors, our elders, our educated individuals — can enter the field with strong logic, criticize, and bring the weaknesses and negatives to the attention of us officials. Sometimes it happens that an official is unaware of what is happening in the heart of society, but that young person is in the heart of society, they understand; that national determination and jihadist management that we mentioned in the field of culture is this.

In conclusion, I want to convey one point to you, the Iranian nation: know that the realities of the global community do not proceed according to the desires and intentions of America. What global arrogance and the malicious enemies of the Iranian nation have wished for has not materialized in the broad global arena and, God willing, will not materialize. America has failed in Palestine. The plan they had for Palestine, which they tried very hard to implement, has not progressed and, God willing, will not progress. They want to turn Palestine into a Jewish country. That is, Palestinians — whether Muslims or Christians — should not have the opportunity to live in Palestine; they want to completely finish the Palestinian issue. They have pursued this work; they have tried very hard in recent years, but they have not succeeded. America has not succeeded in Palestine, has not succeeded in Syria, has not succeeded in Iraq, has not succeeded in Afghanistan and Pakistan; the objectives they had have not materialized, and recently in Europe, you can see and hear that America's plans have been thwarted. We must know that in our dear country, after thirty years of efforts against this revolution and against our revolutionary nation, they have still not been able to achieve results; the evidence of this is the presence of the people. Influential figures in the American government and system have explicitly stated this; they said we created and intensified the sanctions to turn the people against the system, to bring them to the streets; they explicitly said that the sanctions are meant to uproot the revolution and place the people against the Islamic system. What was the result? The result was that, as we mentioned, in the year 1392, an election was held with a high rate of public participation, and on the 22nd of Bahman in 1392, a march was held that was more enthusiastic, wider, and larger than the marches of previous years; and this is the same point that I repeatedly emphasize: our dear youth should know that the future belongs to you, your enemies are doomed to failure by divine grace, and we hope that the Almighty God guides all of you with His blessings to the paths of happiness and makes the sacred heart of the Awaited One pleased and satisfied with us.

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