Statements at the Ceremony of the Confirmation of the Thirteenth Term of the Presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran

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.

We humbly beseech the Almighty God to make this beginning blessed for the people and the country; especially as we are in days belonging to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them); a few days ago was the Eid al-Ghadir, tomorrow is the day of Mubahala, the day of the revelation of the verse of Wilayah - "Indeed, your guardian is Allah and His Messenger" - and the day of the revelation of the verse of purification; these days belong to the Imams (peace be upon them) and, God willing, by the blessing of their companionship, their prayers, and their intercession, this day will be blessed for the Iranian nation.

First, we must thank the Almighty God for granting this opportunity to the Iranian nation, allowing them to once again successfully carry out this deeply meaningful election, which is a sign of religious democracy; and we thank the people, and we express our appreciation to the twelfth government - the esteemed President of the twelfth government and their colleagues - and we ask the Almighty God for success, assistance, and special grace for Mr. Raisi and his government and their colleagues.

This confirmation ceremony, which is based on the Constitution and the tradition established by Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) in the country, has been repeated many times over these decades and is a manifestation of the transfer of the very important responsibility of the executive branch, which is essentially the management of the country, in a rational, calm, and dignified manner, which is a very important issue. Usually, in many countries, this transfer occurs amidst conflict and similar issues; here, thanks be to God, throughout various periods, this transfer has taken place peacefully and securely; by God's grace, this period is the same, both as a sign of rationality and the calm and tranquility prevailing among the country, the officials, and the people, and also as a sign of political diversity - the governments that have come in succession and have exchanged power have had various political inclinations; thus, it indicates diversity - and naturally, this diversity is a sign of the freedom and integrity of elections; these are very important matters. One must see these themes in these events.

Thanks be to God, the elections were held in complete integrity and security. I express my gratitude; both to the organizers of the elections in various sectors, and to those who ensured the security of the elections, which was a very important task, and especially to the presence of the people. For some time now, in the policy-making circles of the enemies of the country and the enemies of the Islamic Republic, a conspiracy to boycott the elections had been devised, which some, out of negligence, and some perhaps out of malice, were pursuing; the people gave a decisive response and participated. The people's participation was good; considering the circumstances that existed, the people's participation was commendable and indicative of their presence in the arena. We thank God and express our gratitude to the people.

One point is that this transfer of power is hopeful; because new individuals enter the arena who have new initiatives, new faces, and fresh wills.

This creates hope for all those who have the motivation to serve, especially for the youth; this is a very valuable thing, a very important matter; it gives those who are knowledgeable and thoughtful in various issues the opportunity to reflect on the past, to search for past mistakes, to identify them, correct them, and provide reminders.

Fortunately, in the statements of the esteemed President, Mr. Raisi, during the election campaigns and so forth, emphasis was repeatedly placed on the fundamental values of the revolution - he emphasized the value of justice, the fight against corruption, and similar issues - this is the right path; our strong recommendation is to continue on this path, which he has also emphasized in his statements. The path that brings the country and the nation to its fundamental rights places the country in its essential position is precisely the adherence to the fundamental values of the revolution. These values are not unknown or imaginary; if you observe the statements of the Imam, you will see that they are completely clear and part of the evident teachings of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); these should be the criteria to follow. The very pursuit of these goals will encourage the people to strive and engage in the issues.

And the main issue, the key issue, is this: the presence of the people in all matters is the solution to the problems. What secures the presence of the people, encourages them to participate in the arena and in various fields of the country's challenges, is valuable. The presence of the people has no other substitute; the main art of the revolution was this; the main art of the revolution was that it transformed the public from a fragmented and passive mass, lacking a national and public perspective, into a motivated, interested, determined, goal-oriented, and ideal-seeking collective, and brought them into the arena; this was the great work of the revolution.

We lived before the revolution, we breathed; it was truly like this. The nation was a disjointed collection where everyone was thinking of themselves; there was no national issue raised in the country; there was no public matter raised in the country. In various corners, there might have been individuals who spoke, but their words did not receive the attention and consideration of the general public. The esteemed Imam, with his divine and spiritual movement, was able to transform this scattered and fragmented mass into a united collective, in the true sense of the word, and bring them into the arena, and this historic monumental task of uprooting the tyrannical monarchy was accomplished in the country. Anything that can turn the nation into a united, enthusiastic, motivated, and engaged collective and assist in this matter is valuable and important. In our view, moving based on the values of the revolution has this characteristic.

One recommendation to the esteemed President is that in his slogans, the issue of being people-oriented and listening to the people and being among the people has been repeated; they should not lose this; this is very important. They should realize the slogan of a "people's government" in reality and truly be with the people, alongside the people, among the people. The people mean all the people; without class and group distinctions. Of course, being among the people - which he has a history of doing - should not make individuals neglect their connection with the elites. Engaging with the elites is also a very necessary and beneficial movement; exchanging views with the elites and utilizing their opinions.

The government must be a manifestation of unity. Some of the imaginary divergences that exist among the people should be weakened with a unifying and compassionate perspective towards the general public. Now, it may be that these perspectives, these differences of opinion do not completely disappear, but the impact of them on the movement of society must be prevented.

Honest dialogue with the people is also one of the things that helps with being people-oriented; speaking with the people sincerely, regardless of political embellishments and such; they should speak sincerely with the people, tell them the problems, present the solutions to the people, express their expectations from the people, and provide the necessary assistance to the people. Speaking with the people is one of the important tasks that a people's government must commit to.

Another recommendation is to look at the capacities. These days, you see in statements, articles, writings, and speeches that there is constant talk of shortages and problems; yes, there are many shortages, and there are many problems, but the capacities are greater than the problems; there are numerous capacities in the country. We have extraordinary capacities in the areas of water, oil, minerals, the vast domestic market, the issue of neighbors, and the astonishing talents and readiness of the youth; these are our capacities. Undoubtedly, these capacities can overcome the current problems, provided that they are correctly identified, utilized, and addressed, which requires tireless and relentless effort; and certainly, utilizing these capacities will overcome the current shortages.

Another aspect of being people-oriented is the fight against corruption. If we truly want to be alongside the people, we must relentlessly fight against corruption and corrupt individuals, which he initiated in his previous responsibility, and good actions were taken; however, the essence of the matter is that the foundations of corruption, the grounds for corruption are formed in the executive branch; this is where we must fight against corruption. These tax evasion, unreasonable monopolies, misuse of preferential currency, unhealthy speculative activities, smuggling, and similar issues; these are the corruptions that must be faced in the truest sense of the word; with a plan, with follow-up. Our experience over these years shows that sometimes we start a task with enthusiasm and motivation, but in the second step, that motivation from the first step is no longer present; this is of no benefit. The motivation and effort that one expends for a task must continue until it reaches a conclusion. The fight against corruption must be pursued in this manner.

One more important point, which is also our recommendation, is that in the important issue of the country's economy, which is the fundamental issue today, we must proceed with a plan; every action you take must be part of a plan that you have previously formulated and prepared; daily tasks and unforeseen actions cannot solve a problem. Yes, sometimes it happens, and sometimes in certain circumstances, governments are compelled to undertake an unforeseen action in economic or non-economic areas - that is another discussion - but generally, every economic movement, every economic action, every economic measure must be based on the overall plan that has been formulated and should actually fulfill a part of that plan. Of course, solving economic problems takes time; our dear people know this and should understand that these problems cannot be solved overnight or in a short period; no, it takes time; we must strive and shorten this time as much as possible. God willing, with the help of the Almighty God and divine guidance and the answered prayers of the Supreme Guardian (may our souls be sacrificed for him), these tasks will progress.

Of course, regarding foreign policy, cultural issues, and other matters, there are reminders in mind, but it is good that this session does not continue longer; God willing, in future sessions, if we are alive, we will share them with him.

One necessary recommendation here is that in forming the government, God willing, speed must be exercised; that is, the conditions of the country do not allow for delays in forming the government. Both the esteemed President in introducing his proposed ministers to the parliament and the esteemed parliament in approving and expressing clear opinions about the ministers should, God willing, act swiftly and advance the work quickly so that the government can be formed sooner and get to work.

The last point is the issue of the enemy's propaganda war. Today, the greatest activity of our enemies against us, more than security and economic movements, is the propaganda activities and soft war and media propaganda; they spend huge amounts to dominate the public opinion of the people, they carry out many actions; they employ many thoughts in intellectual circles for this purpose to be able to seize and control the public opinions of countries - including, more than anything, our country today, which is the target of the ill intentions of great powers. When the public opinion of a nation is under the control of a foreign entity, the movement of that nation will naturally proceed according to the desires of that foreign entity. Propaganda work is important; we have weaknesses in this area. Now, let’s set aside those oblivious individuals who also use domestic media to benefit the enemy - that is not the focus of our discussion - but regarding those who have good intentions in this area, we have shortcomings. In the area of propaganda work and proper propaganda movement and media arrangements, we must act more strongly and intelligently.

We hope, God willing, that the Almighty God grants success to the esteemed officials, the esteemed government, Mr. President, and their colleagues to carry out the necessary work for the benefit of the country and the nation, and may the Almighty God assist, guide, and may all, the experts, thinkers, and social influencers help so that, God willing, the work progresses well.

And may God's blessings be upon the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and God's mercy upon Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and upon our dear martyrs who opened this path for us, and we have been granted the opportunity to move along this path.

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