O the Transformer of hearts and eyes!
O the Planner of night and day!
O the Transmuter of power and circumstances!
Change our condition into the best of conditions.
O Allah! Send blessings on Ali-ibn-Mousa ar-Reza al-Mortaza, the virtuous and immaculate Imam.
I extend my felicitations on the occasion of the New Year and Norouz Festival to all our dear compatriots, and also to all the Iranians throughout the world who live in various parts of the globe, and also to all those nations that celebrate Norouz Festival.
In particular, I offer my congratulations to the esteemed families of our honorable martyrs and to war-disabled veterans and their families and to all the devotees and those who are striving wholeheartedly for the prosperity and progress of the Iranian nation.
Norouz Festival marks the beginning of the freshness of nature and rejuvenation of the world and revitalization of the atmosphere surrounding the everyday lives of human beings. And it will be so good if along with the freshness of the world, the souls and hearts of human beings are also vitalized and invigorated.
The vitality of souls and hearts is attained through the remembrance of Allah, through seeking assistance from the Almighty and by planting the sapling of benevolence and goodwill for all our brothers and sisters and for the entire humanity.
Norouz Festival includes many beauties, in addition to the fact that the Iranian people, wherever they are, remember the Almighty and ask Allah for a basic change in their lives at the turn of the year.
One of the most beautiful customs associated with Norouz Festival is the custom of visiting relatives and friends, which helps to strengthen cordial relations and emotional bonds among members of the society. Now if we compare this with the national festivals of some other nations which are accompanied by immoral actions, and which do not involve cordial relations or emotional bonds, we will come to realize that the national festival marking the commencement of the New Year of the Iranian nation is not only contemporaneous with the spring of nature - which is in itself a merit - but that it is also characterized by some noble and philanthropic qualities.
Expressing one's heartfelt happiness by smiling and congratulating and welcoming one another, strengthening one's social ties and adorning one's place of living are among the very good and pleasant traditions which the Iranian people have observed since ancient times. These traditions have all been endorsed by the sacred religion of Islam and by the Islamic canon.
I will take a glimpse at the year 1385, which has expired, and I will also make a few remarks about the year 1386, which has just begun.
The year 1385 was blessed with the hallowed name of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household), and efforts were made all throughout the year to increase public awareness of his noble personality and lifestyle and prominent qualities and his teachings and guidelines. However, there is still great scope ahead for this purpose, and all our years are indeed the years of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household).
The year 1385, like all other years and like the life of mankind, witnessed both pleasant events and bitter incidents. Happiness and sadness are both part of life. But on the whole, I can tell our honorable nation with certainty that in the past year the achievements of our nation outnumbered their setbacks and misfortunes, that our progress was greater than our stagnation, and that our pleasant events were superior to our bitter incidents.
On the domestic front, earnest efforts were made to promote the country's progress, and appropriate decisions were taken by government officials, and there existed remarkable public dynamism in all areas. God willing, in my speech [at the sacred shrine of His Holiness Imam Ali-ibn-Mousa ar-Reza (greetings be upon him) in Mashhad], I will talk to our dear nation about this in more detail.
On the international front and on the scene of global politics also the Islamic Republic of Iran attained remarkable achievements. The Islamic Republic system brought honor to our nation and to our country in the world. Our national dignity and the benevolent attitude of our people toward other nations and toward Muslim communities in the world were displayed by every event. Our national resolution in the scientific areas and in the economic sphere was revealed to others to a considerable extent. We made great progress with respect to both domestic and international issues, for which praise is due to Almighty Allah.
In the year 1386 the continuation of our national campaign should be in conformity with the requirements of our nation. It is a reality that because of the domination exercised by the tyrannical and corrupt powers and by the dependent or inefficient governments, the Iranian nation suffered backwardness in various areas for many decades - probably for nearly 200 years. Today, considering that the Iranian people, thanks to Islam and the Islamic Republic system, have attained a high level of self-awareness and self-confidence, we should make every effort to narrow this gap at a fast pace.
We are still a long distance from the status which the honorable and glorious Iran deserves to attain. This distance cannot be covered unless through firm intention and perseverance and infinite hope and all-out efforts on the part of the Iranian nation.
Our nation is pursuing a clear objective. Our great national objective is the accomplishment of national independence, national dignity and the public welfare and prosperity of the Iranian people. This goal can be accomplished by relying on Islam and adhering to Islamic faith. We have realized this from past experience.
The Iranian people have great capacity for treading difficult paths to their desired future. If our national capacity is fully utilized, the Iranian people will undoubtedly be able to attain all their ambitions and aspirations.
Islam has infused our nation with dynamism and vitality, and the awareness and hopefulness and self-confidence of the Iranian people have constantly increased. With the passage of any year and the coming of any new year, we should also invigorate our will and determination and enter new arenas.
It is quite clear that a lively nation faces challenges. Challenges are essential to liveliness. Any living being has to meet the costs of its liveliness in order to be able to accomplish its objectives.
Liveliness is accompanied by challenges and by obstacles. The obstacles should be overcome. Probably it is also accompanied by enmities. Wisdom and determination are needed in dealing with enmities.
The firmness of purpose should form the basis of this campaign. The Iranian people are in need of strong national resolve, and so far they have displayed their firmness of purpose. But they should try to further strengthen their determination as time passes by.
When we take a look at global events and world issues, we come to realize that the enemies of the Iranian nation are seeking to achieve their hostile intentions against our nation in two ways, as evidenced by the existing realities in the world: first, through the creation of discord and division within the ranks of our nation and by destroying the solidarity of the Iranian people and depriving them of their great power of unity and making them busy with trivial disputes; second, through the creation of economic problems and by making attempts to prevent the Iranian people from making progress in various fields of construction and from promoting their public welfare.
These two stratagems are clearly noticed in the short-term and middle-range plans of our enemies, and even if they had not talked about these stratagems, they could have been detected easily. But our enemies have themselves acknowledged resorting to these stratagems.
Furthermore, in the year 1386 the national forces adhering to the lofty ideals of the Iranian nation and the officials of the Islamic Republic and the enthusiastic youth should all join hands and make every effort in the economic sphere. There is great room for economic activities in our country.
In particular, after the macro policies on Article 44 of the Iranian Constitution were imparted and the necessary guidelines were offered to relevant government officials, who in turn expressed their firm intention to do their utmost in this regard, the general public was provided with a favorable opportunity to engage in economic activities.
Government officials should inform the general public of the existing and available facilities. Our country has considerable economic potential, and it is possible to build a prosperous society enjoying a high standard of living by making earnest efforts.
The next issue is the issue of national unity. The enemies, through negative propaganda and psychological war and various mischievous attempts, are trying to foment discord and division within the ranks of the Iranian nation. They are seeking to undermine the national unity of the Iranian people on ethnic and religious and factional pretexts.
The enemies are also making all-out attempts in the Islamic world with the intention of creating rifts between the Iranian nation and other Muslim communities. They are trying to exaggerate religious disputes and give rise to confrontations between the Shia and the Sunni wherever in the world they can and destroy in the eyes of other nations the grandeur and dignity of the Iranian nation - which by the favor of Allah has increased day by day.
Our nation should remain vigilant. Besides, greater efforts should be made to promote the present construction drive and, more importantly, to preserve national harmony and solidarity and the unity of the Islamic Ummah. This unity should be preserved wisely and vigilantly and in a sagacious and prudent manner, and it should be further consolidated as time goes by.
For this reason, I attach significance to the unanimity of our nation, and in my view this year is the year of "national unity and Islamic solidarity", which means unity and harmony among all members of our nation, including various ethnic and religious groups and different national factions, and at international level solidarity among all Muslims and brotherly relations and unanimity among all members of the Islamic Ummah, including followers of different Islamic schools of thought.
Today, the grandeur of Islam rests on the independence and the firm resolve of Muslim nations. By the favor of Allah, the Muslim nation of Iran has so far been the standard-bearer on this path and will remain the standard-bearer in the future as well.
I pray to Almighty Allah to bestow His mercy and remission on the heavenly soul of our magnanimous Imam, who opened this path in front of us, and raise his status in the hereafter. I also hope that the Iranian nation will be assisted by the Almighty and will be successful in treading this path.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings