Khamenei.ir

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on March 21, 2015 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with a large gathering of pilgrims at Imam Ridha's (a.s.) holy shrine in the city of Mashhad. The meeting was held on the first day of the year 1394.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem al-Mustafa Muhammad and upon his immaculate, pure, chosen, infallible and honorable household and upon those who guide the guided, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth. Allah, send Your greetings to Fatima, the daughter of Your Prophet, the wife of Your representative and the mother of two sons - Hassan and Hussein who are the masters of the youth of paradise. She is pure, infallible, modest, pious, immaculate and flawless. She is the mistress of all women in paradise.

Allah, bestow as many blessings upon Your representative - Ali ibn Musa - as Your knowledge encompasses. Bestow Your blessing upon him, one that is as permanent as Your greatness and Your magnificence. Allah, send as many greetings to Your representative - Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha - as Your knowledge encompasses. Send Your greeting to him, one that is as permanent as Your glory, Your greatness and Your magnificence.

I thank Allah the Exalted for giving me the opportunity once more and one more year to meet with you dear brothers and sisters, pilgrims and citizens of Razavi Mashhad at the holy shrine of Hazrat Ab-al-Hassan ar-Ridha (peace and greetings be upon him).

Clever Muslim Iranians changed the ancient Norouz according to their own beliefs and interests. They preserved the Norouz form and changed its content. The ancient Norouz was the Norouz of kings. It was merely an opportunity for dictatorial kings and rulers. They used it as an opportunity to show off their superficial glory and magnificence to other nations and to receive gifts from them. Even during the time of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates - when Norouz entered into their reign - the same kingly behavior was witnessed. But Muslim Iranians changed this order and mold to their own advantage.

Although this change was not made at once, after the passage of many centuries, you can see that Norouz has become an opportunity and a tool for a heartfelt relationship between the people and the Origin of Glory and Dignity - that is to say, Allah the Exalted. In the Iranian form of Norouz, the essence of Norouz is the people. They behave in a kind and affectionate way towards one another on the occasion of Norouz. They congratulate one another and exchange gifts. So, today after the passage of many years and centuries, that ancient and kingly tradition and ceremony does not exist anymore.

During Norouz and the arrival of the new year, the most crowded and populated places in our vast country are the holy shrines of the Imams (a.s.) and their children (God's greetings be upon them). In the middle of last night, hundreds of thousands of believers showed their presence at this holy shrine. They paid attention to the Center of Magnificence and Power, they spoke to their God and asked the Changer of Conditions to change their conditions to the best of conditions and they performed a religious ceremony. Therefore, the kind of Norouz that we enjoy today is not like the ancient form. It is an Iranian Norouz. It belongs to a Muslim people who have managed to find a valuable resource out of this ancient ceremony and to move towards their goals.

I hope that Allah the Exalted will help the dear people of Iran to employ these clever Islamic innovations in all other areas and matters. This year, Norouz has coincided with the martyrdom anniversary of the great mistress of the world of Islam - Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.). Without a doubt, the Norouz ceremony should not be incompatible with respect towards the name and memory of that great personality- and this will definitely be the case. Today, I have certain points in mind to discuss with you dear brothers and sisters - who are present in this glorious gathering - and with all the people of Iran.

I would like to begin the discussion with a Quranic lesson. Allah the Exalted has laid down a condition for those whom He has promised to help: "And most surely Allah is well able to assist them... They are those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin to do good and forbid evil. With Allah rests the end of all affairs" [The Holy Quran, 22: 39-41].

In this holy ayah, Allah the Exalted has laid down four conditions and criteria for those believers whom He offers power and whom He saves from cruel rulers. He has said, "And most surely Allah is well able to assist them". Allah the Exalted is able to help such people and He will definitely do so. These four conditions are establishing daily prayers, paying zakat, enjoining to do good and forbidding evil.

Each of these four characteristics and conditions has an individual and personal as well as a social aspect to them. So many secrets and mysteries are hidden in the truth of daily prayers. It is the miraj of all believers. "The sacrificial offering of the pious" [speaking in Arabic]. It is a tool for achieving happiness and salvation and it is more important than all other religious acts. But daily prayers has a social aspect as well. The social aspect of daily prayers is that it helps each and every Muslim to be in touch with a single and unified center. During daily prayers, all Muslims in all areas of the world of Islam connect their hearts with a unified center. This connection is a social issue, one that can build systems and shape the geometry of the Islamic government.

Zakat too has an individual - it teaches us to give away what we love and this is an important experience and test in its own right - and a social aspect. According to its Quranic use, zakat means all kinds of alms including the common use of the term in the holy ayah, "Take alms out of their property" [The Holy Quran, 9: 103]. Zakat means all kinds of monetary alms. But it has a social aspect as well. The social aspect of zakat is that those individuals who enjoy material welfare in the Islamic environment and government, consider themselves to be responsible. They consider themselves to be debtors, not creditors. They believe that they are in debt to the Islamic government, to the poor and the weak, and to God. According to this outlook, zakat is a condition and criterion with the capability to build systems.

And enjoining to do good and forbidding evil is, in fact, an infrastructure for all social movements of Islam: "It establishes all obligations" [al-Kafi, Volume 5, page 56]. Enjoining to do good means that all believers - wherever they live in the world - have a responsibility to draw society towards good and good deeds. Forbidding evil means that they should make everyone move away from all kinds of evil and malevolence. Each of these four criteria is in some way the manifestation of the Islamic government's geometry and structure.

I should add in parentheses that this important meaning of enjoining to do good and forbidding evil should not be confined to matters of secondary importance. Some people think that enjoining to do good and forbidding evil is confined to offering advice to a man or woman who does not observe a minor religious rule. Of course, enjoining to do good and forbidding evil includes such cases, but they are not the most important ones. The most important example of enjoining to do good and forbidding evil is enjoining to do the greatest goods and forbidding the greatest evils.

We have no good which is more important than creating and preserving the Islamic government. Anyone who makes effort on this path is enjoining to do good. Preserving the dignity and honor of the people of Iran is the greatest good. These are kinds of good: improving the culture, ensuring the moral health of society and family, increasing the population, educating a young and prepared generation for developing the country, improving the economy and national production, promoting Islamic ethics at a public level, developing science and technology, administering judicial and economic justice and making efforts for the power of the people of Iran and more important than that, the power and unity of the Islamic Ummah. These are the most important kinds of good and everyone is responsible on this path.

And the various forms of evil stand at the opposite end of these things. Moral decadence is an evil. Helping the enemies of Islam is an evil. Weakening Islamic government and Islamic culture is an evil. The same is true of weakening science, technology and the economy of society. These evils should be forbidden. God is the first who enjoins to do good. He says, "Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency, evil and rebellion. He admonishes you that you may be mindful" [The Holy Quran, 16: 90]. God enjoins to do good and forbids evils and it is clear what goods and evils are.

The Holy Prophet of Islam (God's greetings be upon him and his household) was the best at enjoining to do good and forbidding evil. There is a holy ayah which says, "He commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil" [The Holy Quran, 7: 157].

The Imams (a.s.) were also the greatest people in this regard. We read in the ziyarat: "I testify that you established daily prayers, paid zakat, enjoined to do good and forbade evil" [al-Kafi, Volume 5, page 570]. Male and female believers in all areas of the world of Islam enjoin to do good and forbid evil: "The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another. They enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil. They observe regular prayers and practice regular charity" [The Holy Quran, 9: 71]. These are four main bases for building a system, each of which has certain branches. The Islamic government is dependent on establishing daily prayers, paying zakat, enjoining to do good and forbidding evil. This means a social and heartfelt solidarity between the masses of the people in the Islamic government.

I want to draw a conclusion from these introductory statements. This conclusion is related to the slogan of the year that I discussed with our dear people in last night's speech - it was delivered around midnight. In our society and in our dear and vast country, Islam wants all of us - no matter what social positions and viewpoints we have - to achieve solidarity and synergy and to help one another. As a single unit, everyone should help and join hands with the current administration, particularly when the country is faced with important challenges and matters. Later on, I will raise a few points in this regard.

Today, the responsibility of all the people is to support the officials of the country - particularly executive officials. This is not particular to the current administration. All administrations should receive the people's support. The same is true of the administrations which will hold office in the future. Primarily, this is because the main concern of all administrations is to solve the people's problems. Of course, it is possible that different administrations have different capabilities and that not all of them have the same performance. Secondly, they have different viewpoints, but the goal of all of them is to solve the problems of the people within the scope of their capabilities.

Any administration which is elected on the basis of the Constitution is a legal and legitimate administration. It does not matter how many votes this or that president receives from voters. The number of votes is related to the issue of popularity, but it is not related to legitimacy and legality. Anyone who is elected with the votes of the majority of the people - no matter how many votes they win and on the basis of the Constitution- is a legitimate president. Their administration is legitimate as well and the people should help them as much as they can. Of course, this relationship is mutual.

Of course, any administration has certain critics. The same is true of the current administration and all former administrations. So far, so good. There are some people who do not agree with some of the methods, statements and policies of the current administration. These are critics and they make certain criticisms. There is nothing wrong with this, but criticism should be made within a reasonable framework.

I myself have made certain criticisms against different administrations and I have always expressed them. I never avoided expressing my criticisms whenever I felt that there is something wrong. However, we expressed them at the right time and in an appropriate way. We either sent messages to executive officials or we pointed out their mistakes to them in their presence. There is nothing wrong with making criticisms, but these criticisms should be made in a way that the people do not lose their trust in the current officials. Criticism should not lead to public distrust of officials. It should be made without insulting and showing anger. Everyone should look at the relationship between the people and the administration in a brotherly and Islamic way. Everyone should behave towards the administration by using this method.

Of course, this is a mutual relationship. I advise the people to behave in a kind, helpful and supportive way towards the administration. Similarly, I advise the officials in the three branches of government to behave in an appropriate ways towards their critics and those who level certain criticisms at them. They should not humiliate and insult them. The humiliation of opponents on the part of officials is against wisdom and acumen. I do not invite our dear people to show indifference and to avoid supervision. On the contrary, I advise them to pay attention to the fundamental matters of the country. However, I stress that no one should show destructive behavior. The people should not behave in a destructive way towards officials and officials should not show this behavior to their critics either. There should be no humiliation and insult.

Some people may have concerns on a certain matter. Being concerned and anxious is not a crime. The people can really have concerns about an important and sensitive matter of the country. There is nothing wrong with this, but it should not mean making accusations and ignoring efforts and services. On the other hand, the administration and its supporters should not insult those who express their concerns and anxieties.

I want to say openly to our dear people - I have said it before - that I have supported all administrations since I accepted this responsibility. I support this administration as well and I will criticize it whenever it is necessary. However, I will not sign a blank check for any administration. I look at their performance and I judge them according to that. By Allah's favor and grace, I will behave towards them according to their performance. This was the first point which was an explanation of the slogan of the year - "Harmony and Unanimity Between the Administration and the People". They should enjoy harmony and unanimity, they should cooperate with one another and they should move towards solving problems together.

As I said, this cooperation becomes significant when there are great opportunities and challenges. The present time is one of these times. Today, there are both great opportunities and great challenges ahead of us. By Allah's favor, we should face and overcome challenges with the help of opportunities. Well, today, we have great opportunities. One of the greatest opportunities is related to competent and innovative human resources. Thankfully, there are competent, mostly young, innovative and confident forces in our country.

One of our greatest opportunities is the support that our people and our youth show to the Islamic government, its goals and the goals of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). I want to draw the attention of you dear brothers and sisters to the fact that the participants in the Quds Day or the 22nd of Bahman rallies are mostly youth. These youth are the same youth who are being bombarded day and night by audio-visual media and the internet. There is great commotion in the virtual world. In the world of audio-visual media, there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of networks which are bombarding the minds of our youth.

Some of them try to make youth turn their backs on religion. Some try to discourage them from the Islamic government. Some try to encourage them to create discord. Some try to use them at the service of their own vicious goals and some try to drag them towards decadence and idleness. This bombardment is constantly targeting our youth and it is conducted by audio-visual media and the internet. Despite these attempts, you can witness that tens of millions of our youth participate in the 22nd of Bahman rallies to chant slogans and to show their feelings and respect towards Imam (r.a.), Islam and the Islamic Republic. This is not a minor thing. Rather, it is a great opportunity.

Another opportunity is the scientific achievements that have been made during the time of sanctions. Sometimes powers, governments, different sources of wealth and international resources come to a people's help and sometimes, they shut all doors to them. Nevertheless these people accomplish great feats in different areas. Today, you can witness such feats whose importance should not be played down. Phase 12 of South Pars - which was inaugurated by the President a few days ago - is a very great and complex industrial project which can stimulate the economic growth of the country and develop the products of the public effort of the country in a tangible way. We have many such achievements.

As you witnessed, during the military exercise of our Armed Forces, certain equipment was introduced which astonished the enemies. And they expressed their astonishment. We do not guess that they are astonished. They themselves acknowledged that they were astonished. Well, all these feats were accomplished while we were under sanctions. This is not a minor achievement. Rather, it is a great opportunity. Our innovative youth made these achievements during years when we were under consecutive sanctions - that is to say, during the years 1389, 1390, 1391, 1392 when these so-called crippling sanctions cast their shadow over our country. This is a very great opportunity for the country.

Therefore, sanctions are an opportunity as well. Later on, I will briefly explain that sanctions are an opportunity for the people of Iran in one sense. Although they have caused some difficulties, they can be an opportunity. Later on, I will expand on this matter. We have certain challenges as well. Later on, I will refer to them as well.

Today, one of the greatest and most important challenges of the country is the issue of the national economy. The most important challenge is the economy. The legitimate expectation of our people is to enjoy a thriving economy and to benefit from public welfare. They expect to see the liberation of underprivileged classes from unacceptable economic conditions and from problems. These are the expectations of our people and they are legitimate. The economy of the country needs a serious move and a great feat - I will refer to the characteristics of this economy. It is several years now that I have been speaking about the economy. A few years ago in the same meeting, I predicted that the enemies would focus on our economy. Officials should think about this. They should prepare themselves and tighten their belts for confronting the hostile policies of the enemies who have focused their efforts on the economy in the present time. Later on, I will raise certain points about the economy.

Today, we are halfway through the decade of justice and progress. We specified the decade as the decade of justice and progress. We are halfway through it. The 20-year strategic plan has reached its half-way point. Ten years of the 20-year strategic plan have passed and the other 10 years lie ahead of us. These are important matters. If we pay attention to these realities, the sensitivity of economic issues increases.

Our enemies openly say that their purpose of exerting economic pressures is political. Their purpose is to pit the people of Iran against the Islamic Republic [the audience shouts "Death to America!"]. You are right: "Death to America". This is because America is the main element in exerting these pressures. They themselves insist on focusing their efforts on the economy of our dear people. What is their purpose of doing so? Their purpose is to pit the people against the system. They explicitly say that they want to exert economic pressures on the people of Iran so that they are forced to make complaints against the administration and the Islamic Republic because of experiencing difficult conditions. They say this openly.

Of course, they falsely claim that they support the people of Iran. These lies cannot be believed. We should not believe the lies that the enemy says. Their goal is a political one. They want to destroy - through our people - the security that exists in our country in the present time. This security is unique in West Asia - where we are located. Thankfully, no country to the east, west, north and south of Iran enjoys the security that dominates our country and our people. But they want to make the people themselves destroy it. They want to encourage them to make complaints against the Islamic Republic.

They are provoking our people. They are planning and working on it. This is what they are pursuing in a serious way. Well, these are important circumstances. This is a great challenge. When such a challenge exists in the country, all forces should join hands, work together and adopt a serious outlook towards the issue of the economy.

I would like to raise a few points about the issue of the economy. The first point is that today, the arena of the economy is the arena of battle and war - of a particular kind - because of the hostile polices of America. In this arena of battle, anyone who can make efforts to the advantage of the country has made jihad. Today, anyone who can help the economy of the country has made a jihadi move. This is a jihad, of course one that has its own tools and methods. Everyone should make this jihad with their own methods and weapons. This is the first point.

The second point is that there are two fundamental outlooks towards the economy of our country. I seriously request that experts, youth and the masses of our dear people pay attention that there are two outlooks towards economic development and progress. One outlook says that we should make economic progress with the help of domestic capacities and domestic forces. There are many capacities in the country which are either untapped or not used in the proper way. We should utilize these capacities. This means developing the economy from the inside. This is an economy which obtains its resources and ingredients from inside the country, from the capacities of the country and from the capabilities of the people. This is one outlook which says that in order to achieve economic progress, we should look at and utilize domestic resources, talents and capacities. This is how the economy will grow. This is one outlook.

The second outlook towards the economy of the country relies on foreigners for economic progress. It says that we should change our foreign policy so that the economy will progress. It says that we should get along with such and such an arrogant government and that we should tolerate the imposition of arrogant powers in different areas and on different matters so that the economy will develop. This is the second outlook. Today, the conditions of the country have shown us that the second outlook is completely wrong, infertile and useless.

The sanctions that are imposed on the people of Iran in the present time are a firm and clear proof that the second outlook is wrong. When you pin your hopes on foreign powers so that they come and develop your economy and when you develop it by giving in to them, they will not be satisfied easily. When you rely on the outside, you will be faced with the issue of reduction in the price of oil. All of a sudden, arrogant powers and their regional cohorts come to the conclusion that they should halve the price of oil or reduce it even more. You will be faced with such a problem. When we pin our hopes on the outside, this is what will happen. But when you look at the inside, this will not be the case. Today, foreigners and the heads of arrogant powers want to strengthen the second outlook in our people.

I saw the message that the American president addressed to the people of Iran on the occasion of Norouz. In this message, he says that we should accept what they say. In fact, the essence of what he says is that we should accept what they dictate to us so that there will be job opportunities in our country, so that capital will flow in Iran and so that economic activities will flourish. This is the same as the second outlook. This outlook is one that will never produce results.

We should look at the inside because domestic capacities are many. The economy of resistance that we introduced and that was welcomed by all experts and economic specialists - I did not see even one single economic and social expert who rejects the economy of resistance - focuses on the same thing. It focuses on the domestic resources of the country. When they do not allow you to water your land from the outside, you have to dig a well in your own land to water it on your own so that you will not have to beg that stingy neighbor. We should rely on ourselves and we should be able to move tasks forward on our own. This is the second point.

The third point is that we cannot move forward without defining our goals. This is possible neither in the area of the economy nor in any other area. We should define goals. If executive officials move forward without defining goals, things will be done in a habitual way and there will be no results. There should be clear and well-defined goals and the administration should gather all organizations and forces in order to achieve them. In my opinion, the goal of the economy in this year and in the coming years should be to invest in domestic production. Everyone should focus all their efforts on strengthening domestic production. All those officials who are working in the area of the economy and all the people should be asked to help domestic production.

There are certain ways for doing so, some of which I referred to. One of the most necessary tasks is to support small and middle-sized production companies. Another task is to strengthen the activities of knowledge-based companies. The reason why we highlight science and technology is not only that we want to achieve a higher scientific rank. The progress of science and technology helps the progress of the economy. Knowledge-based companies can help the national economy. Another necessary task is to reduce the sale of our crude products.

Recently, I complained about the dependence of our economy on oil. I brought this issue up in one of my speeches. This issue is related to what I am saying. We should do something to reduce or stop the sale of crude oil gradually. We should bring about value added. Banks can play a role in this regard. They can both play a constructive or destructive role. Other fundamental tasks are facilitating investment, reducing the imports of consumer goods and combating smuggling. Executive officials can carry out different tasks. These are some of the tasks that they can carry out.

Of course, all these tasks are difficult. It is easy to say such things, but they are very difficult in practice. However, executive officials should definitely carry out these difficult tasks because the issue is very important. The people can play a role as well. Those people who have the capability to invest should focus their investment on production. They should invest in production. Consumers too - actually, all our people are consumers - should consume domestic products. I have stressed this issue many times, but I would like to stress it today as well. Everyone should try to consume domestic products. Everyone should support Iranian workers and help production companies and factories by using their products.

Another issue is avoiding extravagance. Those who lead an extravagant lifestyle should know that leading an extravagant, lavish and wasteful life - which has been vehemently condemned in Islam - determines the fate of the national economy. If we avoid extravagance and wastefulness in our personal lives - for example, the way we use water, bread and the way we spend in formal occasions such as aqd, wedding and other such ceremonies - this will help the national economy. Merchants and those people who are involved in trade outside the country can play a role as well. Their role is to act properly and honestly so that the dignity of the people of Iran is preserved. This is the third point.

The fourth point about the economy is that sanctions are the only tool left for the enemy. They should know this. The only tool that the enemy uses to confront the people of Iran is imposing sanctions. If we act properly and wisely, sanctions can be counteracted. As I said, establishing production and industrial companies - fortunately today, governmental organizations are establishing these companies - is a task that can counteract sanctions. An example is the Phase 12 of South Pars - which I referred to earlier - military achievements, science and technology parks and other such tasks. This can minimize and then completely counter the effect of sanctions.

Sanctions have been the most difficult problem but they have also brought about certain blessings for us. Sanctions showed us that we should rely on ourselves. They proved to us that we can benefit from our domestic forces. If executive officials, all the people and economic activists in particular show diligence and work hard and if national media offer their assistance - I will address this issue later on - we will see that sanctions will not be able to prevent the people of Iran from making progress.

Now, I would like to raise a point about the nuclear issue. Of course, there are other points about economic matters, but I do not want to prolong this discussion. I would like to say a few things about nuclear issues. First, our enemies - who form the opposite front against the people of Iran and who are mostly American - are moving forward with acumen and by formulating clever policies. We are completely aware of this. They know what they are doing. They need the nuclear negotiations. America needs the nuclear negotiations. The differences that exist among the Americans - between senators and executive officials - does not mean that they do not need the negotiations. This is not the case. The opposite side to the U.S. administration does not like the bdnefits that exist in these negotiations to be registered in the name of its rival - the Democratic Party. They are after this. So, they need these negotiations and they consider it to be absolutely necessary although they claim that they do not need it.

Unfortunately in the Norouz message that the American president delivered, there were dishonest statements. Despite the fact that they claim to be the friends of the people of Iran, we can clearly see that these statements are not honest. One of the statements that he made was that there are some people in Iran who do not want the nuclear issue to be resolved in a diplomatic way. This is what he said. He said that there are some people in Iran who do not want the nuclear issue to be resolved through diplomacy. This is a lie. There is no one in Iran who does not want the nuclear issue to be resolved through negotiations. What the people of Iran do not want is to accept America's imposition and bullying. This is what they do not want. What the people of Iran resist is accepting the other side's bullying. The other side says that we should negotiate with it and accept whatever it says. This is what it says. The people of Iran have stood up against this bullying. Neither our officials, nor our negotiating team, nor the people of Iran - who have stood behind them - will accept this.

The second point about our ongoing negotiations with European governments and America on the nuclear issue is that we only negotiate with America on the nuclear issue, not on any other issue. Everyone should know this. We do not negotiate with America on regional issues. America's goals in the region are the exact opposite of our goals. We want security and peace in the region. We want the rule of peoples over their countries. America's policy in the region is to create insecurity. Take a look at Egypt, Libya and Syria. Arrogant governments - headed by America - have begun a counterattack against Islamic Awakening which has been created by nations. This counterattack is continuing in the present time and it is gradually creating a disastrous situation for nations. This is their goal which is the exact opposite of ours. We do not at all negotiate with America neither on regional issues, nor on domestic issues or nor on the issue of weapons. Our negotiations with the Americans are confined to the nuclear issue and on how we can reach an agreement through diplomacy.

The third point is about what the Americans say. They repeatedly say that they will sign an agreement with Iran and that they will lift sanctions only if the Iranians adhere to it. This is a wrong and unacceptable statement and we do not agree with it. Lifting sanctions is one of the terms of the negotiations, not a result of it. Those who are involved in the negotiations clearly understand the difference between these two. They say, "We will sign an agreement first. Then, we look at their behavior and lift sanctions if they adhere to it". This is an American trick. We do not agree with this. As our officials and honorable President explicitly said, lifting sanctions should be done without any delay and during the reaching of an agreement. Lifting sanctions is one of the terms of the agreement, not a result of it.

There is another point. The Americans keep repeating that Iran should not be able to renege on the decisions that it makes and the terms that it agrees with. We do not agree with this either. If the other side wants to re-impose sanctions with any excuse, there is no reason that our negotiating team goes along with this and does something that they cannot cancel and revoke. We do not agree with this at all. Nuclear energy is a popular and domestic industry. It belongs to the people. Its science and technology belong to the people and they should move forward in it. Progress is the essence of any industry and technology.

They bring up the issue of a nuclear bomb. They themselves know that we are not after building a nuclear weapon, but they have used it as an excuse to exert pressures on the people of Iran. During the nuclear negotiations, we have fulfilled all international commitments. We have been committed to political-Islamic ethics in these negotiations and we did not break our promises. We did not speak in two different ways. We did not act in a hypocritical way. The Americans form the opposite camp against us. It is they who went back on their promises and acted in a hypocritical and deceitful way. Their behavior is a lesson for our people. It will be good for those intellectuals in the country who still do not know who the other side - America - is to take a look at these negotiations and see who they are dealing with. They should see what America is doing at a global level.

The threats that they issue are of no use. They threaten to impose more sanctions or to make military moves against Iran. These are threats which do not intimidate the people of Iran. The people of Iran have stood firm and by Allah's favor, they will emerge victorious out of this great test. Of course, it is only divine blessings that can help our people to succeed on this path.

There are other important matters as well, but now is not the time to bring them up. Great tasks certainly fall upon the shoulders of the people and government of Iran. Achieving Islamic unity, helping weak nations and increasing the spiritual influence of Islam in the region - today, the flag of increasing the spiritual influence of Islam is in the hands of the people of Iran - are great tasks that we will carry out if Allah the Exalted bestows His blessings on our dear people. He will definitely do so in the shade of the prayers, determination and efforts of you youth.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings