Due to their high confidence, the Iranian nation represents greatness even in the eyes of the enemies. Preserve that confidence and do not fear the enemies. Do not let the U.S.' distressing agitation scare you; maintain unity--I particularly insist on maintaining unity--and support your government. If you listen to the enemies' propaganda, you will see they mainly target these two areas: division among the people and economic issues. They repeatedly say there is conflict, so when the public listens to them, even if they don't see conflict, they believe there is something [conflict] if they [the enemy] say so! On the other hand, they frequently imply that the financial situation in Iran is backwards, bad, etcetera; however, that is not true. Of course we have some problems, but we are advancing towards solutions.
May 2, 1990
They tell us that we are isolated in the global community. We tell them that you [USA] are isolated, not us. Today, the world loathes America's methods. Today, the world of Islam--from Indonesia to Morocco--despises USA. Wherever you go and ask people, you see that deep inside their hearts, there is hatred towards leaders of the White House. If they want to know who is isolated, I suggest that they hold a referendum in order to measure the popularity of our President and the President of USA. If the leaders of the American regime are not afraid of the humiliating results of such poll, they can enter this arena and they can hold it. Today, entire nations despise USA. Many governments despise them, too, but their interests require that they do not express this hatred. Sometimes, their hatred is not any less than ours.
A great war is going on in this world. This war is not fought with canons and guns. It is a battle of wills and policies. What's Iran's position in regards to this war? Iran is the headquarters for a front whose soldiers are of different countries. When the President of Iran travels to Indonesia, the people chant slogans in support of him during Friday prayers, in universities, and during his meetings with university professors. If he had been allowed to walk in the streets of Indonesia, everyday citizens would have also chanted in his support. We should not treat this issue lightly. These are important points.
When I was President, I made a trip to Pakistan. There was a demonstration in Pakistan, and for this reason, President Reagan--who was supposed to visit Pakistan after me--cancelled his trip. They realized that it would be a disgrace for him. They realized that if he travelled to Pakistan, the people of Pakistan would not welcome him the way they welcomed the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Currently, whenever the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran travels to an eastern country--whether it is an Islamic or non-Islamic country--the people of that country respond to the news of our President's trip with enthusiasm: they express their love and support for him. And whenever they are told that the US President wants to travel to their country, they set his photos on fire and tear up the US flag in the streets. This is how the situation is. This is how the battle of wills and policies is currently fought in the world. This is the way the forces have been arranged.
The headquarters for this side of the battle is Iran, hezbollahi Iran that is determined and hardworking, but lacks the resources that the opposing camp enjoys. This is because, from a hundred years ago, treacherous Pahlavi and Qajar kings harmed the country as much as they could. They plundered our national resources and harmed the country as much as they could. Iran had to start from zero. The opposing camp has been preparing itself for two hundred years, both with its domestic recourses and with what it has been stealing from the world. The opposing camp lacks nothing in terms of scientific and economic facilities. On the other hand, this side of the battle is seriously disadvantaged in terms of material facilities: money, weapons, and other such things. However, the world sees that these two camps are equal and that hezbollahi forces are even superior in certain cases.
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