In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly the remnant of God on earth.
Welcome my dear brothers and sisters. You have traveled this long journey in this cold weather, bringing the warmth of your purity, faith, and zeal to our Hussainiyah. As always, I am excited to see you, the people of Tabriz, the people of Azerbaijan. And I send my greetings in the true sense of the word to the people of Azerbaijan, the people of Tabriz, and to the creators of the great, unforgettable epic that took place on the 29th of Bahman in 1356 AHS (February 18, 1978). I will share a few points with you about Tabriz and Azerbaijan today. [However], the valuable, splendorous identity certificate (or description) of Azerbaijan does not end here with just a few words. I have said many things about both Tabriz and Azerbaijan, but there is still more to be said. I will say a few words about this today, and then I will present an overall discussion of the country’s issues.
Before I begin talking about these things that I have mentioned, I believe it is necessary for me to express my appreciation to the Iranian nation for their valuable movement on the 22nd of Bahman this year. This last Saturday this year, this 22nd of Bahman, was a historic Saturday. It was a historic 22nd of Bahman. People throughout the country created an epic in the true sense of the word. There was all this opposing propaganda, the problems that people are feeling with their entire being in their bodies and souls, the provocations of the enemies, and the cold weather - in some parts of the country the temperatures were below zero. All these things were disregarded because of the warm faith and insight of the Iranian people. The people participated in such a glorious manner. This participation of the people revealed many truths. I will come back to the issue of this year’s 22nd of Bahman. I will say a few words about this later [in my speech].
But first I would like to express my admiration of the Iranian nation in all parts of the country - from the easternmost parts of the country to the westernmost parts of the country, from the north to the south of the country, in distant cities, in the center [of the country], in big cities such as Tabriz, Isfahan, and Mashhad, and in other places including villages. The entire Iranian nation raised their voices together. This is very valuable. God bless the Iranian nation! Of course, I do not consider myself worthy of thanking you and God should thank you. The Almighty God is thankful, “Indeed, Our Lord is All-forgiving, All-appreciative” (Quran 34:35).
God will thank you for every move you make, every comment you make, every word you utter, and every step you take, even though what are you doing is your duty. What we are doing is a part of God’s gratitude; however, “When a person thanks you, you too should thank them” (Sahifah Sajjadiyah, supplication 45). God willing, I will get back to this and talk about the 22nd of Bahman.
As for the 29th of Bahman in 1356 AHS (February 18, 1978), I believe it can be said that a page was turned in Iran’s history on that day. In other words, it was a defining moment in history. Well, on the 19th of Dey (January 9th) that same year, that uprising took place in Qom. There is no doubt that what the people of Qom did was something great. They took the initiative. But other events had also taken place in the country that was similar to the event that took place in Qom on the 19th of Dey. However, they were forgotten. On June 5, 1963, there was that massacre. There were great uprisings in Tehran, Qom, and some other cities. The nation rose up, they gave their lives, and their blood was shed. And this happened in large numbers, but it was forgotten. It was totally forgotten. The policy that is used by the tyrannical, arrogant systems is that they cause people to forget the important events that will benefit them using propaganda, deceitful methods, and coercion. If it weren’t for Tabriz, the event that took place in Qom on the 19th of Dey would also have been forgotten.
What did the people of Tabriz do? They turned the Qom uprising into a national uprising. They turned it into a tragedy that was felt by everyone, even though the clampdown and use of force was much more severe in Tabriz. Tanks were brought into the streets. Whom were they targeting? The people, the scholars, and the mosques. Scholars had invited people to participate in a ceremony that marked the 40th day of the Qom uprising. They were the ones who were being targeted. They were not armed, but the government panicked so much that they brought tanks into the streets and massacred the people. Despite this, the people of Tabriz refused to retreat. They gave their lives, sacrificed their blood, stood up in defiance, shouted slogans, and turned the uprisings into something from the whole nation. The sound of their sacrifice was heard throughout the whole country. A 40th day ceremony of commemoration for the [people] of Tabriz was held in a number of places. What this meant was that the cries of the people of Tabriz had spread throughout Iran. The tyrannical government run by a monarch was overturned in less than a year. This is how history is made. It was a historic period.
Tabriz did not allow past experiences to be repeated by their remaining steadfast, resisting, and acting courageously. The flag representing Iran’s freedom is in the hands of the people of Tabriz. This is no surprise. Azerbaijan had displayed such a movement at other times too. We need to know about this history. We must not let this history be forgotten. At another period in time - during the rise of the Safavid dynasty - Azerbaijan, that is, Tabriz, Ardebil, and cities in Azerbaijan were able to save Iran from division, tribal kingdoms, and from the longstanding domination of foreigners. There was Azerbaijan, Ardebil, and Tabriz. These areas were able to unite Iran. Before the unification of Iran and the independent government of Iran which has continued up until today, [the country] was a tribal kingdom. During the time of the Timurid Dynasty, and prior to that during the Mughal Dynasty and their successors, every corner of the country was in the hands of a certain tribe or group. It was one way in the east, another way in the west, a certain way in the north, and another way in the south. The movement that began in Azerbaijan united Iran. The flag of the unification of Iran is in the hands of Azerbaijan. These are facts. They are not just verbal compliments. The correct narration of Azerbaijan’s history is essential in telling Islamic history, and it is everyone's duty to do this. The experts in this field must do this.
It was the same in the events that followed. In the case of the Tobacco Protest, one of the places that the clerics – [including] the late Haj Mirza Javad Tabrizi and Haj Mirza Javad Mojtahed – helped in order to support Mirza Hassan Shirazi’s tobacco boycott was Tabriz. The movement in Tabriz [was also important] in the case of the Constitutional Revolution - both in the beginning when Sattar Khan and Baqer Khan were involved - and after various events when the Russians and others entered the country. There were [the uprisings of] Sheikh Mohammad Khiabani, Mirza Esmaeil Nobari, and many other people. They were the ones who were able to show the power of Iran’s resistance in the face of various events. It was the same during the Islamic Revolution, the Holy Defense, after the Holy Defense, and up until today. As Mr. Ale-Hashem stated, the same thing happened in recent events. Well, this was due to the nature of the nation’s display of power.
With regard to culture, it was the same. Azerbaijan is the civilizational and cultural center in the western region of the country, just as Khorasan is the center of civilization and culture in Iran’s eastern region. The Iranian culture, traditions, and civilization, which were exported throughout history to the ends of the Ottoman empire in the west and to the ends of Babari India in the east, moved out from the two centers of Azerbaijan and Khorasan. Iran has always been proud of its honorable culture in Azerbaijan. Khaqani is from Azerbaijan, and Nezami is from Azerbaijan. Then we also have Shams Tabrizi, Qatran Tabrizi, Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari, Sa’ib Tabrizi, and they continue on until the present era, where we had the late Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar and prior to him, Ms. Parvin E’tesami. These people were all from Azerbaijan. The contributions that they have made to the country’s literature and culture are uncountable. It is much more than what one can imagine.
So, the case of the 29th of Bahman also has these records and appendages. I would like to say that the event that took place on the 29th of Bahman was an event that built an identity. We need to take lessons [from these events]. We are not here to tell each other stories. We need to learn these lessons. We must use our past to build our future. We are moving today. The nation is moving. Iran is moving. We need these lessons. We need experience. These [events] are a lesson for us. The 29th of Bahman was an event that built an identity.
Every nation finds its identity in the shadow of being strong on perseverance and resistance. What gives nations identity, character, and greatness while protecting the nations and their culture is their perseverance and resistance. What does perseverance mean? It means continuing on the straight line that a person has found without diverging. The problem that nations have is that they diverge. They start on a line, but after moving forward for a while, they either get tired or they get drawn to the attractions of the world and they diverge. The degree of divergence is initially very small. [But] as this continues, the angle becomes larger and their path separates from the true path. That is the problem.
We have had this problem in our country and in our Revolution. Some were initially with the Revolution, but then they deviated. Different factors were involved. Sometimes it wasn’t even their fault. Government organizations, the government, and various other factors were to blame. Foreign powers were to blame. So, they deviated for different reasons. This deviation increased and it led to opposition to that movement, those goals, and that great motivation that had brought them onto this path. Hence, they changed dramatically. Sometimes they changed 180 degrees. We have had and we do have these sorts of people. Perseverance does not let that happen. It preserves identities. It gives identity to a nation and a population. One should not become tired, despair, or fear the enemy’s shouts. My dear brothers and sisters, this is the secret to enduring.
Well, it is obvious that the enemy will not sit idly. It will either strike a blow or if it can’t do that, it will make threats. If threats prove to be ineffective, it will shout in order to get you out of their way. If you refuse to leave, this means that the enemy has been defeated. If you persevere, you will make progress. The people of Tabriz had seen the Qom uprising on the 29th of Bahman. Well, there was a massacre in Qom. The people of Qom were suppressed. The people knew this. The people of Tabriz knew that standing up to the government would mean that people would get killed and die. Despite this, they stood up, persevered, and God blessed them. When we say that history changed on the 29th of Bahman thanks to the movement of the people of Tabriz, this change was because of the blessing that God gave to their movement. They persevered. “If they are steadfast on the path [of Allah], We shall provide them with abundant water” (Quran 72:16). Perseverance.
The 22nd of Bahman this year is another example of this perseverance. Let’s look and examine this issue with this mindset. It is a good thing that the crowd came out onto the streets. Sometimes people have different motives for coming out onto the streets. What’s more important was that this “participation” meant perseverance. It meant being inflexible toward the enemy. The enemy wants us to forget about the path we need to take. It does not want us to see the way. That is what they are striving to do. Some people inside the country are also promoting the same thing. We do not claim that there is no opposition inside the country, that the Revolution has no opponents, or that we don’t have any adversaries. Yes, there are some who oppose us. They pursue the same goals as the enemy.
We have been faced with movements inside the country that have targeted the determination of the Iranian nation. One of the important goals of the fall riots in Tehran and some other places was to make the people forget about the 22nd of Bahman. They did not want people to show up in the millions on the anniversary of the victory of the Revolution. They wanted them to forget about it. Inside the country, there were some wrong analyses made and weak arguments, and these were repeated in the newspapers, in the internet, and in statements that were made in order to dissuade people. But what did the people do? They persevered, participated, and did the opposite of what the enemy had said. So this “participation” was perseverance, and perseverance brings blessings.
The people’s walk this year was accompanied by analysis. When an intellectual analyzes something, he gives an introduction and looks at all the major and minor points to give reasons for everything. They ask a Revolutionary person who is not educated but understands how to analyze matters, “Why did you come and participate in this walk?” He says, “I came because I have understood that the US does not want me to come.” You see, he came with an analysis in mind. This is his analysis. He knows that the enemy is afraid of his participation [in this walk]. The enemy knows that his participation will strengthen this path and continue this movement, so the enemy does not want this to happen. And since the enemy does not want this to happen, this person participates in the walk in order to continue this path. [The people] participated with an analysis in mind. They came to show the spirit and enthusiasm that Iran possesses today.
The walk on the 22nd of Bahman this year was filled with enthusiasm and cheerfulness. The slogans that people were shouting had a theme and were meaningful. They showed the [people’s] orientation. The enemy did not want the voice of the Iranian nation to be heard. That is what the enemy wanted. The Iranian nation raised its voice so that everyone could hear in the midst of all the commotion that was taking place on the internet, in propaganda, on television networks, and the like. Yes, some may [not have heard it], because they conceal it, they keep silent about it, and they do not reflect it in their global propaganda campaigns. It may not have reached the ears of people in other countries. But those who needed to hear it have heard the voice of the Iranian nation. The policy-making bodies in the US, in England, in the world’s centers where conspiracies are formed, in the intelligence services of countries, and all those who are paying attention, all heard the voice of the Iranian nation on the 22nd of Bahman this year. Those who needed to hear it, heard it.
The Iranian nation’s message on this year’s 22nd of Bahman was a message of their full support for the Islamic Revolution and the system of the Islamic Republic. This was louder than all other voices. Of course, there are and were opposing voices too. The enemies – the media empires controlled by the Zionists and the US – are trying to make their voices prevail, but no, they have failed. The voice of the [Iranian] nation has prevailed over other voices. Of course, others have tried their best – our opponents and enemies have tried their best. At times, they said that the Revolution, the Islamic Republic, is regressing. This is the exact opposite of the truth of what is happening. Are we moving backward? We are moving forward in all areas, by God’s grace and power. I am not saying we don’t have problems. I will talk about that. We do have many problems. But our country today is very different from the way it was 20, 30, or 40 years ago. We have made great progress in all areas, both materialistically and spiritually.
They say the country is regressing. How is it regressing? Some said the Islamic Republic has reached a dead end. Well, if we have reached a dead end, why is the enemy spending so much money to knock us down? There is no need to make expenditures on a nation or a government that has already reached an impasse. It will fall on its own. They are spending billions of dollars on this in the world. Many of the countries that have money and wealth are moving in the opposite direction of the Iranian nation. They are spending money to cause the deviation of the Islamic Republic. They even talk about this and state this. Why are they doing this? If we had reached a dead end, if we were going to collapse, as some people want it to appear, there would be no need for them to spend so much money.
Sometimes, in order to disparage our progress, [they say,] “Why have you focused all your efforts on building weapons, drones, missiles, and such things?” This is what some people say. Well, the answer to this is that firstly, it is necessary. When a country has enemies, it must think of itself. At the beginning of the Revolution, some people wanted to sell our F-14s. I didn’t let them. I was informed about this and disclosed it. I was in Mashhad. I had gone there on a pilgrimage, or I had something else I had to do there, and I heard about it there. I did not let it become too late to do anything. In that very hour when I heard of it, I called a reporter to come, I disclosed this information, and it was broadcast. This scared them, so they stopped. These are the kinds of policies our opponents have. We have enemies, so we must [strengthen] the direction of our defense. This is what wisdom dictates and what the Islamic law states, “And prepare against them what [military] force you can and horses tied at the frontier” (Quran 8:60). This means whatever you can and as much as you can. We have listened to this command. God willing, we will strengthen the country’s defense as much as possible.
Secondly, has less work been done in other sectors other than the defense sector? The amount of work that has been carried out in the industrial sector, in infrastructure projects, in the construction of roads, dams, and similar areas is several times more than the work carried out in the defense sector. All this work has been done. Now, with regard to the matter of defense, the enemies naturally want to keep propagating for their own reasons that, “Iran had drones, they sold them to this place, they gave them to that place,” and so on. However, they have no reason for wanting to reveal anything about our industrial achievements. Rather, they want to hide these. They conceal them. No, we have made great progress in other areas as well. Of course, the nation did not pay attention to their whisperings. The nation did not pay attention to the commotion they made here and there, and God willing, it will not pay attention to them after this either.
These are what irritate the enemy. It is these achievements that make the enemy angry. It infuriates the enemy. The Quran says, “Say, ‘Die in your rage!’” (Quran 3:119). Our dear, great martyr, [Mohammad Beheshti], translated this as, “May you die from this anger!” This is the translation of the verse in the Quran, “Die in your rage!” The enemy becomes angered. They get upset. Their actions are nervous actions, and their words are nervous words. Whatever makes Iran strong, upsets them. Why? Because they know that if Iran becomes strong, their conspiracies against Iran will be futile. Thus, they do not want Iran to become strong. Anything that makes us strong makes them nervous and upsets them. [Audience chants, “The movement will continue until the Revolution of Imam Mahdi (aj)”]. God willing, that is how it will be with God’s grace. The movement means moving. The Revolution means movement. The Revolution does not stop or stand still. It must go forward and continue with God’s grace, and God willing it shall continue. So the country must become strong. I have said this many times – and I will mention this later on as well – that everyone needs to make an effort. We must make the country strong.
I said that we have made progress, and this is a fact. Some people may not be aware of this progress. Yes, we are weak in propagation and things like that, and we should take note of this as well. We have not yet reached the required level of proficiency and skill in publicity and using the media. We have some weaknesses in this area. However, [some of our achievements] are not told, seen or understood. Those people who go and visit exhibitions and other such places are surprised, and some are astonished by what they see.
Sometimes foreign visitors are shown some places and they are very surprised. They ask, “Have you really accomplish these things even under these circumstances with the sanctions?” A few years ago, I said that our youth had built a missile, and the missile was tested. Satellites capture images of these things. The Zionists, Americans, and others realized that this missile had been built. One of the Zionist’s top missile experts said something that was quoted in some places, I heard it too and quoted it. He said, “Iran is my enemy, but after seeing the things that they have accomplished and that they have built these kinds of missiles despite the sanctions, I take my hat off to them in respect.”
So, we have said that we have made progress. But don’t we have weaknesses alongside our accomplishments? Surely we do, and very much so. We have flaws and shortages. There are many shortages and there are various reasons behind them. Our flaws and shortages are not just a few, and some of them can be realized and felt by our people. There are the high prices, inflation, the reduced value of our national currency. These are some of the flaws that we have. We have other weaknesses as well in other sectors, in administrative sectors, etc. These flaws exist, but there are two ways of looking at this matter.
Pay attention to this, especially our dear youth. There are the progress, success, and accomplishments on one side, and there are flaws on the other side. There are two ways of looking at this. One way is to look at the accomplishments, understand that we have the ability, and say, “Very well. We will fix the flaws using the same effort that led to these accomplishments.” This is one way to look at it. This is the revolutionary way of looking at it.
Another way is to look at the flaws and say, “There is no point. With all these weaknesses that we have, it is pointless and nothing can be done.” Or one can sit and do nothing, complain and shout out against the current situation, and magnify the problems to make them appear much bigger. That is the reactionary point of view. Yes, there are flaws, but you should look at them from a revolutionary point of view. Why do you look at them from a reactionary point of view?
Sometimes, they see the shortcomings and deny the Islamic Republic itself. They deny the Revolution itself! Why? If a nation has weaknesses, should their accomplishments be forgotten? Which nations don’t have flaws? Don’t the wealthy nations that have the most scientific accomplishments have weaknesses? They have greater flaws.
If I were to count them, I would have to list all the flaws in the US, in the UK, in France, and in all the advanced countries one by one. Their flaws are much greater, more important, and more complicated than ours. For example, there is a prevalence of poverty, disease, discrimination, and a lack of social justice. There are many of these weaknesses there and far more than ours. There are weaknesses everywhere, but we must strive to fix these flaws. This is the solution. The solution is not to destroy the foundation and roots immediately upon seeing a flaw.
I insist that the first way is the right way, the revolutionary way. This means that when we see our flaws, we should say that we have achieved many things even though it seemed impossible. Therefore, we need to put in effort. You see, I have had many responsibilities in this country over the past forty years. I have had different responsibilities before my presidency, whilst I was the president, and after my presidency. There were days when we would not have believed it would be possible to achieve some of our current accomplishments. You would be surprised if I listed all of these.
For example, I never would have thought that our steel production would reach millions of tons. If our steel production was say five thousand tons then, I would have expected it to reach ten thousand tons for example! I never even imagined what we are seeing today. But our people strived, our youth put in effort, and we had some good officials who strived for the country to reach where it is today. This effort is present today as well. We must put in effort and strive to fix the weaknesses. That is my advice.
Everyone should work. First of all, the officials should work each according to his own legal responsibilities. We have different officials. Some are responsible for planning and design, some for executive issues, some for supervision, some for legislation, and some for making policies. There are different sectors, different management positions, different responsibilities, and each have their own regulations. Everyone should put in effort, work selflessly round the clock, and follow up on the work being done. That was about the officials.
In my opinion, the most important field we need to work on today is economics. A few days ago, some of the successful manufacturers and entrepreneurs of our country were gathered here in this Hussainiyah. I told them that the country needs economic growth and that we cannot move forward without economic growth. If we are to achieve economic growth and if we are to increase production, we need economic stability and inflation needs to be controlled. Today, one of the essential things that the country’s direct and indirect officials – in the executive branch, the legislative branch, supervisory sectors, and executive agencies – need to do is to fix the problems. They can be fixed. It is not true that there is no way to fix them. There is a way, and they must find the way. They must control the inflation. Economic stability and a stability in prices are what will move the country forward, so this is the way to look at these matters.
The same goes for our people. Of course, the officials have greater responsibilities, but our people have responsibilities too. Students can work, professors can work, workers can work, businessmen can work, farmers can work, entrepreneurs, ranchers, religious scholars, everyone can work and do something in their own way. As an example, a religious scholar, Mr. Al-Hashem, said that he goes to industrial centers to inspect them or to show them to others. This is an example of something that is being done, and it is a great thing. These things make the economy move, and they are beneficial.
Political activists can work and enlighten others. Political activities are not just about finding flaws in the government and other sectors, about mocking them or using insults to magnify them, and about spreading them in the social media. That is not a political activity. A political activity is looking at the world’s political climate, the region’s political climate, the goals of the enemies, the orientations of our friends, and explaining them to people, to those who know less than you do, and to those who do not understand as much as you do. This is a political activity.
The same applies to social activists and those who are active in providing services. Our people have repeatedly been able to fix great problems. One of them was the Coronavirus epidemic. When Coronavirus began to spread, our people became involved and started working. Many of the tasks that the government was responsible for were carried out by our people. They became involved. The people became involved then and provided faithful service. They provided all sorts of different services. The great celebration for Ghadir in Tehran was conducted by the people, and they did it willingly and enthusiastically. People can [do great things]. Social activities enliven the nation, and they guarantee and support the country’s progress.
One of the things that is effective in making a country strong is national unity. There should not be disputes over minor things. Of course, there are always disagreements. In these disagreements, it is good to have discussions and it is good to have debates. But quarreling is not good. They can have debates, talks, and discussions in the universities, in the seminaries, and in the public media while reasoning politely and while respecting others. This is good, but quarreling is not good, showing enmity is not good, and using foul language is not good. These things are not good. Unity is what helps.
Now, the orientation of the majority of the Iranian nation is a revolutionary orientation. We have not taken a survey from the people to say, for example, what percentage of the people have opinions opposing the general opinion or the opinions of government officials regarding different political issues. We do not know that, but we do know that there are people who have other opinions and opposing opinions. But they are not against the Iranian nation. Global Arrogance is against the Iranian nation.
Everyone should be careful not to help the Arrogant Powers. Everyone should be careful not to become a tool in the hands of Arrogance against the Revolution, against Islam, and against our dear Iran. As always, I see a bright future. Praise God, every time we have had a bright horizon ahead, we have reached that horizon after some time. Our nation has great capabilities, our country has great capabilities, and our country has great potential. God willing, our nation can accomplish even greater things.
I ask the Almighty God to keep us steadfast on this path. I ask the Almighty God that our dear Imam [Khomeini] who showed us this path may be amongst the Friends of God. I ask the Almighty God for our dear martyrs to be united with the first martyrs of Islam and the martyrs of Karbala and that we may be united with them as well.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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