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Reason behind enemies' targeting Islam is "the political rule of Islam"

The following is the full text of the speech delivered by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the Supreme Assembly of Commanders and Officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on August 17, 2023 in the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).

Wishing all of you a warm welcome here. It is a very pleasing and enjoyable day for me today to meet with you dear ones, you the men of the Revolution, and the guardians of the truth and truthfulness. I thank the honorable Commander of the IRGC and the honorable [Leader’s] representative [in the IRGC] for their statements. Their statements were very good.

I would like to use a part of my speech today to briefly speak about the IRGC. I would like to share some things about the IRGC that may have been mentioned many times before, but at the same time, our people, our youth, and the IRGC's own youth need to hear these things again. We must not forget our identity. One of the goals of the world's satans is to make us forget who we are. We should not allow that to happen. I would like to briefly talk about the IRGC and also mention a few words about the Revolution that the IRGC shoulders the duty of guarding it. What are the characteristics of this Revolution that you are guarding? I will also mention a few words in this regard.

I have written down a few points about the IRGC to share with you. The first point is that the formation of the IRGC at the beginning of the Revolution was a unique phenomenon compared to the other great revolutions that have taken place throughout history. In major revolutions such as the French Revolution or the Soviet Bolshevik Revolution, there were groups that emerged in the beginning of those revolutions as supporters of that revolution and they took certain actions, yet the IRGC is clearly not comparable to those groups and those people. Those groups and people were destructive, acted on their own, were undisciplined, and did not adhere to principles. That’s not how the IRGC was and from the time it was formed — and this is important — the IRGC was established under the supervision of the core of the Revolution. Its command and its organization were centralized, and it had a [central] management and command council. There was a centralized command from the very beginning. It [the IRGC Command] was in the center. Although it was present everywhere in the country, this center was truly in command.

From the beginning of the IRGC’s formation, its members and its elements held religious and revolutionary values, including self-sacrifice and a continuous, unceasing jihadi presence, [values] such as obedience and compliance to the [commands] of our magnanimous Imam [Khomeini]. We did not see anything other than that. We were present and watching the issues relating to the IRGC from the beginning. It was a unique phenomenon. Its people were pure and pious.

I do not wish to exaggerate, after all there are flaws and weaknesses in everyone. There were flaws and there were weaknesses, but, according to the evidence, perhaps no military organization in the history of our country until that day that has been formed by such a wholesome group of people who were morally and spiritually so upright. Throughout the country's history, as far as I know, we know of no military group that has possessed a spiritual, moral, and political uprightness to this extent. This is one point. The formation of the IRGC was a phenomenon of this kind.

The next point is about the internal growth and expansion of the IRGC. That too is an extraordinary phenomenon. At the beginning of its formation, the IRGC was formed from a group of several hundred people, but in a period of less than two years, it turned into an extensive military organization with organized bodies and organized units, and this was something very important. It was able to organize military units into brigades. That is, it organized small, nameless groups into companies, battalions, and brigades. This took place in less than two years!

The result of this was that after a short period of time, the IRGC was able to carry out several major, decisive operations with the support and the cooperation of the Army. These operations included: Operation Samen al-Aemeh, Operation Tariq al-Quds, Operation Fath al-Mobin and Operation Beit al-Moqaddas. So when, for example, a major operation such as Fath al-Mobin was carried out with the decisive, momentous involvement of the IRGC in April 1982, only two years and some months had passed since the establishment of the IRGC. 

Therefore, this enormous growth and expansion came about with those commands and with those extraordinary actions. In my opinion, even with all the writings that exist in this field, the details of these events and the magnitude of the work that was carried out has not yet been made clear. These things have not been properly explained.

The IRGC was able to show the might and strength of the Revolution’s military defense to the enemy by making sacrifices — practical sacrifices as well as mental, intellectual, and spiritual preparations. This was decisive.

A man may use his being as an arrow

To free his country from misery and sorrow

This was the situation that came about. This movement, this growth, and this strength is unique. It is a unique phenomenon. There is nothing like this. Also this unique, exceptional phenomenon continued, and it did not stop. That is, they did not just begin something, make some progress, and stop. No, it has continued up until today and after around four decades, we have a massive, fully equipped defense and military center and the largest counter-terrorism organization in the world.

Today, the IRGC is the largest counter-terrorism organization in all the world. It is a well-equipped military organization. It is an efficient, independent organization that is capable of doing things that many of the world’s greatest armies are incapable of doing. So, this was about the growth and expansion of the IRGC.

Another point is related to the IRGC’s performance. This is also an appealing, multifaceted phenomenon. First of all, one of the most important things that the IRGC has done from day one and is continuing up until today is that it deals with the crises created by the enemy. This is very important. Let me tell you about a historical event. A short time, about one month, before the victory of the Revolution, in the early days of January 1979 to be exact, the heads of four countries — the United States, England, France, and Germany — conducted a conference, or, in their own words, a “gathering” on a French island called Guadeloupe, which later became known as the “Guadeloupe Conference.”

The topic of discussion in this conference was the Revolution, Iran’s Revolution, the Islamic Revolution. They gathered together there to talk about what they should do in response to this Revolution. They could see that the Revolution was about to become victorious. They came to the conclusion that it was impossible to save the Pahlavi puppet regime. That was the first conclusion that was drawn [in the Guadeloupe Conference]. They said that it’s impossible, we can't do it.

The second outcome was that they comforted themselves by saying that yes, this Revolution will be victorious, but it will face crises and none of the governments that come to power after the Revolution will be able to overcome those crises.

This is what was stated in the published documents from this conference. They came to this conclusion — this is the amount that was said from this conference. They said that any government that comes to office after the Revolution will collapse because of these crises and it will not be able to continue.

Later on, documents from the Den of Espionage [former US Embassy] were uncovered. The documents from the Den of Espionage clearly stated that the West designed a strategic policy so that this Revolution would not take place or that it would not last. That strategic policy consisted of creating continuous crises and incidents. You see, at the beginning of the Revolution, we had problems in the west of the country, we had problems in the northwest, we had somewhat of a problem in the northeast, we had problems in the south, and we had problems in the southeast. In other words, there were always crises happening around the country. This news sheds light on what the interpretation of these events were. Those events were not spontaneous. They were crises, one after another.

After a while, Saddam attacked and began the war as well. Who was the one that was able to suppress these crises, incidents, and riots and to save the country from them? Who was able to save the people of Kurdistan, the people of Baluchistan, and the people of different regions in the country from these riots? Who was able to save the people of Tehran from the waves of terrorist attacks?

The IRGC. The IRGC was the organization that defeated the policy of successive crises that they had designed to paralyze the Revolution. They were the ones who extinguished this fire.

The enemy's goal was to use these crises to take the life out of the Revolution. After the Revolution was weakened, then they wanted to create a coup, like the one that occurred on the 28th of Mordad [August 19, 1953 against the democratically-elected Mossadeq government], and to destroy the Revolution. The IRGC prevented more “28th of Mordads” from happening. The IRGC did not allow the correct movement that the country had started to be stopped by the enemy's policy. This is why the West hates the IRGC so much. This is why they always mention the IRGC’s name with such hatred and spitefulness. So this is also a part of what the IRGC has accomplished.

The performance of the IRGC during the Sacred Defense is a separate, very important, and extensive chapter and many things have been written about it. Very good books and reports have been published about it. We will not go into those details now, it is an extensive discussion and is a whole different chapter.

Another part of the IRGC's achievements is the manner in which it increased its capabilities. The IRGC did not stand still. It increased its capabilities day by day, both with the internal efforts of the IRGC and with the cooperation that took place outside of the organization. We should not look at this increase in our capabilities merely in terms of our innovations and the creation and stockpiling of weapons. It means creating a deterrence for the country. It means safeguarding the country’s security.

When the enemy feels that you are weak, it will be encouraged to attack. When it senses that you are strong, it will reconsider launching an attack even if that is what it had intended to do. That is why it is stated, “… awing thereby the enemy of Allah and your enemy” (Quran 8:60). These preparedness and capacities that are emphasized in the Quran as “… awing thereby the enemy of Allah” are about creating security for the country. You saw how they kept repeating that the military option is on the table for a while, but now it has been some time that this statement is no longer being repeated. This sentence has become worthless and useless, and they have realized that this statement is meaningless. This is due to your capabilities. When you increase your capabilities internally, the results are seen here.

The IRGC’s performance in various fields of infrastructure construction is another honorable, brilliant chapter in its existence. This is a very important issue that cannot be easily overlooked. In building infrastructure, the IRGC is second to none. We have few organizations that are able to match the IRGC’s success in building infrastructure such as the nation’s roads, highways, dams, refineries, and the like. The IRGC does the same work at a lower cost and at a faster rate. This is a very important, honorable chapter.

Another chapter is the IRGC’s public services. The IRGC has stood by the people in various sectors. In the health sector, which is a very important sector, the IRGC has been able to do great things. It has also provided essential aid during natural disasters such as in earthquakes, floods, the coronavirus pandemic, and the like and in eliminating economic deprivation. One of the sectors that continues to be unknown and an adequate report of it has not yet been given to the people is about the measures taken by the IRGC to eliminate the economic deprivation faced by the weaker sectors of society. Great things and extensive work has been done in this regard. 

Another important chapter which should also be taken into consideration is the influence the IRGC has in the country’s public sphere. It is natural that a group like the IRGC with the aforementioned characteristics is genuinely appealing to the younger generation. The youth look and see that knowledge and action are intertwined in this organization. Hard power and soft power are intertwined. Hard power consists of missiles, drones, and such things. Soft power consists of being present among the people, talking with people, and helping them. Both of these things exist. Maintaining ideals along with paying attention to the realities and dealing with them exists in the IRGC. When the youth see that an organization is communicating with the people and see its Basiji presence next to the people, it is appealing to them. These things are appealing to young people.

If you look at the biographies of the martyrs who defended the shrines [of the Prophet's Household in Syria and Iraq] — the martyrs who defended the shrines and the martyrs who have given their lives for the nation’s security during these years — if you read their biographies, you will find that the attraction of the IRGC’s presence and its history have been the most important, effective factors in the growth, the movement and in the formation of these personalities.

Young people take others as role models and are influenced by them. When an organization is mission-oriented, is working to reach an ideal situation, is ready to take action and adheres to its values in practice, this organization becomes appealing to others. Not only is the organization appealing, its members are also appealing. Its members are appealing to any spiritual heart. Its high ranking commanders such as Martyr Soleimani, its self-sacrificing young men such as Martyr Hojaji, and its humble and brave guards such as Martyr Ibrahim Hadi are all appealing. Each one of them is a role model, an everlasting role model. So this is another part of the IRGC’s performance.

Now if we were to speak about outside the country’s borders, it would be a very long discussion. Discussing the effect of the IRGC’s movements, presence, goals, orientation, and actions on the youth of other countries is something that requires a very long discussion, and I don’t want to begin that discussion at the moment, but it is very important. So, that was a brief word regarding the IRGC.

Now, if you pay attention, you’ll find that an important part of the enemy's activities is distorting the image of the IRGC and distorting the image of the Basij. Why? Because the IRGC and the Basij are appealing. Their appealing nature worries and frightens the enemy. So the enemy feels they need to distort their image with fake news, false rumors, and using all kinds of tricks and deception. They don’t want people to take the IRGC and the Basij as their role models. They don’t want people to learn from them or to join them. So this is one topic, which is about the IRGC’s performance. I have spoken about three topics: the formation of the IRGC, the growth and expansion of the IRGC, and the IRGC’s performance.

Another important topic regarding the IRGC is the issue of safeguarding not only the Revolution but itself. Before we discuss and focus on the IRGC’s safeguarding the Revolution, we should focus on the IRGC’s safeguarding itself. All people are prone to mistakes, and all organizations are prone to mistakes. They are prone to lethargy, laziness, pride, various tendencies that lead one astray, and other such things. Everyone is like this, except for the fourteen Infallibles (pbut).

All managers, leaders, commanders, and each and every one of us are prone to these things, so we all need self-protection. The first thing we need is self-protection. This self-protection is called taqwa in Quranic culture. This is what taqwa means. It means guarding oneself and being careful of ourselves. This is the responsibility of all organizations in the general sense and the responsibility of each one of us in the personal sense — me, you, [everyone].

One of the important things that we must continuously focus on is guarding ourselves. We all have weaknesses. Every human being has flaws within their own selves. Some of these weaknesses lie hidden in the internal layers of a person’s mind and spirit. If these find a situation where they can emerge, they will emerge.  Some of us have a passion for money and some of us love gaining a higher rank. There are all kinds of lusts and desires that attract us. Sometimes we are neglectful about these. That is, we are neglectful about these traits most of the time. If one [of these traits] finds an opportunity to emerge, it will emerge and overcome us. If we do not fight it, it will overcome us and knock us down. We must guard ourselves. 

The values and prominence of the IRGC is very valuable. These must be protected and guarded. Officials of various ranks in the IRGC should be active, sensitive, careful, and concerned in these fields. If remembering God is neglected, this threat will become even greater. If there is less selfless, jihadi motivation for any reason, this threat will become greater. If we become arrogant because of our accomplishments, we will face a greater threat.

These are the risk factors: forgetting God, becoming arrogant because of achievements, getting tired of jihadi work, not paying attention to God’s blessings, not remembering the great blessings that God has given us, and losing hope as soon when we face a difficulty. When we face a problem, we tend to forget that Almighty God has solved hundreds of our problems and that this is another one of those problems, what significance does it have?

We have been taught in prayers, “O Allah, Your light is complete, so You guided, praise be to You, our Lord. Your hand is extended, so You gave and blessed, praise be to You, our Lord. Your patience is immense, so You forgave, praise be to You, our Lord.” So, remember God’s blessings. As soon as we see a small obstacle in our path, we forget the great mountains [of problems] that we had faced that God solved for us. We forget those things. We become doubtful, hesitant, lethargic, and hopeless. These are all deadly diseases, and we must be careful about them.

In this regard, we should also be mindful that there are certain groups of people for whom Almighty God counts each of their mistakes as two mistakes! We clerics are one of those groups. Each of our sins is counted as two sins. Almighty God says to the wives of the Prophet, “O wives of the Prophet! Whoever of you commits a gross indecency, her punishment shall be doubled” (Quran 33:30). That is addressed to the wives of the Prophet! The wives of the Prophet are Umm al-Muminin [Mothers of the believers]. That is how high their status is. [Yet] Almighty God tells these noble women that if they make a mistake, they will be punished twice as much.

Of course, “Whoever of you is obedient to Allah and His Messenger and acts righteously, We shall give her a twofold reward” (Quran 33:31). So if you do a good deed, you are also rewarded twice as much. This is true for you members of the IRGC as well. Every good deed you do will be rewarded twice. One reward is for the deed itself, and one reward is for being a role model for others. It is the same for us clerics, [our deeds are] counted twice. On the other hand, for every wrong thing we do, we will be punished twice for it. We should keep this in mind.

Thank God, tens of thousands of young men have joined the IRGC over the years, pursued great goals, and brought honor. These young men have accomplished great things. My advice to you, the new generation of the IRGC, is that you should definitely try to improve yourselves spiritually, scientifically, and in your actions, far beyond your predecessors. Your predecessors were good people. In their youth, they graduated from university and came from different regions to enter the battlefield and put their lives in danger at a time when there was no hope of victory. There truly was no hope of victory.

After a short time when the Sacred Defense began, when people would go to the war zones, they would see nothing but sadness, sorrow, darkness, and gloom. These young people sacrificed their lives in such an atmosphere. They came to the battlefields, were steadfast, and changed the situation. They were able to receive God’s guidance and attain victory: “As for those who strive in Our way, We shall surely guide them in Our ways” (Quran 29:69). Almighty God will provide guidance, help, and victory to those who participate in jihad.

Consider the verses that were recited, “Have faith in Allah and His Messenger, and fight for Allah’s cause with your wealth and your lives … He will forgive you your sins and admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow. … And He will give you another favor, which is dear to you — help from Allah and an imminent victory” (Quran 61:11-13). These verses state that when we make an effort, Almighty God will help us.

On the other hand, if we do something wrong, we will immediately see the effect of this during a moment of danger on the frontlines. “Those of you who fled on the day when the armies met, only Satan had made them stumble because of some of their deeds” (Quran 3:155). In the battle of Uhud, about those who wavered, turned the scene of victory into defeat, and inflicted great damage on the front of truth, it is said, “Only Satan had made them stumble because of some of their deeds.” Their problem began before the battle. They did not exhibit proper behavior toward themselves and they saw the consequences of it on the battlefield in a sensitive moment and a sensitive place. So, protecting and safeguarding oneself is an important topic.

Now we come to the topic of safeguarding the Revolution, [the job of] the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The first question that arises is: What characteristic does the Islamic Revolution have that makes it the target of the enemy's relentless attacks and it becomes necessary for us to have guards to protect it? What feature in the Islamic Revolution causes the enemies to line up against it, both overtly and covertly, forcing us to have guards to protect and safeguard the Revolution?

The answer to this question is clear: The political rule of the Revolution. Islam exists in many parts of the world, but the [apolitical] Islam that has nothing to do with sheep and cattle of colonialists, exploiters, Arrogant Powers, and massive companies does not concern them. Although they are not very kind to them [the apolitical Muslims], they don't care much about them either. The thing that drives the enemy to stand against Islam is the political rule of Islam. The political rule of Islam is what was achieved due to the efforts of the Iranian nation and with the leadership of that extraordinary man — our magnanimous Imam [Khomeini] who was truly one of a kind — and is what drove the enemies to line up in front of it.

The next question is: What feature does the political rule of Islam have that makes them sensitive? What is it that causes them to react? This is important. We must think deeply about this. The deeper, more accurate, and clearer our understanding of the Islamic Revolution is, the greater our commitment to protecting it will be. Of course, if we wanted to discuss this issue, it would take more than one or two hours. Long discussions are required to talk about the features of the Islamic system, Islamic society, and Islamic politics. I will just briefly touch on a few points here.

The Islamic political system opposes oppression. It opposes the oppressor. It’s that simple. “Be opposed to the oppressor,” this is what we are told. The Commander of the Faithful [Imam Ali (pbuh)], who is the epitome of true Islam, said in his will to those who were the dearest elements in the world — his two children — to oppose the oppressor and “support the oppressed.” That’s the first thing. If a political system, an organization, or a power in the world is based on oppression, then it will obviously oppose this system, because it knows that this system will be opposed to it. The Zionist regime is based on oppression. They drove a nation out of their homes and took everything they had, not with money and requests, but by using guns, clubs, and torture, then they occupied their places. That regime is based on oppression. Well, definitely that [Zionist] regime will oppose a system of governance that is “opposed to the oppressor.”

The Islamic system is opposed to taking possession of the interests of other nations, even if they do not have the same belief and behavior, “And do not let hatred of a people incite you to not act equitably” (Quran 5:8). Treat other nations with justice and equitably, even if they do not have the same beliefs. “Hatred of a people” means even if they are opposed to you, you should not be unfair when dealing with them.

Well, the regimes whose actions are based on injustice are essentially opposed [to the Islamic system]. England was once the richest country in Europe. Where did it get its wealth from? From India, from the Indian subcontinent, and from the Americas when they were occupied by Britain. They gained their wealth by stealing the interests of others. France became a rich country; it was able to pursue scientific work. Where did it get [its wealth] from? From Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and the French regions in Africa and Latin America. The rest were the same. The basis for carrying out their actions was exploitation. Since they knew how to sail and they were located by the sea, they were able to go everywhere. They initially did these things using trickery and deception, but when they obtained guns, they were able to forcefully seize the interests of other nations.

Well, it is clear that these governments, powers, and regimes are against a system that is based on standing against the oppression of nations and opposes interference in the affairs of other nations. That’s how it is. And yet you see some political analysts sitting around analyzing what the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic system, and the Islamic Republic have done that has caused certain countries to oppose it. Is an analysis even needed? It is obvious. This is the issue: The diabolic colonialist system is unable of being on good terms with a system such as the Islamic system.

The next point is that the Islamic system believes in the dignity of human beings — human beings because they are human beings, not just human beings who are of a certain region, race, or skin color, “Indeed, We have honored the children of Adam” (Quran 17:70). This is what the Quran says. A black person who comes from a region where the people are mostly black is also a child of Adam. They are no different from any other person. This logic of racial discrimination which the West has spread, has reprehensibly practiced, and continues to practice to this day is one hundred percent in contrast to [the logic of] the Quran and Islam. The Islamic system is opposed to this. Almost 300-400 years have passed since Westerners first settled in America and yet the problem of racial discrimination still exists there. In light of this, do you expect this regime and system to be kind to the Islamic system? Well, the Islamic system is opposed to these things. This is also one of its features.

Another feature of the Islamic system [is that] the Islamic system believes that if a country or a government does not intend to be in conflict with it or does not wish to show enmity to it and says, “let’s not fight with each other,” the Islamic system must accept this. “And if they incline toward peace, you too lean toward it and trust Allah” (Quran 8:61). The other party may be a government that does not share the same beliefs as you, yet it does not seek to be your enemy. It says, “let’s be allies, let’s be at peace with each other,” there is nothing wrong with that.

“Allah does not forbid you from dealing with kindness and justice with those who did not make war against you on account of religion and did not expel you from your homes” (Quran 60:8). [If] they haven’t started a battle with you, if they haven’t driven you out of your home or land, and if they don’t have any conflict with you, then accept it. But don’t accept if you see the other party is not trustworthy, or if they tell lies and use trickery — “do not slacken and [do not] call for peace” (Quran 47:35). If that is the case, you are not allowed to accept. If you sensed, came to realize, or the signs showed that the other party is being dishonest, if they are seemingly shaking hands with you with one hand but are ready to stab you in the back with a poisonous dagger in their other hand, “do not slacken and [do not] call for peace.” Never accept them. In addition, if you sign an agreement with them, “If they break their pledges after their having made a treaty” (Quran 9:12), treat them in the same manner. If they break the pact, you break the pact.

You see, these are the lessons of the Islamic system. Well, these lessons make enemies out of those who are evil. Yes, these lessons are acceptable to those who are not evil, to those who are not malicious, and to those who do not have vices. But when the other side has malice and vice, when they are spiteful, when they break their promises, and when they are liars, they naturally become your enemy.

So these are the kinds of things that are in the Islamic system and these are the things that create enemies. Where are the attacks coming from? From those who disagree with these characteristics. So, we have recognized the enemy. When we think deeply about this, we find motivation to protect [the Revolution], and we also understand from whom we should protect our Revolution. We will know who the enemy is and we won’t make a mistake. One of the problems that we sometimes encounter, and we must be careful not to get caught in this, is making a mistake in recognizing the enemy. Sometimes people make a mistake in recognizing the enemy.

Imam Khomeini (ra) with his perceptive insight — truly no better term that can be used for him — which was an insight in the true sense of the word that penetrated the hidden layers of matters and saw things that others could not see, said, “Vent all your shouts on the US.” So, the reason for their enmity with this Revolution has become clear, and it has also become apparent who the enemies are.

There is another point that also needs to be mentioned about these enmities. If the Islamic Republic had not become a role model, there would have been less enmities toward it. But the Islamic Republic has become a role model. It has become a pioneer. The Islamic Republic has become the driving force of the resistance movements in this sensitive region. That is the issue here. This too is one of the important matters.

You see, before the victory of Revolution, the wretched Zionist regime was able to paralyze the armies of several relatively strong neighboring countries in just six days, countries such as Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. In the 6-Day War in 1967, the Zionist army was able to paralyze the well-equipped armies of these three countries. It seized large parts of their land and took over hundreds of square kilometers of the lands of these three countries. The same thing happened in 1973, when Egypt and Syria initially used a surprise tactic to react. But they were immediately besieged again, and the Zionist army defeated them once again.

In other words, three countries with their armies combined were unable to oppose the Zionist regime, and they were crippled in six days! After the Islamic Revolution, it came to the point where this same regime did everything it could for 33 days to defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it failed and was forced to flee in disgrace. It was unable to continue against Hezbollah. The difference between the pre-Revolution period and the post-Revolution period is equivalent to the difference between the 6-Day War and the 33-Day War. Today, we have reached a point where young people are moving and attacking in the Occupied Territories of Palestine and in the area west of the Jordan River in such a way that they are crippling the Zionist regime. This is how the Revolution is. In this manner, the formation of enmities is inevitable.

Very well, I would like to mention one last thing. We have advanced in many areas, a lot of good work has been done, our capabilities are increasing every day, as the honorable commander of the IRGC mentioned some good things about our capabilities. We have all of these things and there may be many other things that naturally have not been included in the reports. But I would like to advise you to refrain from feeling too proud of your capabilities and accomplishments. Be careful you don’t become arrogant because of the things we have. We should appreciate them and understand their importance, but we should also note that the enemy's strategic policy of creating successive crises, which was approved at the Guadeloupe Conference, is still ongoing. They have not abandoned this policy. They keep creating crises inside the system of the Islamic Republic, inside our dear country. One day they do this under the pretext of elections, another day under the pretext of gas [prices], another day under the pretext of women’s [issues], and so on. They create crises under various pretexts.

Obviously, the tools they use to create crises are more advanced today. The enemy’s primary goal for creating these crises is to destroy the country’s security. If there is no security, there will be no economy either. If there is no security, there will be no science, universities, or research centers. If there is no security, there will be no employment or work to build the infrastructure either. If there is no security, there will be no reopening of closed factories. Security is the main thing. The goal of these crises is to disrupt the country's security. We need to know this as a fact and to identify our duty with respect to this.

The enemy wishes to interfere in the country's security. It wishes to disrupt people's lives. That is what the enemy is doing. Well, the main perpetrators are, of course, the CIA, Mossad, MI6, and other spy agencies. They are the main perpetrators. But they also have underlings inside and outside the country who are Western-oriented or are indifferent. But the spy services are the main perpetrators, and they are the ringleaders. Our duty today is to continuously safeguard the Revolution. Our duty today is to maintain national unity.

National unity is important. Our duty today is to encourage people to participate in things. We need to help people, especially the lower classes. Our officials have a duty today to engage in jihadi work. This is not limited to the IRGC. All of the country’s officials have a duty to take part in jihadi work. They need to work tirelessly around-the-clock. We have passed through a large part of this chapter. We have climbed up this steep incline and passed the steepest part, and we are approaching the mountaintop. We must not get tired. Today is not the day to be tired. It is not the day to give up hope. Today is the day for enthusiasm, hope, and movement. 

The country’s officials in different departments should move forward with this kind of spirit. There should be trust. I’m not saying there should not be criticisms. Criticism should exist alongside trust. It’s alright if people want to criticize, but there should also be trust. Our officials are working hard. They are working with sincerity, with interest, with enthusiasm, with all their might, and with trust in God. They need to be trusted, and criticized if necessary. I am not opposed to criticism. If we follow this path — and, thank God, it has been pursued up until today and will continue to be followed by God's grace — then victory over the enemy is certain.

 

May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.

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