In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and greetings be upon our Master, Muhammad, and upon his pure Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
I offer my greetings to the entire dear nation of Iran. I thought it’s appropriate to share some words with our dear people. There are two or three topics which I will now elaborate on.
Before I begin, I believe it’s necessary to offer my congratulations to you on the arrival of the month of Mehr. Mehr is the month of lessons and school, of knowledge and university. It’s the month that marks the beginning of the journey of millions of youth, adolescents, and young children toward knowledge and abilities. This is the defining characteristic of the month of Mehr. I urge our dear officials, especially those in the Ministry of Education and Edification, the Ministry of Science, and the Ministry of Health to never lose sight of the value and importance of the Iranian youth’s talent. The Iranian youth have demonstrated their talent in science and in many other matters of life.
Let me share some figures with you. In various international student competitions that were held just recently — despite the 12-Day War and all the accompanying challenges — our students won 40 various medals. Of these 40 medals, 11 were gold. These achievements are very important and valuable. In the International Olympiad on Astronomy, they’ve come in first place in the world among all the participating countries. They’ve also achieved high rankings in other fields. You can see their achievements in sports too these days: first in volleyball and now in wrestling. This is how our young people are. Praise God, they have exceptional talent, and this should be used.
I believe it’s necessary these days, on the anniversary of the martyrdom of the great mujahid, Martyr Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, to remember him. Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was an immense treasure for the Islamic world, and not only for the Shia or just for Lebanon. He was a treasure for the entire Islamic world. Of course, this treasure isn’t gone. It still remains. He may be gone, but the treasure he created remains. The story of Lebanon’s Hezbollah is ongoing. Hezbollah shouldn’t be underestimated, and this important treasure shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s a treasure for Lebanon and for the rest of the world.
As for the topics I wish to discuss, there are three topics. The first is about the unity of the Iranian nation. While much has already been said on this subject, there is a particular point I wish to discuss about this. The second topic concerns the issue of uranium enrichment. Since this matter is being discussed and repeated so frequently, I have something to say on this. The third point is about negotiating with the US. This is a subject about which many speakers and writers express a variety of opinions — some in favor and some opposed, some with reasons and others without. I would like to share a few words on that topic to the extent possible as well.
As for the first topic — the unity of the Iranian nation — the first thing I would like to say is that during the 12-Day War, the unity and cohesion of the Iranian people dashed the enemy’s hopes. From the early days and the middle of the war, the enemy realized it wouldn’t achieve its intended objective and what it wanted. The enemy’s objective wasn’t striking our commanders. That was only a means [to achieving their objective]. The enemy thought that by targeting military commanders and some of the system’s influential figures, they could spark riots across the country, particularly in Tehran. They hoped their agents would incite riots and chaos, drawing people they could influence into the streets to create an incident by the people against the Islamic Republic. This was their objective.
Therefore, their target was the Islamic Republic. The goal was to disrupt the system. As I mentioned elsewhere, they had even sat down, made plans, and designed for after the Islamic Republic. They wanted to create a sedition. They sought to create seditions in the streets, to launch divisive factions, and to uproot Islam from the country. This was the enemy's goal.
Well, they failed in achieving this objective in the very first steps. The commanders [who were martyred] were replaced almost immediately. Successors were appointed, and the structure, order, and discipline of the Armed Forces remained intact with the same strength and with an even higher morale.
And the people, who were the most effective element, weren’t influenced in the least by what the enemy wanted. Demonstrations did erupt, and the streets were filled. But those protests were against the enemy, not against the Islamic system. The people's actions brought the situation to a point where the enemy — those outside our borders — told their own agents, “You incompetent fools! What more could we possibly have done for you that we haven’t already done? We laid the groundwork for you, we dropped bombs, we assassinated and killed a number of people. Why don’t you do anything?!”
Their agents inside Iran, in Tehran — they undoubtedly have agents — replied, “We wanted to do something, but the people didn’t pay any attention to us. They turned their backs on us. The officials and those responsible for maintaining order in the country also stood in our way and stopped us. Thus, we weren’t able to do anything.”
So, the enemy’s plot was thwarted. What I have just recounted, parts or all of it, has already been said before — by me and by others. The point I want to emphasize is that this factor still remains. The unity of the Iranian nation still remains.
There are some — whose origins are abroad, according to the information we’ve received — who are trying to create the impression that the unity that emerged during and after the 12-Day War was only temporary. [They believe] this unity will gradually weaken, differences will emerge, disagreements will take over, and this unity will disappear over time. [They presume] the Iranian people will become divided, making it possible for them [enemies] to exploit ethnic divisions and political differences to turn the Iranian people against each other and to incite riots and rebellion! This is what they are promoting.
I wish to say that what they’re saying is absolutely not true. Yes, there are differences of opinion on political issues, and we have many ethnic groups in the country who are all Iranian and proud of their Iranian identity. That is a fact. However, when facing the enemy, this entire body becomes a single, mighty fist of steel that will come down on the enemy’s head. This is how it is today, it has been like this in the past, and by the grace of God, this is how it will be in the future too.
Today’s Iran and tomorrow’s Iran, God willing, is the same as the Iran of June 13 and June 14, when people filled the streets and chanted slogans against the vile Zionists and criminal US. This is the first point I wanted to make. The key takeaway is that this national unity and solidarity still exists and will continue to exist. Of course, we all have a responsibility to protect it.
The second point [I wish to discuss] is the topic of enrichment. In the statements and discussions between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its political counterparts, the word “enrichment” is frequently repeated. They say one thing about enrichment, we say something else. Inside the country too, the word enrichment keeps coming up in various discussions. I would like to offer a brief explanation about enrichment.
So what is enrichment? What is it that it’s so important? All these debates revolve around enrichment — the enrichment of uranium. What I want to say is that “enrichment” is just one word, but beneath it lies great meaning, which could fill an entire book, that I will briefly touch upon now. It would be good and beneficial if experts in this field were to speak to the public about this. I’ll give a brief explanation about this.
Uranium enrichment means that scientists and experts in uranium-related matters take raw uranium, which is available in Iran's mines, and transform it into a highly valuable substance that has an impact on various aspects of people's lives. They do this through a series of advanced, complex technical processes. That is the definition of enrichment. In other words, a substance obtained from a mine is transformed — through complex technologies, significant effort, advanced expertise, and high levels of skill — into what is called enriched uranium. It is enriched to various levels.
Enriched uranium has various applications that benefit people in different aspects of their lives. It is useful in agriculture, it plays a significant role in agriculture; in industry and materials; in nutrition, which is tied to agriculture; in environmental matters and natural resources. Furthermore, it’s useful for research, in education, and in scientific pursuits. Of course, the effect it has in generating electrical power is quite clear.
Today, in many of the world's developed countries, power plants are run on uranium. On the other hand, we run most of our power plants on gasoline and natural gas. This not only incurs high costs but also pollutes the environment and the air. However, the electricity generated from enriched uranium and nuclear power plants produces zero pollution, costs significantly less, has a much longer operational life, and offers many other advantages that, as I mentioned, this is something that experts in the field should explain in more detail for the public.
If we were to list the various uses of enriched uranium, it would make a long list. We didn't previously have this very important technology. We weren't capable of enrichment, and our enemies were unwilling to give it to us. No one else was willing to give it to us either. Over 30 years ago, a few determined managers and a few responsible, distinguished scientists — they were truly like this — started working on the issue of uranium enrichment and brought it to the point where it is today.
Today, we are at an advanced level in terms of uranium enrichment. Of course, countries seeking to build nuclear weapons even increase enrichment up to 90% purity. Since we have no need for such weapons and have no intention of building them, we haven’t increased enrichment to that level. We have increased enrichment to 60%, which is a very high, excellent figure. And this is something that is necessary for some of the work that needs to be done in our country.
We’ve been able to advance enrichment to this point, and we are now one of 10 countries in the world with this capability. I can tell you that out of the over 200 countries in the world, only 10 are capable of enrichment, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of them. The other nine countries have nuclear bombs too, of course. We’re the only one that doesn’t have a nuclear bomb and won’t have one. We have no intention of using nuclear weapons, but we do have enrichment.
We are considered to be one of the ten countries in this advanced industry. The scientists I mentioned laid the foundation for this work and made significant progress, but their most important contribution was training numerous individuals in this field. Today, according to a solid, reliable report given to us by those involved in this field, there are tens of distinguished scientists and professors, hundreds of students, and thousands of people who’ve been trained in the nuclear sciences working in various nuclear-related fields.
Now, they [the US] came and bombed [Iranian enrichment] facilities in this and that place. The point is that this is a science, and science cannot be destroyed. Science cannot be eliminated by bombs, threats, and such things. It exists. As I said and I'll repeat it, we have tens of distinguished, skilled scientists and professors, hundreds of students, and thousands of trained people working on various nuclear applications. For example, I didn't mention medical treatments when listing nuclear applications, but it is one of the most important areas where nuclear enrichment is used.
A large number of people are working in various fields of medical treatment. The same is true for the agricultural and industrial sectors, as well as many other areas where people are working and putting in effort. Of course, during these past few decades when we have been carrying out this work in our country, the pressures on us, on Iran, on our country's officials, and on our administrations, have been immense. They wanted Iran to abandon this work as a result of these pressures, but we didn’t and won’t surrender.
We did not and will not succumb to pressure on this issue, nor on any other issue. And now this guy, the American side, has dug his heels in, insisting that Iran mustn’t have enrichment. Now others, the previous administrations, used to say that we shouldn’t have high-level enrichment or that we shouldn’t keep the products of enrichment in the country. They used to say these things, which we didn’t accept. But this one now says, “Don’t have enrichment whatsoever; absolutely no enrichment.” What does this mean? It means that this great achievement — one for which our country has worked so hard, gone to great costs, and endured so many difficulties — should be thrown away and destroyed! That’s what having “no enrichment” means. Obviously, a nation with a strong sense of honor, like the Iranian nation, will slap anyone who suggests such a thing and refuses to accept it. So, this is what I wanted to say regarding enrichment.
As for the next matter, which is the third topic, in the statements of political figures, the issue of negotiating with the US is frequently raised. There are differing views on this. As I have said, some consider it beneficial and necessary, some believe it’s harmful, and others have more moderate opinions. Opinions vary. I wish to communicate to our dear nation what I have understood, seen, felt, and experienced over these many years. I also urge our political officials and those active in the political field to reflect on these words, to think about them, and to base their judgments on knowledge and information.
My point is this that under the present circumstances — now it's possible that in 20 or 30 years the situation may be different, but we aren’t discussing that right now — in the current situation, first of all, negotiating with the US government does nothing to serve our national interests. It will bring us no benefit, nor will it shield us from any harm. This is the first point. In other words, it’s a fruitless endeavor. It has no benefit for the country, and it doesn’t shield us from any harm. It definitely has no such effect. This is the first point.
Second, on the contrary, there are also harms that are the result of such talks. That is to say, not only do they lack any benefit, but my second point is that negotiating with the US in the current situation would bring great harm to the country. Some of this harm could perhaps be said to be irreparable. It would have this much harm, which I will now describe. The reason we say negotiations aren’t to our benefit and have no advantage for us is because the US side has previously specified the outcome of the negotiations in advance. It has declared that it will only accept negotiations, it wants to enter negotiations, where the outcome will be an end to nuclear activities and enrichment in Iran. This means we would sit at the negotiating table with the US, only for the result of our talks to be precisely what they’ve already decreed must be done. This isn’t negotiations; it’s dictating the outcome. It’s imposition. To sit and negotiate with a party when the result must necessarily be exactly what they want and demand — is that negotiations?
This is how the other side is talking now. They say, “Let’s negotiate.” And what they want from the negotiations is for Iran to not have uranium enrichment. Now, he’s spoken about enrichment. A few days ago, the Vice President declared that Iran mustn’t have missiles either — neither long-range missiles, nor medium-range missiles, and not even short-range missiles. He says we [Iran] mustn’t have any of these. This means they want Iran’s hands to be so tied and empty that even if it’s attacked, it won’t be able to respond or retaliate against a US base in Iraq or anywhere else. That is what this demand means. Should we enter negotiates for such an outcome?! Well, that would have no benefit. That would be negotiations where there is no benefit for us. The result of such talks would only be harm for us. That is coercion. That means accepting the US’s coercion and imposition. That isn’t negotiations.
When one is dealing with Islamic Iran, these kinds of expectations and statements stem from a failure to know the Iranian nation. They stem from a failure to know the Islamic Republic. The reason for this is that they don’t know the philosophy, foundations, and guiding principles of Islamic Iran. They talk like this because they don’t understand these things. As we, the people of Mashhad, say, “This talk is bigger than the mouth that uttered it,” and this talk isn’t worth paying attention to — this talk of negotiating for such an outcome. So such negotiations would have no benefit for us.
Now, as for the harm — I said it has harms, and this is the more important point. The other side has threatened that if we don’t negotiate, this and that will happen. They say, “We’ll bomb you,” or “We’ll do this or that.” There are threats of this nature, some are vague and others are stated bluntly. [They say,] “Either negotiate, or if you don't, this and that will happen.” This is a threat.
Well, accepting such negotiations would signify that the Islamic Republic of Iran is susceptible to threats. If you go and enter negotiations after such threats, it would mean that in the face of any threat, we are immediately frightened, tremble, and surrender to the opposing side. That is what it would mean.
If there is such a susceptibility to threats, there will be no end to this. Today they say, “If you continue enrichment, we’ll do this and that.” Tomorrow they’ll say, “If you have missiles, we’ll do this and that.” After that, they’ll say, “If you don’t have relations with a certain country, we’ll do this and that,” or, “If you do have relations with that certain country, we’ll do this and that.” Continuous threats. We would be forced to back down in the face of the enemy's threats. No honorable nation would accept negotiations that are accompanied by threats, and no wise politician would ever endorse that. So this is the situation.
Of course, the other side may say, “In return for this, I will grant you such-and-such concession.” They’re lying. What they call a concession — what they claim to be offering as a concession — is a lie.
Ten years ago, we signed an agreement with the US, which is known as the JCPOA in our country. In this agreement, it was decided that we would take certain actions regarding our nuclear program. We would shut down a specific production facility, and the 3.5 percent enriched material that we were producing at that time, we would either ship it abroad or convert and dilute it, as they say. Diluting it means it would be destroyed. Its enrichment would be eliminated. And other such things [were agreed].
In return, they were supposed to remove the sanctions. And after 10 years, Iran’s file in the International Atomic Energy Agency would return to a normal status. At that time, when the country’s officials came to me and said, “Ten years,” I told them, “Ten years is a lifetime! Why are you accepting a ten-year period?” They said this and that, and it was decided they wouldn’t accept the ten-year period. But they did accept it in the end. Anyway, those 10 years have now come to an end. Those 10 years that were supposed to bring Iran’s IAEA file back to a normal status have now finished.
Today, you can see for yourselves that not only has the file not been brought back to a normal status, but the country’s nuclear problems in the UN Security Council, the United Nations, and the IAEA have been compounded. They’ve multiplied several times over. That’s how the other side operates. This is [the nature of] their promises. We did everything we were supposed to do, but they didn’t lift the sanctions. They didn’t fulfill any of the promises they’d made. And then, as the common expression goes, he [Donald Trump] “tore up” the agreement — or the accord, or the memorandum of understanding — that had been decided upon and completely withdrew from the JCPOA and rejected it.
Now, if you were to negotiate with the other side and accept their demands, that would mean submission, the weakening of the country, and the destruction of a nation's honor. That is the result when you’re dealing with a party that’s threatening you. If you don’t accept, the situation will remain as it is now — the same conflict, the same disputes. Therefore, those aren’t proper negotiations. We mustn’t forget our past experiences. We mustn’t forget this experience of the past 10 years. The opposing party that is the subject of our discussion at present is the US. For now, I don’t want to discuss issues regarding Europe.
The side we’re facing breaks their promises in every matter. They lie about everything and try to deceive. They constantly make military threats. If they can, they assassinate people — just as they assassinated our martyred general, Martyr Soleimani. They do these things if they can. Or they bomb nuclear facilities. That’s how they are. We cannot negotiate with such a party. We cannot sit down with them in confidence and trust to speak, listen, and make agreements with them.
In my opinion, negotiations with the United States over the nuclear issue, and perhaps over other issues as well, are a complete dead end. In other words, there’s no correct path forward in this regard. It’s an absolute impasse. They need to think about this, reflect on it, and figure it out
Of course, such negotiations are useful for the current US president. He would hold his head up high and say, “I threatened Iran and brought them to the negotiating table.” He would boast about it on the world stage. But for us, it would only be harmful. It would have no benefit for us whatsoever.
What I want to say at the end is this that the key to the country's progress is becoming strong. We must become strong. We must be strong militarily, we must be strong scientifically, and we must be strong in our government, in our structure, and in our organizations. Our intelligent individuals and our sincere experts must convene to identify the ways to strengthen the country, then pursue these paths, and so forth. If this is achieved, then the other side will not even make threats. When it sees that its opposing side is strong, it won’t even issue threats. This, in my opinion, is the only solution.
We must seek help from Almighty God, place our trust in Him, and turn to the pure Imams (pbut) for their intercession and help. We must also make use of the nation’s resolve and move the work forward, God willing. And with the help of God, this will be accomplished.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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