In a meeting today with thousands of students and families of martyrs, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the US as a truly arrogant power. The meeting was held on the occasion of Aban 13th, the national day for opposing the global arrogance.
His Eminence said that the Iranian nation will not be deceived by the so-called conciliatory tone of the US as long as it maintains its arrogant attitude and continues to threaten other countries.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Iranian nation will by no means give up its rights and independence and will continue to safeguard its national interests.
Ayatollah Khamenei further touched on the prerequisites for true, logical, and firm resistance. He said: "Motivation that is rooted in faith is a necessary factor for putting up such resistance because nations cannot be forced to mount resistance in difficult circumstances."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to insight as the second prerequisite for mounting true, logical, and firm resistance and reiterated: "The current situation of the world and the unique and exceptional position of the Islamic Republic in the world is the reason behind stressing insight because in the current situation every movement requires public insight."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that knowing the arrogant powers is a prerequisite for resisting against them, further adding: "Arrogant powers are the powers which interfere in other countries' internal affairs using their military, financial and propaganda facilities. They interfere in other countries' affairs as if they own them."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the US actions in different countries of the world, particularly in Islamic countries, and described the US as a truly arrogant power. He added: "After the victory of the Islamic Revolution when the Iranian nation proved its power by overthrowing the corrupt and dependent Pahlavi regime, the US government started to hatch plots against the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic instead of apologizing to the Iranian nation and making up for the harmful blows which they had dealt to the Iranian nation. The US embassy was then turned into a center for espionage and hatching plots against the Islamic Republic."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the US has so far done everything in its power against the Iranian nation and stated: "The result of such confrontation has been the increasing progress of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic as well as the increasing power of the country and the Islamic system."
Ayatollah Khamenei further referred to some of the recent so-called conciliatory remarks by the American officials and said: "Whenever the US officials have put on a so-called friendly smile, we have found out after careful analysis that they have evil intentions behind that smile and that their intentions have not changed."
Elsewhere, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the apparently pleasing remarks and constant messages of the American President for engaging in negotiations with Iran and solving the current problems. His Eminence said: "From the beginning, the stance of the Islamic Republic was to avoid acting in a judgmental manner and to wait for the practical manifestations of the US president's slogan of change. But so far, what has been observed in practice has been contrary to what was said before."
Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to his new-year remarks in Mashhad, when he said "if the hand that is extended to Iran is an iron hand covered with a velvet glove, the Islamic Republic will not extend its hand" and stated: "On the one hand, the American officials talk of negotiation. But on the other hand, they continue their threats, saying that the negotiations should produce their desired result, or they will show certain reactions."
He said that this is the type of relationship which Imam Khomeini (r.a.) rejected.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: "When there were only two superpowers in the world who agreed on the issue of opposing the Islamic Republic, the Iranian nation stood up to them and brought them to their knees. This should be a lesson for the Americans because they are not the power they once were. And the Islamic Republic has got even stronger since that time."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Iranian nation is seeking to gain independence and freedom and to achieve progress in science and technology. He stated that the Iranian nation will bring to its knees any power that intends to encroach on its rights.
He said that the US government will become a government like other governments for the Islamic Republic if it abandons its arrogant attitude and stops interfering in other countries' affairs. "But as long as they are planning to regain power in Iran and dominate our country, they will not be able to make the Iranian nation retreat," he noted.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the post-election events should not create any hope for the Americans because "the Islamic Republic is a strongly-rooted system and the Islamic Republic has managed to overcome even more difficult problems".
Ayatollah Khamenei further stressed: "The Americans should know that the few people who are confronting the Islamic Republic, whether with wicked intentions or with bad intentions which are accompanied by naivety, cannot roll out the red carpet for the Americans because the Iranian nation is standing firm in this regard."
In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the country and its future belong to the youth and said that the country should be protected by relying on strong determination which is rooted in faith. He added that genuine power can be gained through gaining knowledge and doing research.
Ayatollah Khamenei said gaining knowledge should be integrated with religious motivation in order to gain genuine power. He further stressed that the superpowers and their followers inside the country have no option but to retreat when faced with a faithful and determined nation.