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 and our Prophet, Abul-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad; and upon his pure, untainted, chosen Progeny; particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
I welcome all the dear brothers and sisters who have blessed and illuminated this Hussainiyah today with their warm presence and participation. I will say a few words about the 12th of Bahman (Feb. 1, 1979), which is an important day. I will also speak briefly about the sedition that took place a week or two ago. I’ll explain what kind of phenomenon it was and what exactly took place. I’ll be saying a few words about the US as well. These are the points I’ve made a note of to share with my dear brothers and sisters.
As for the 12th of Bahman, the 12th of Bahman is truly an exceptional day. Throughout the year, there are days when you know an event took place, and it’s an important day. It’s a momentous day. These days are recorded in history as an important event or as a significant occurrence. But there are some days that one sees as going beyond mere prominence or historical significance. These are days that make history. An event that takes place on such a day actually alters and shifts the course of history. The 12th of Bahman is one of those days.
Imam [Khomeini] came to Tehran in the midst of threats – in the midst of threats! You young people didn’t see those days. There were threats from the US, threats from the regime, and threats from terrorist groups. Later, it became clear what kinds of plans they had devised regarding Imam [Khomeini’s] arrival. In the midst of these threats, Imam [Khomeini] came to Tehran with courage and strength. He entered Tehran, and the nation honored his arrival together as one. The reception of the Imam on the 12th of Bahman – as far as we know – is unprecedented in history, even in our own time when populations and facilities have increased. The reception of Imam [Khomeini] was extraordinary!
Well, a leader, a prominent figure, an Imam, entered society, and society embraced him. This in itself was a momentous event. However, Imam [Khomeini] didn’t let this unparalleled reception remain just a mere ceremony. These kinds of occasions are sometimes just formalities. People come, pay respect to someone, and then they disperse and leave. That figure goes his way, and they go theirs. Imam [Khomeini] didn’t allow this momentous event to be just a ceremony. He started working from the very first hour.
First of all, the very first thing Imam [Khomeini] did was to announce the overthrow of the [monarchial] system on that day when he arrived. In the Behesht Zahra Cemetery, speaking before a crowd of millions, he announced the downfall of the monarchial system, which was said to have a history of several thousand years. And he announced its replacement with a new, fresh system possessing major, prominent, important characteristics. Now, this new system, which Imam [Khomeini] gave the good news of on his arrival in Tehran on the 12th of Bahman, had numerous features. I will briefly mention some of them. But [according to] what Imam [Khomeini] himself stated, there were two fundamental, foundational, key features in this system.
One was that it transformed individual, despotic rule into popular governance, which is very important. The people had no role whatsoever in the country, and even ministers and administrations had no real authority. Everything – every decision and every action – was concocted and executed within a single circle, a single royal court. This [government] was changed into a popular government. That is, the people could express their views, make choices, and exercise authority.
The second characteristic was the transformation of the anti-religious process governing the country into an Islamic, religious one. Anyone who reads the memoirs of officials from the Pahlavi era – whether they were written later or at that time – will see and understand that they were steering Iran toward a completely anti-religious framework. It was a movement that would have left no sign of Islam, religion, or the Quran. The country was gradually moving in that direction.
Imam [Khomeini] changed that course 180 degrees. Although, a country cannot be made 100% religious overnight, of course. The movement became a religious one and gradually moved toward religion. If we – the country’s officials – had properly fulfilled our duties, that transformation would have taken place by now, and the country would have truly become religious. In truth, we – some administrations, officials, and individuals who could have done something – were remiss. There were things we should have done, but we didn’t do them. And there were things we shouldn’t have done, but we did do them. But despite all this, the overall trajectory remained the very path that Imam [Khomeini] had laid down. In other words, we have progressed within this religious, Islamic process.
[Of course,] another characteristic of this new system – one that Imam [Khomeini] repeatedly emphasized in his statements and that was among the most significant of the features he outlined, and which was a feature that greatly unsettled [Global] Arrogance – was cutting off the US’s grip on Iran. From the very outset, Imam [Khomeini] declared the termination of US influence and interference in Iran. I will say a few words about this toward the end of my talk. This was a defining characteristic too. It’s the characteristic that threw the Americans into a phrenzy. It’s the thing that unsettled them more than anything else from the very first hour. The thing that upset them, drove them to action, and pushed them into hostility was the announcement that [foreign] influence and interference in our country would no longer be allowed. The country belonged to the Iranian nation, and they and their elected representatives would decide its affairs.
Regarding the popular nature of the Revolution and the popular nature of the government, which we said was one of the defining features [of the Islamic system], what Imam [Khomeini] did was to acquaint the people, the Iranian nation, with their own capabilities and their own values. Imam [Khomeini] was influential when he spoke. His words resonated with the people. He made the Iranian nation fully aware of its great capabilities. This phrase, “We can,” is extremely important. Those of us who lived before the Revolution – even those of us who were politically active then – truly believed that Iranians couldn’t do anything. “We can’t” dominated people’s thinking. Imam [Khomeini] came and turned that upside down. He proclaimed, “We can.” He made the nation aware of its values and its capabilities.
During the Qajar and Pahlavi periods, our nation had been turned into a humiliated nation. The Iranian nation with its background, its civilization, its science, its scientists, its vast and magnificent libraries had been transformed, starting from the early Qajar period and throughout the entire Pahlavi period, into a humiliated, backward nation. We were behind in science, we were behind in technology, and we were behind in politics. Iran had no influence on regional policies, let alone global ones.
I once recounted an incident here. After World War I, countries were invited to participate in the Paris Conference to make decisions on international issues. A large Iranian delegation set out for Paris to take part in that conference, but they weren’t allowed in! The Iranian delegation waited outside the doors. Several days passed, but they weren’t permitted to enter the meeting. This is what they had reduced our magnificent, civilized Iran to. This was what had happened to Iran, which had once been a source of knowledge, philosophy, and so much else in the world and from which others benefited. They had brought it to such a state of humiliation and insignificance. In science, in technology, in politics, in lifestyle, in international standing, in regional decision-making – in all these areas, the Iranian nation was behind and humiliated during the Qajar and Pahlavi periods. There wasn’t a single invention, achievement, or prominent movement.
Imam [Khomeini] made the nation sensitive to [the reality of] this backwardness, so that people would ask themselves, “Why should we be behind? Why shouldn’t we produce or build things ourselves? Why shouldn’t we make our own presentations or have a voice in the world? Why?” Imam [Khomeini] awakened this sensitivity in the nation. He revived a sense of capability in the Iranian people. The magnanimous Imam instilled self-confidence in the nation. The Iranian nation now has self-confidence. Today, for example, when facing a European nation, or even the US nation, you no longer feel you’re inferior or smaller. You say, “We can,” and “We will do it,” and you have done it.
Over these 40-plus years, major accomplishments have been achieved in this country. These are things that were once unimaginable, but they’ve been achieved. It’s the same right now. Of course, they conceal this, and our own publicity efforts are weak. Today, there are thousands of companies run by young people who are actively working, producing important equipment, and carrying out major projects. When some officials took students to see certain industrial projects in various parts of the country – and not just in Tehran – the students were amazed. They could hardly believe their eyes. Who would have believed that one day Iran would develop a weapon that the United States would try to reproduce? Had that crossed anyone's mind? But it happened; it happened. Imam [Khomeini] breathed this spirit of self-confidence into the people. He infused this hope and ambition in them.
Imam [Khomeini] himself was the embodiment of this hope. He was the manifestation of this hope. He saw no obstacle before him. He would say, “Khorramshahr must be taken back.” Now we were there at the time when Khorramshahr was surrounded by enemy forces on all sides. [But he said,] “Khorramshahr must be freed.” One phrase! He was certain it could be done.
He said it, the young people summoned their will, and it happened. He himself was the embodiment of hope, and he mobilized the people toward that hope as well. Today too, were it not for the insinuations of truly malicious devils – they’re truly malicious – the situation would be the same. Some from within [the country], some from abroad constantly suggest that the Iranian youth have no hope, no future, and things like that. [But] yes, to your dismay, they do have hope, they do have a future, they are building that future, and they are moving forward.
The 22nd of Bahman was brought about by the 12th of Bahman. The 22nd of Bahman with all its greatness was made possible by the 12th of Bahman. Had there been no 12th of Bahman, had the Imam not returned, had there been no massive popular reception, the 22nd of Bahman wouldn’t have taken place. The 12th of Bahman brought about the Islamic Republic Day, which is the 12th of Farvardin (April 1). Progress in this country was made possible by the 12th of Bahman. It’s an important day – a history-making day. The 12th of Bahman, which we commemorate today, is truly a day that shaped history. Let us not forget this.
By the grace that Almighty God bestowed upon the magnanimous Imam, this was accomplished. And praise God, this continues to this day. Of course, the 12th of Bahman brought these blessings, but it also brought the US’s hostility. From that day, the hostility of the United States became more apparent, more visible, and more openly expressed. This also happened, and I will say a word about that later. So this was regarding the 12th of Bahman.
Now about the recent sedition, the sedition that took place on the 8th and 9th of January. First, my assessment is that this sedition was orchestrated by the US. It was a sedition orchestrated by the US, orchestrated by the Zionists and the US.
I said this before on another occasion that the people who came out to riot were of two categories. There were two types of people. One group was the ringleaders, and the other group was the foot soldiers who were an “ignorant, directionless mob.”
The ringleaders had been trained and paid. The ringleaders had been trained. They had received money. They had been trained and instructed on how to move, how to attack, where to attack, how to gather young people, and how to speak to them. They [the ringleaders] had been taught all of these things. These ringleaders had been trained. Many of them were caught, arrested, and confessed to these things.
Another group consisted of emotionally driven young people who got swept up in the commotion and came out. We don’t have any major issues with them. The sedition itself was orchestrated by the US. The scheme was devised by the US, but not just the US, the Zionist regime was involved as well.
When I say the US, this isn’t merely an allegation. It isn’t merely a claim, nor is it based on some secret, complex, convoluted intelligence channels. Although, we have obtained many of the details through intelligence means. What makes it clear that this action and movement was by the US are the remarks of the US President himself.
Explicitly stated! Addressing these rioters, he first referred to them as “the Iranian people.” When several million people gathered in Tehran and in other cities on January 12th, weren’t they the Iranian people? Those few thousand [in his opinion] were the Iranian people! He called them “the Iranian people.” Then he told them, “Keep going, keep going. I’m coming!” So, the sedition was orchestrated by the US.
Keep this in mind that this sedition wasn’t the first sedition to take place in Tehran, nor will it be the last. We will face similar events in the future as well. Prior to this … [The Leader responds to someone shouting, “Down with the seditionists,” by saying,] you could sometimes just say that “Down with …” in your head. It wasn’t the first. ... Pay attention. This wasn’t the first sedition, and it won’t be the last. Similar events may happen again. After all, we’re a country with a new way of thinking and a new path. We’re in friction and colliding with the interests of the global aggressors. We must always be expecting this. And how long will this continue? Until the Iranian nation reaches a point where its stability, steadfastness, and control over its affairs cause the enemy to lose hope. We must reach that point, and we will reach it.
Even before this sedition, the streets of Tehran had witnessed certain crimes and events. On June 20, 1981, the MEK attacked members of the Basij in these very streets of Tehran using carpet knives. We had seen these kinds of tragedies many times before. This was neither the first, nor will it be the last. In all of these cases, one can clearly see the hands of foreign powers at play, particularly the United States and the Zionist regime.
Of course, in the recent sedition as well as in previous events, our officials – our law enforcement forces, the Basij, the IRGC, and others who had some responsibility - carried out their duties in full. But it was the people themselves who trampled the fire of sedition into ash. This was the case this time, just as it was in 2009 and in other cases as well. When the people decide and enter the field, they extinguish the fires and reduce the flames to ashes. This is what happened this time as well. And in the future too, God willing, should any other event befall this country, Almighty God will raise these people to confront it. The people will be the ones who will stop it.
Now, this sedition had several characteristics that I would like to highlight – two or three of them in particular. One was that the rioters hid behind the peaceful protests of the bazaar shopkeepers. This was one of its defining features. In other words, they used the shopkeepers as a human shield. It was similar to how in some cities and parts of the world, when some criminals have been confronted by opposing forces, they place women and children in front of them to be positioned behind them. The seditionists hid behind the bazaar shopkeepers. The shopkeepers did have grievances. They came out into the streets and closed their shops. As I said in a previous meeting similar to this one, their demands were logical and justified. Those people [the rioters] hid behind them in order to avoid being identified. But the shopkeepers were perceptive and understood what was happening. As soon as they saw someone was a rioter – as soon as they saw that instead of moving peacefully in the streets, he was attacking a police station – they realized he was a rioter. They separated themselves, stepped aside, and left the rioters alone. This is one point.
Another characteristic of this sedition was that it resembled a coup attempt. In fact, some people around the world described the sedition that took place as a coup attempt. They said a coup had been started in Iran, which was suppressed, of course. Nonetheless, it was a coup attempt. But why call it a coup attempt? Because the goal was to destroy the sensitive, effective centers that govern the country. They attacked the police, they attacked IRGC centers, they attacked certain government institutions, and they attacked banks. This is what happened on the material level. They also attacked mosques; they attacked the Quran. This is what happened on the spiritual level. These are the things that keep the country running. They attacked these, so this amounted to a coup attempt.
There’s another point about this sedition that’s worth paying attention to. The point is that this sedition was plotted and developed outside the country. It wasn’t planned internally. Yes, a number of people from within the country started the sedition and riots, but the scheme itself was developed abroad. Commands were given from outside the country. That is, these people – the ringleaders – were in contact with people outside the country. They were told, “Now do this. Now attack this location. Now go to this street.” These directives were relayed from outside the country. By using satellite capabilities and similar technologies, they gathered intelligence and guided the operatives on the ground.
I was informed through a certain channel that an influential US figure within the US government had told an Iranian contact that in this recent event in Tehran and in the recent events that took place in Iran, the US’s CIA and the Zionist regime’s Mossad brought everything they had into the field. This was an admission made by an American. He said that both of these active, high-profile spy agencies – that is, the CIA and Mossad – deployed all of their resources. Nevertheless, they were defeated. The plan was developed outside the country, it was managed from abroad, and commands were given from outside the country.
Another feature of this sedition was that those trained ringleaders were given the task of engineered killings. They were ordered to engineer deaths. They didn’t have any particular or personal enmity toward certain people, but they had to engineer deaths. For this reason, they launched armed attacks on military and law-enforcement centers, using advanced weapons and sophisticated personal arms, in order to provoke a reaction from the other side and to ensure that a number of people would be killed.
But they didn’t stop there. They even attacked the foot soldiers whom they themselves had drawn into the field with their propaganda, striking them from behind. I was informed that some of those who were injured in this event had been attacked from behind. They didn’t even show any mercy to their own people. Why? To increase the death toll. Unfortunately, they were successful in doing so.
Of course, the enemy claims many more people were killed than what actually took place. They weren’t able to get the numbers they wanted, so they just fabricate them. Lying in this manner isn’t surprising from the likes of them. They report figures ten times – or even more than ten times – the actual number. The enemy’s goal was to disrupt the country’s security. This was their primary objective, because when security is gone, nothing is left.
When there’s no security, there’s no production, no livelihood, and no education or scholarly discussions. There are no schools, no research, no scientific knowledge, and no progress. All of these things exist when there’s security. Those who safeguarded the country’s security are the reason we’re alive today, and we’re all indebted to them. If your child can go to school safely, it’s because of security. If our children can go to school or out in the streets, it’s because of this security. Without it, you couldn’t send your child to school either, nor could you open your shop or go to your workplace. A young person busy doing research wouldn’t be able to carry out his/her work.
They wanted to set the people against the system, but fortunately the people struck them hard. On January 12th, millions of people came out, showed themselves, and demonstrated what “the Iranian people” truly means. They chanted slogans against the seditionists. Our officials must appreciate these people. Our country’s officials must truly understand the value of this nation. Of course, I should also mention that this sedition – whether by coincidence or by careful calculation, I cannot claim to know which – took place at a time when the country’s officials, the government authorities, the President and others, were in the process of designing an economic package for the country. They’re formulating and implementing economic plans to improve conditions and move the country forward. It was at precisely that moment that this sedition was created. Whether this timing was accidental or calculated, I cannot claim to know.
Another defining feature of this sedition was its violence. The violence was like that of the Daesh [ISIS]. Who created Daesh? The current President of the United States explicitly stated during his first election campaign, “We created ISIS.” That is, the US created it. The US Secretary of State created it. That Secretary of State, who was a woman (Hillary Clinton), also admitted to this. She wrote in her memoirs, “We created ISIS in order to seize control of Iraq and Syria.”
They created these Daesh [terrorists] as well. These [perpetrators] are another version of the Daesh. Their actions are like the actions of that group. As I mentioned that day, Daesh would kill and eliminate people under the accusation of them not being religious. But these [terrorists] kill people because of their religiosity! That’s the only difference. Otherwise, it’s the same force.
Like the Daesh, they burned people alive too. To burn a living human being – just imagine how brutal, cruel, and ruthless you would have to be [in order to do that]. They committed arson and vandalism. They beheaded people! They committed the very same atrocities that Daesh committed. Violence was one of their defining characteristics.
Now that you have shouted this slogan and mentioned the US, let’s talk about the US. This will be my final discussion [today] regarding the US.
What’s the issue between the US and Iran? This confrontation that exists – Iran and the US have been enemies for over 40 years – what is this really about? In my opinion, the issue can be summed up in two words, and that is: The US wants to devour Iran; the valiant Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic are preventing that.
It’s like someone who says, “I went and proposed marriage, and everything is settled, except for two words. I tell them, ‘I want your daughter,’ and they tell me, ‘Don’t you dare!’” Now the Iranian nation has told the other side, “Don’t you dare!” This is the [so-called] “crime” of the Iranian nation. This is what the dispute is about. Your Iran, your country, possesses numerous attractions. Iran’s oil is attractive, Iran’s gas is attractive, Iran’s rich mineral resources are attractive, Iran’s strategic and geographic location is attractive, and Iran possesses many other features as well. Iran is a country that naturally becomes the object of the greedy ambitions of an expansionist, aggressive power. This is the kind of country that Iran is.
Well, they want to seize control of this country, just as they controlled it in the past. For more than 30 years – over three decades – the Americans were present in Iran. Our resources were in their hands, our oil was in their hands, our policies were in their hands, our security was in their hands, Iran’s relations with the world were in their hands – everything was in their hands. They did whatever they wanted for 30 years.
Now that their grip has been broken, they’re trying to find a way back and to recreate the same situation that existed during the Pahlavi era. [But,] the Iranian nation has bravely and firmly stood against them and is stopping them. This is what the hostility is about. This is what the dispute is about. The rest – human rights and all the rest - is just empty talk. The [real] issue is this that they have greedy ambitions. But Iran is standing firmly and will continue to stand firmly. God willing, it will put an end the other side’s mischief and harassment.
When you hear them talking of war at times, claiming they will attack with their aircrafts and so forth, this isn’t something new. In the past too, the US [officials] would repeatedly make threats about “all options being on the table.” By “all options,” they also mean the option of war. They would continuously say, “All options are on the table.” Now this man is doing the same thing again, constantly claiming that they’ve sent aircraft carriers, they’ve done this and that, and so on.
In my opinion, they shouldn’t try to intimidate the Iranian nation with such things. The Iranian people aren’t affected by this kind of talk. They aren’t afraid of standing up for what is right. We aren’t the initiators [of war]. We do not seek to oppress anyone. We do not seek to attack any country. However, anyone who shows their greed and seeks to attack or cause harm, will face a decisive blow from the Iranian nation. Of course, the Americans should know this too that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war.
May God’s greetings and mercy be upon you.
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