The following is the full text of the speech delivered on August 26, 2009 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with students and prominent scientific figures.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
What was said by the students in this meeting was based on appropriate analyses. The brothers and sisters who spoke here made incisive and novel comments. From a general point of view, one can see that sincerity is the main feature of these statements - which is exactly what is expected from the youth, especially our educated youth. Of course you may not represent all the thoughts and tendencies of our students throughout the country. However, there is no doubt that what you said here is representative of the way our students think in general.
There are a lot of things I would like to discuss with the dear youth who have attended this meeting as well as all other students throughout the country. I have previously discussed many issues with you, and today I will talk to you as much as I can. I am sure it is your emotional and dynamic spirit and your thirst for knowledge that will shape the future of the country and even the future of Islam and the Islamic Ummah. The movement of our faithful students throughout the country is good news for the future of the country and the future of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Ummah. You raise good points. The points you emphasize and focus on are the right points. Thankfully, these are some of the positive characteristics.
First, I would like to talk about the questions that were asked today as well as the points I think I should explain here. Then, if there is enough time before the Adhan, I will discuss a couple of points I have on my mind.
An important part of the statements made by some of our friends here was about the criminals behind the recent events. They asked why these people are not tried in a court of law and why they are not punished. I would say that in such important issues, it is not possible to act on the basis of conjectures, rumors, and similar things. We believe that this Revolution and this great establishment is the result of the selfless efforts of a nation and its youth. They made sacrifices during the Revolution and the Sacred Defense Era, and they are still making sacrifices. As part of this nation, you are present in different arenas and often make great achievements. It is not possible for the Leader to make decisions on the basis of conjectures and similar things because such decisions will have an influence on the fate of this government and the continuation of its movement. You should know that not even a single offense or crime will be ignored. You students are free to express what you think, and I have many years of experience in this government, but none of us can impose his judgments on the judiciary. There is no difference between you and I in this regard. It is the judiciary that should make judgments on the basis of the evidence it has. Many of the rumors you have heard have been reported to me as well. Some of these rumors may be based on the truth, and there may be some evidence to support them. But isolated pieces of evidence cannot be used to convict someone in a court of law. You should pay attention to this point. Therefore, it is not the case that there is a convicted criminal and the government has decided to ignore his crime for one reason or another. This is one of the points I wanted to discuss.
There is another point that is related to the first point. The large-scale measures that are taken by the government should be based on a thorough analysis. It is not right to consider the issues from one particular aspect only. I believe any fair individual who takes these points into consideration will be convinced of the appropriateness of the measures taken so far.
The offenses and crimes that were committed by unknown forces during the post-election events is another point that was mentioned by our friends today. You mentioned the raid on the Tehran University dormitory and similar events. The issue of the Tehran University dormitory was repeated by some of the dear students here, but similar events happened in other places as well. Our friends also talked about the issue of the Kahrizak prison. Such issues are indeed among the serious problems of the executive organizations. First, I assure you that these people will definitely be prosecuted. I do not want to cause uproar by ordering the prosecution of these people. I do not like the media to publicize such measures. The necessary orders were issued in the first few days [after these events happened], and some people are pursuing the issues. However, the issues have to be pursued in an appropriate and careful manner.
On that night, great offenses were undoubtedly committed in the Tehran University dormitory. I have ordered them to open a special case and pursue the issues meticulously. I have ordered them to find the criminals and punish them without paying any attention to their affiliations. That was what I emphatically ordered.
I am grateful to our security forces, our police, and our Basij organizations for their measures. They adopted great measures. But that is a different matter. If a member of these organizations has committed an offense or a crime, the issue has to be investigated separately. We will not ignore their crimes because of their services. Neither will we ignore their services because of their crimes. Undoubtedly, these issues have to be, and will be, pursued. The same is true of the Kahrizak prison - though my order was announced by the media in that case. The raid on the Tehran University dormitory will also be pursued. They are supposed to open a separate case for each of the few people who were murdered in these events or the people who suffered losses, including financial losses. I have issued the necessary orders, and I will pursue the issues. However, you should take care not to mix up any of these events with the main issue. The main issue should not be affected by these events.
Some people ignore everything that happened after the election and the injustice that the people and the establishment suffered. They ignore how the reputation of the Islamic Republic was tarnished in front of other nations. For example, they play up a certain issue - such as the events of the Kahrizak prison or the raid on the Tehran University dormitory - and declare it as the main post-election issue. That is another injustice. The main issue is something else. The main issue is that the people started a great movement and took part in a vibrant election with a very high turnout rate. A turnout rate of 85 percent is no joke. After the continuous economic, scientific, political, security, and international achievements, this election could provide the Islamic Republic with a great advantage and a great source of honor. But then we saw that a movement was suddenly started to ruin this source of honor. That is the main issue.
What I am going to say is based on my own analysis, not on the reports I have received. I believe the post-election events were not started after the election day, not even around the election time. These events had been planned before the election. I am not accusing the leaders of the post-election events of being the puppets of foreigners - puppets of England or America. I do not want to make such a claim because it has not been proven to me. All I can say is that the events had been pre-planned, whether the leaders knew it or not. They were not accidental. All the evidence indicates that these events had been pre-planned. Of course those who had planned the turmoil were not certain of the outcome.
After the election, when some people started to do certain seditious activities, they were encouraged by the response they received from a group of the people of Tehran. They mistakenly thought what they had imagined was happening, and they gained hope. They saw how the media and satellite channels magnified the scale of their presence. Then, they openly entered the arena. Previously, they were not hopeful about the success of their measures. But much to their surprise, they saw their measures were working out well. Therefore, they stepped in quickly. However, as usual, they failed to predict the reaction of the Iranian people because they had misjudged the situation in Iran - because they do not know the Iranian nation. They received a kick in the mouth, a slap across the face, but they are not yet disappointed. I am telling you dear students that they are not yet disappointed. They are following the events, and they will not give up any time soon. They have their own agents, and they will find other agents.
Our universities have to be alert. Our faithful students who are interested in their country should be vigilant. The students who are interested in the future of the country and the young generation should be vigilant. You should know the enemies are constantly hatching plots. Of course they will be defeated. I am telling you that they will be defeated in the end, but the degree of our vigilance can affect the amount of losses they will inflict on us. If we remain vigilant, they will not be able to harm us. If we drop our guard, get emotional, or act impulsively, the enemies will manage to inflict great losses on us. But they will fail in the end anyway.
Another point that was mentioned by our friends today was my support for the administration and the president. The reason is clear. A couple of the people who talked here also mentioned the reason behind my support for the administration. Like all other people, the esteemed president has his own strengths and weaknesses. I only supported his strong points. I would support anyone else who had these strong points. Who has demonstrated such attitudes, such positions, and such diligence without receiving my support? Did I not support you dear students who are after justice? I certainly did. If the Leader supports a student who is after justice, does it mean he will support the student's weak points as well? Obviously not. That is the truth of the situation. There are a number of weak points, and I will not support those weak points.
Someone asked why I do not openly declare my position. The reason is that it is not necessary to declare my position. Why is it necessary to adopt an explicit position on the weaknesses of a government official? How much do you think such a position will help us solve the problems? Sometimes if you try to solve a problem without making it public, you will be better able to solve the problem. Of course there are other times when there is no other way but to let the people know the problem. In such cases, one may simply make the problem public. But it is not the case that whenever the Leader is opposed to a certain flaw in the structure of the executive branch, he should definitely make it public. Sometimes it is obviously advisable not to make some things public.
You should not say, "What is advisable or expedient may go against reality." The distinction between expediency and the reality is not clear-cut. Expediency is itself a reality. It is not the case that anything that is expedient should be something negative. Sometimes it is necessary to do what is expedient, which is itself a reality. Expediency is an Islamic axiom. Of course I do not want to explain this issue, but it is an Islamic axiom. Sometimes it is not expedient to make something public. For instance, there is no need to magnify a small flaw and make it a source of despair and gloom. It is possible to eliminate the flaw in a different way. Therefore, the fact that I do not sometimes adopt a public position on something is because of these logical reasons.
There is something else I would like to discuss with you. Dear students, as you know, the Islamic Republic is currently faced with a great war - a soft war. I noticed that the phrase "soft war" was also used by you dear youth as well, which shows you are thankfully aware of this reality. That is a great source of delight for me. Now, who should step into the arena in a soft war? Obviously, it is our intellectuals who should enter the arena. That is to say, you are the young officers on the battlefields of this soft war.
I cannot give you a list and tell you what to do, how to act, and how to clarify the issues. I cannot tell you what to do and what not to do. It is you yourselves who should find the appropriate strategies by discussing them in your intellectual debates. But the goal is clear. The goal is to defend the Islamic Republic against this all-out attack, which is based on power, hypocrisy, money, and advanced media facilities. We should counter this evil and dangerous attack.
They have their own reason for attacking the Islamic Republic. I believe the reasoning behind their enmity is flawless. Geographically, the Islamic Ummah is located in a very strategic spot - namely, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, North Africa, and parts of the Mediterranean region. That is an enormous area of land. Out of the 5 or 6 vital channels in the world, three are located in this region - namely, the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. These are strategic channels, and world trade depends on them. Just take a map of the world and look at it. You will see what these few channels mean for global trade and global economy. Therefore, this region is a strategic region. Now, there is a country [Iran] in this highly strategic region that is becoming more powerful on a daily basis. This powerful country is opposed to all arrogant wishes as well as all the companies and great economic networks that spread corruption in the world. This country is opposed to domination, hegemony, and oppression. Therefore, Iran is very important to the arrogant powers.
The camp of arrogance is not limited to the United States of America or a certain president, administration, or European country. The camp of arrogance is an enormous network that includes these elements. It includes the Zionist network, the network of great international businessmen, and the great financial centers of the world. They plan the political moves in the world. They install and topple governments. This camp of arrogance - which includes the US government, European governments, and many of the oil barons of the region - is opposed to the growing influence of this regional power. As a result, they use all their power to stop it. They did not just stand by and watch during the past 30 years, and they will not do so until the time you make determined efforts. They will give up and stop hatching plots only when you help the country achieve such a scientific, economic, and security position in the world that its vulnerability is reduced to zero. I have repeatedly emphasized during the past years that universities should focus on research, generation of knowledge, innovation, and industrial application of academic knowledge. That is because science is one of the foundations of the long-term security of the country.
You should take care not to let our universities be caught up in these insignificant political issues. You should not let the foundations of academic endeavor be shaken. You should take care not to endanger our laboratories, classrooms, and research centers. That is to say, one of the important things that you have to do is to preserve the scientific movement of our universities. The enemies really wish our universities would be closed or caught up in turmoil and various disruptions, at least for a short period of time. That is the favorable situation for them, both in terms of their political agenda and in terms of their long-term goals. That is because your knowledge is not in their interest in the long run. Therefore, they prefer that you do not go after acquisition of knowledge.
You dear youth who are the young officers on the battlefield of this soft war should not ask me what your role is in the current situation. You should search and find your own appropriate role. You may choose to counter the new hypocrisy or redefine justice. I can start a discussion now and talk about the various aspects of justice. The funny thing is our friend asked me to summarize justice in a sentence.
Dear students, optimism is one of the main prerequisites for your appropriate combat in this soft war. You should be optimistic. For some of you, I am old enough to be your grandfather. I am optimistic about the future, and this optimism is because of insight, not delusion. You are young, and you should be full of optimism. Take care not to develop a pessimistic view of the future. If you become pessimistic and adopt a "so-what attitude", inaction and isolation will follow. Nothing will be done in such a situation, and that is exactly what the enemy desires.
Another prerequisite is to avoid extremism. Young people are naturally energetic and vibrant. I went through the same stage of life as well - during the Revolution. I know what youthful extremism is. Our elders used to advise us against extremism, but we thought they did not understand how important it was to be an extremist. I know how you think, but please take my advice. You should know that extremism will not get you anywhere. You should think before you make a decision. Of course compared to the time when I was young, the youth of the country think more carefully today. You have much more experience and knowledge than the youth of my time - that is, 50 years ago. Therefore, you are expected to think carefully and avoid extremist behavior. That is not too much to expect.
Of course as I said, the post-election events were not really unexpected to me, but the people who got involved surprised me. I hope Allah the Exalted will give me another opportunity to talk to you again. There is no time to talk more now.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings