Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning with thousands of people from Fars province. Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence referred to the recent developments in the Ministry of Intelligence and reiterated: "The Leader will step in whenever he feels an important [national] interest has been ignored."Ayatollah Khamenei said that insistence of the Iranian nation on its righteous positions and its efforts to become a role model for the regional nations is the main reason behind the pressures and the hostile propaganda broadcast against the Islamic Republic. He added: "In spite of all these pressures, the Islamic Republic has stood firm and refused to back down. And this firm position of the Islamic Republic has made their sword blunt."
His Eminence stressed that the Iranian nation and government should maintain this solid position of the Islamic Republic. He urged the Iranian nation and government officials to prevent discord and what the enemy is promoting in his propaganda.
The Leader referred to the recent events in the Ministry of Intelligence and added: "Take a look at the propaganda broadcast by foreign media about these events - which are not very important. See what uproar they have caused. They are saying in their analyses that there is a rift in the ruling system of the Islamic Republic and that the President is not listening to the Leader."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "The propaganda broadcast by the enemies over the past few days showed once again how they are looking for an excuse to ambush the Islamic Republic like a wolf."
His Eminence stressed that and the President and his cabinet members are rendering genuine services to the country. He reiterated: "The nation and the Leader have always supported hard work and rendering services. Individuals are not the standard, rather the main standard is hard work and rendering services."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the responsibilities have been clearly specified in the Constitution. He added that the Leader does not want to interfere in the decisions and actions of the administration, but that he will intervene whenever he feels an important national interest has been ignored.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed: "Regarding the recent event, which is not very important, I felt that an important interest has been ignored."
His Eminence advised the Iranian people and those who care about the country to avoid preparing the ground for foreign propaganda through pointless debates and hollow analyses. "The Islamic Republic is a powerful system, and the Leader will maintain his correct positions."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "As long as I am alive and as long as I have this responsibility, I will not allow the slightest deviation in the great movement of the Iranian nation towards the ideals."
His Eminence stressed that as long as the people are present on the scene and enjoy wisdom, insight and strong determination, they will continue benefiting from God's blessings. "God's assistance will decrease if government officials go after their personal interests and forget the goals."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "Today the officials of the three branches of the government as well as the people are carrying out their heavy responsibilities in the arena of hard work and selfless efforts."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the name of the current Iranian year - "The Year of Economic Jihad" - and stressed: "All our people and government officials should join hands to start this movement because the purpose of choosing a name for each year is to start a movement towards the selected goal and slogan."
Stressing that government officials and the heads of the three branches of the government are not perfect, the Leader reiterated: "We should always take refuge in God. We must identify our flaws and try to reduce them, and we must not put obstacles in the way of the Iranian nation's movement."
Elsewhere in his speech, the Leader of Islamic Revolution referred to the current regional developments and added: "Thanks to Islam and the Islamic Revolution, today Islamic Awakening has already taken place in the region, and this movement will definitely produce results, just as it has in certain parts of the region."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "The more the determination, faith and preparedness of the people for self-sacrifice, the more the possibility of victory."
His Eminence said that America, Europe and the Zionists were surprised by the regional developments. "All efforts of the arrogant powers are focused on gaining control over the regional developments. But this Islamic Awakening will not stop, and this progressive movement is irrevocable."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "This movement will finally benefit the people of the region, but they must be fully vigilant because the enemy is looking for an opportunity to derail this movement."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the clear oppression against the people of Bahrain, Yemen and Libya and stressed: "Impartial analysis of the current regional developments, especially the events happening in these three countries, shows that western powers have oppressed the people and that they are the obvious criminal and culprit."
His Eminence said that the fake Zionist regime is the main reason why America and the west are oppressing the people of the region. He reiterated: "The people of Bahrain have been oppressed more than any other nation during the recent events."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the widespread propaganda of the west against Iran and added: "Because the Islamic Republic of Iran has adopted a righteous position and has announced it explicitly, western powers have focused their propaganda attacks on Iran."
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "Despite what the arrogant powers want, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not an indifferent bystander, and the people, government and political figures of Iran will not stand by and watch the oppressive actions of the arrogant powers."
His Eminence rejected the allegations that Iran is interfering in the affairs of the regional countries and said that these allegations are baseless. He further added that the Islamic Republic of Iran has only explicitly announced its position on the events happening in Bahrain, Yemen and Libya.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated that the Islamic Republic of Iran has never been afraid of the disapproval of the superpowers when announcing its righteous and explicit positions.
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "The protests of the Bahraini people are completely appropriate and righteous. If the situation of the people of Bahrain and the way their government uses its power were explained to any insightful person, he would definitely condemn the behavior of the Bahraini government."
He added: "The Bahraini government is treating its people in the wrong way because such actions will produce no results other than increasing the anger of the people, and it may not be able to do anything if the people's anger erupts again."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated that the Bahraini government and the countries which have deployed their forces in Bahrain have made a mistake.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that events in Libya are another example of the oppression of the arrogant powers against the people of other countries. "Westerners do not want a populist and Islamic government in Libya, a country which is close to Europe and is full of oil resources. Therefore, they have decided to start a political game with the people of Libya, but the people of Libya have uncovered this western policy."
His Eminence said that the international Zionist network is the main culprit in the recent events in the region. He reiterated: "By taking advantage of the current situation, they are trying to exert pressure on the people of Gaza and kill them on a daily basis. It is necessary for the regional nations and governments not to ignore the actions of the Zionist regime."
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "Nations' insistence on their righteous positions is the key to their progress. And by insisting on the path it has chosen, the Iranian nation has managed to achieve increasing progress in different areas and to become a role model for other nations."