Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met today with thousands of people from Bojnourd on the first day of his trip to North Khorasan province. Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence said that Iran is moving towards peaks of material and spiritual progress, further stressing: "The enemies should know that by Allah's favor and grace, the Islamic Republic will overcome the existing problems and that their dream of defeating the Iranian nation will not come true."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the progressive movement of the Iranian nation and reiterated: "We have been making constant progress since the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Of course, there have been ups and downs. Our progress has been fast at certain points and slow at certain other points. There have been strengths and weaknesses. However, our people and country have never stopped moving towards the peaks that we have in mind."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that dynamic, educated and courageous youth of Iran are an asset for the country. He stated that continuing the population control policy beyond the mid-1370s was a mistake and called on government officials to make up for the mistake.
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "Of course, it was a good policy at that time, but it should have been abandoned since the mid-1370s. We failed to do so, which was a mistake. Our government officials and myself are responsible for this mistake."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to unemployment and the problem of rising prices, further adding: "The problem of rising prices and the issue of unemployment are among the main concerns. These problems exist, but there are no fundamental problems that our people and government officials are incapable of resolving."
His Eminence referred to some of the problems that the enemies caused after the victory of Islamic Revolution and stressed that the Iranian nation managed to confront all the problems.
Referring the sanctions that have been imposed on Iran, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated: "Today our enemies make constant efforts to magnify the sanctions and some people cooperate with them in this regard. The sanctions are not a recent development: they have existed since the beginning. Of course, they intensified the sanctions, but they have not been effective. They adopted other measures, which have also proven ineffective."
He added: "Today our enemies - both the American government and certain European governments - are trying to link the sanctions to the nuclear issue. They are lying. When they first started imposing sanctions on us, there was no nuclear issue."
His Eminence said that the arrogant powers are angry because the Iranian nation refuses to surrender to them. "This is why they are opposed to Islam. This is why they insult the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.)."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "They pretend that if the Iranian nation gives up nuclear energy, the sanctions will be lifted. They are lying. Out of malice and spite, they impose irrational sanctions on us, sanctions which all wise and just people throughout the world consider as irrational and savage."
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "These sanctions are a war against a nation. Of course, by Allah's favor, they will be defeated by the Iranian nation in this war as well."
His Eminence added: "Of course, sanctions cause certain problems. And these problems increase as a result of mismanagement. These problems exist, but they are not problems that cannot be solved by the Islamic Republic."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the recent changes in the value of the rial and reiterated: "They express their joy in a childish way and say that they have managed to create problems for the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic. They openly say this. For a few hours, a number of people set a few garbage bins on fire in a couple of streets, and on the other side of the world they happily announce that there are protests in Iran. Is our situation worse than yours?"
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "Your problem is far more complicated than our problem. Your economies have reached a dead end."
His Eminence stated: "Economic problems are the main issue in America's presidential elections. The American people are helpless. They have to deal with many problems. Lower social classes in America are being trampled upon. The 99 percent movement is a reality."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that in order to overcome the existing problems, the people and government officials should fulfill their responsibilities. He added: "In the bazaar of Tehran, a number of self-proclaimed traders took to the streets to create chaos, but our honorable traders at the bazaar of Tehran immediately announced that the protesters were imposters, not real traders. This is the right thing to do."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the events that took place after the presidential elections in the year 1388 and reiterated: "In the fitna of the year 1388, a number of people took to the streets and protested a few days after that great election. There were other people who took advantage of that situation and obtained weapons. They created disorder and turbulence... The individuals for whom they were protesting should have distanced themselves from the vandals, but they failed to do so."
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed: "This vigilance and this ability to take action at the right time is an important and outstanding characteristic and our people should always pay attention to it. Everybody should react instantly whenever they detect the enemy's conspiracy."
His Eminence called on government officials to stay united and avoiding blaming the problems on each other. "The responsibility of the Majlis is clear. The responsibility of the executive branch is clear. The responsibility of the President is clear. The responsibility of the judiciary is clear. All of them have particular responsibilities and they should carry out their responsibilities. They should have solidarity."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated: "Thankfully, we do not have any problems in this regard either and our government officials care about the destiny of the country."
Ayatollah Khamenei added that the path of the Iranian nation can change the course of human history.
Elsewhere in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution warned that following the anti-Iran policies of America and the Zionist regime will not benefit European governments.