As for America's intellectual and rational state - after all, a government or a nation relies on the intellectual principles that it presents. Money alone does not bring about credibility for nations: there is a need for ideas. The Americans used to say that they had a set of "principles", that they had a set of "values", "American values". They used to create uproar in the world for the sake of these principles and values. Notice what has happened to American values today.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s Speech to Students, Oct 31, 2012
America is condemned in the world. The American government does not enjoy widespread credibility among the people of any country. "Death to America" is not just a slogan that is particular to the Iranian nation. This slogan is chanted in many other countries as well. A government that supports oppression, war, accumulation of weapons, domination of nations, bullying and interference in the affairs of all countries has acquired such a bad reputation and this is another sign. Therefore, change in the world is inescapable. There are other signs as well, but I will not discuss them in this meeting. This is one point.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s Speech to Professors, Aug 12, 2012
The enemy's weak points - his ideological and practical weak points - should be identified and presented to those individuals who require such presentation. The enemies of the Islamic Revolution are the same people who entered the region 10, 15 years ago with the slogan of providing security. Take a look today and see where in the region security exists! Insecurity has engulfed the entire region. West Asia and North Africa are filled with insecurity.
When they attacked Afghanistan, their slogan was fighting against terrorism, but today, terrorism has engulfed the entire region- and what terrorism it is! It is a kind of savage and violent terrorism, one in which individuals burn people - their enemies - alive and in front of everyone. And then they use different technical means to display this directly to the people throughout the world. It is this kind of terrorism. Today, takfiri elements are like this. They kill a child in front of its mother and they kill parents in front of their children. They had come to eliminate terrorism from the region with this slogan and claim. I am not saying that this was their real goal, rather this was their slogan- but where in the region does terrorism not exist in the present time?
They had come - as they claimed - to establish democracy. Today, the most reactionary, dictatorial and tyrannical regimes are standing upright and continuing their crimes with the help of America and its allies. This is really one of the major problems of America. Today, this problem has entangled American politicians as well. They have really gotten stuck in it. They are supporting such regimes. Over the course of many years, their anti-dictatorship slogans and claims to support human rights have been repudiated because of the existence of such regimes. In the present time, this issue has posed serious questions among American intellectuals, political personalities and thinkers and they have no answers for them.
This enemy is such a creature! This is how the issue of human rights, democracy, terrorism, security and peace has worked out for the enemy who is in front of us. They used to say that they were fighting for peace, but which peace? They have polluted the whole region with war. Where in the region does war not exist? This is the enemy. He whom the Revolution is confronting and he whom you are standing up against is this! It is this creature with all these contradictions, all these weak points and all these ideological and practical shortcomings. One of the characteristics of guarding the Revolution is to open our eyes and to see these things.
Ayatollah Khamenei, Sep 16, 2015
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