In a meeting with the head and the members of the Assembly of Experts on February 27, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei referred to people's and the officials' adherence to the principles of the Islamic system, their clear and fearless expression, and their resistance and clever presence on the scene as the reason behind the government's success and the country's progress in various arenas, especially the field of nuclear technology. He said that the parliamentary elections are one of the most important arenas: "And by the favor of Allah the Exalted, massive public participation, and electing qualified candidates, the outcome of the elections will prove beneficial to our nation and will serve as a source of progress and increasing grandeur of the Islamic Republic."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the progressive movement of the Islamic system in the past 29 years, especially during the recent years and said that nuclear technology has been one of the greatest achievements of the Islamic Republic. He described this accomplishment as a notable advance for the Iranian nation: "Those who insisted that Iran's nuclear activities must be halted have now changed their tune and say that they are ready to acknowledge our progress provided that we suspend the activities for a short while. This is a great achievement that would not have been attained without resistance."
His Eminence described the role of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his resistance as an important factor and added that besides the resistance displayed by the nation, the seventh parliament put up notable resistance despite efforts to the contrary.
The Leader expressed his sincere gratitude to people from various social backgrounds, religious authorities, the honorable clergy, and the officials in different positions of responsibility, especially the incumbent administration and the parliament for their clear stance on the nuclear issue. He said that public presence on the scene and the solidarity among the officials will always result in further strength for the Islamic system.
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the upcoming parliamentary election and described it as one of the most important matters. He went on to say that the present parliament has displayed a good performance. "By voting for brave, faithful, competent, and companionate candidates who clearly express their adherence to the revolutionary values and principles, we hope that we will have a parliament that is more diligent in working towards the interests of the government and the country" said the Leader expressing his hopes for a high turnout.
Referring to the structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a unique model for explaining the principles of the Islamic system, he stated that the Islamic Republic is a reality that has presented a new political and social framework founded on Islamic principles. Therefore, the standards of the Islamic system are different from the standards accepted all over the world. The Leader explained that being different, however, does not necessarily entail depriving the nation of others' knowledge and successful experiences. But these successful experiences have to be evaluated by Islamic standards.
Ayatollah Khamenei described the Islamic standards as the foundation of the Revolution and Imam Khomeini's (RA) path, and he added: "Imam Khomeini's (RA) path represents the same original Islamic standards and Imam Khomeini (RA) was very expressive and clear about Islamic principles and revolutionary values, and he did not stand on ceremony with anybody when it came to practicing these principles."
Explaining the standards of the Islamic system, he referred to justice and added that economic, judicial and social justice is one the fundamental principles of the Islamic system. "As Imam Ali (AS) said, the standard for officials in observing economic justice is to compare their own lives with those of the poorest people in society."
Ayatollah Khamenei referred to taking up a clear stance against the enemy and being proud of the principles of the Islamic Revolution as another standard of the Islamic system and added that Islamic practices may or may not be manifested clearly in different situations, but that Islamic identity, as the "showcase" of the Islamic Republic, must always be evident.
He said that one must not feel afraid or hesitant when talking about the values and principles of the Revolution and that doing so results in grandeur and progressive movement for the Islamic system.
His Eminence pointed to the cooperation and exchange of views among individuals who are loyal to the Revolution and highlighting the boundary between ourselves and the enemy as another standard of the Islamic system.
Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that the cultural war launched by the enemy is not limited to cultural issues and that the enemy uses this cultural means in order to manipulate political and economic issues: "The enemy's attempts to divide our elites and politicians into two 'extremist' and 'moderate' groups is a case in point. The enemies paint those who believe in the principles of the Islamic system as extremists."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed that high-ranking officials of the country have always been loyal to the late Imam Khomeini (RA) and have always adhered to Islamic ideological principles: "Our officials ... are proud of adhering to the principles of the Islamic system."
He said that dividing the political arena into extremism and moderation is a common method that the enemy has utilized in order to deal with adherence to the principles of the Islamic Revolution. They have stated clearly that they must build up pressure on Iran so that the moderates - that is, those who do not believe in the principles of the Islamic Revolution - should be voted into power in the next two important elections.
Having stressed that the majority of the people and the officials believe in the revolutionary principles, the Leader said: "These principles must form the basis of cooperation and national unity, and the small minority who do not believe in these principles must enjoy their own rights as ordinary citizens."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, "Thanks to public participation, resistance and courage, the Islamic Revolution has always been moving forward, it has now turned into regional power that can influence many global issues."
Referring to the issues discussed in a recent meeting held by the Assembly of Experts, the Leader said, "Given the status of the Islamic Revolution in the world and in the region and the enemies' attempts against the government, solidarity is currently one of the necessary requirements of the country. Of course, this solidarity necessitates a number of prerequisites such as finding a middle ground when different tastes come to clash regarding some decisions, statements and contentions."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also described the issue of worldwide cultural confrontations as very important and added that "culture is like the air that people need to breathe. If this air is clean, it will affect the behavior and attitude of the people living in a community. Cultural issues require in-depth discussions and deeper reflection on the part of all officials."