After he received the vaccination, Imam Khamenei spoke about the issue of Khuzestan. He described the recent incidents as painful and said, “Over the past seven or eight days, one of our concerns has been the issue of Khuzestan and the people’s problems related to the shortage of water. It is truly painful for one to witness that despite the loyal people in Khuzestan, its natural resources and potential, and the many factories existing in that province, things have reached a point in that province where the people have become dissatisfied and displeased.”
In describing the complaints voiced by the people of Ahwaz as being “legitimate,” the Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the recommendations which had been put forward previously regarding the water and sewage problems in Khuzestan. He stated, “If these recommendations had received sufficient attention, we would surely not have these problems now.”
He went on to say, “The problem of water is not a minor issue, especially considering the very hot climate of Khuzestan, and particularly considering the exemplary loyalty of the people of Khuzestan.”
Citing the 8-year Sacred Defense as being an example of the loyalty of the people of Khuzestan, Imam Khamenei further explained, “During the period of the 8-year Sacred Defense, those who were in the heart of the problems were the people of Khuzestan. But they truly stood up firmly, and I witnessed this from close up.”
His Eminence demanded that the problem be dealt with as soon as possible. In expressing his concern and regret over the fact that the Khuzestan people are facing such difficulties, he ordered that this issue must be definitely addressed. He also complained that this matter had not been dealt with in a timely manner. Nonetheless, he expressed his satisfaction at the involvement of various executive and non-executive organizations in the matter, and he called for these activities to continue, “Officials should pursue this matter. They should pursue these matters seriously. With God’s grace, when the new administration takes office, it should seriously attend to this issue.”
He also advised the people to be careful about the enemies' schemes and machinations, “Of course, the people should be careful. The enemy wants to use every small excuse against the country, the Revolution, the Islamic Republic, and the public interest of the people. The people should be careful not to give the enemy a pretext to take advantage of the situation. We are hopeful that God, the Exalted, will send His favor on this nation and bestow His mercy and grace on our nation, which deserves God's grace and mercy.”
In pointing to some of the problems that have arisen with regard to the distribution of the Corona vaccine among the people, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated, “Of course, these problems stem from those who had promised to sell us vaccines, but who went back on their words. Once more, this reminds the people of Iran and the officials of the country that we should stand on our own feet in all matters. Reliance on others creates problems, as we have witnessed in this case.”
Imam Khamenei also added, “Of course, in addition to the domestic production of vaccines, we had no choice but to use the products of other countries to the extent that they are reliable - and we will use them. However, the focus should be on domestic production.”
His Eminence stated that the people should not be kept waiting for the vaccine. He expressed the hope that the vaccine be distributed among the people with complete ease and smoothness.
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