He described the Expediency Council as a very important body in the Islamic Republic because of the presence of elite and experienced individuals in that body, the comprehensive views they take on the affairs of the country and because of the essential duties this council is responsible for.
During the meeting, the Leader of the Revolution also spoke about the recent sporadic riots in the country. He emphasized that: “The enemy’s role and interference [in these riots] is clear and obvious to everyone, even to impartial foreign experts. These events aren’t a domestic, spontaneous matter. The actions taken by the enemy, their propaganda, their efforts to influence people’s minds, the creation of excitement, and the way they have been encouraging and even teaching people to make flammable and explosive materials, are now completely clear and obvious.”
Imam Khamenei noted that the most important point in this affair has been the enemy’s passivity and reactive moves.
He said, “In a short period of time, the Iranian nation made great moves that were 180 degrees the opposite of the policies of the global Arrogant Powers, so they had no choice but to react. In this context, by planning and spending money they brought out some people onto the field, including some politicians in the US, Europe and some in other places.”
Imam Khamenei further stated, “These great movements showed that the Iranian nation is high-spirited, religiously inclined and adheres to religious values and issues and that the country will continue advancing forward with great speed.”
Imam Khamenei considered the presence of millions of young people participating in the Arbaeen pilgrimage and the altruistic actions during the coronavirus pandemic as examples of the Iranian nation’s religiosity and beliefs.
Highlighting the great actions taken by the Iranian people, the Leader added, “In fact, the initiative is in the hands of the Iranian nation and the enemy was forced to react in a clumsy and foolish manner and so they started planning the riots.”
The Leader of the Revolution also emphasized the need to stand against the foreign plots made against the Islamic Republic: “Enmities toward Iran will continue in various forms as long as the people of Iran hold on to the flag of Islam and accompany the Islamic Republic. The only solution is to stand firm. Standing up to the plots and meddlesome behavior of these devils, will not result in the halting of our movement. It will rather become the basis of our movement forward.”
He reiterated that there should be a difference in the sentences given to those who’ve come out onto the streets: “Some of these people are either the elements of the enemy or are aligned with the enemy, while some others have been incited. Regarding the second group, cultural-educational programs need to be implemented, but the first group has to be dealt with by the judicial and security authorities.”
Imam Khamenei also issued a word of advice to the country’s officials, “Be careful not to be distracted by these issues. Do not let it stop you from attending to your main tasks and essential duties.”
In another section of his speech, Imam Khamenei stated that the Expediency Council’s most important responsibility is “the discernment of expediency”. He said, “The matter of expediency is one of the top issues of the government. In the words of the magnanimous Imam Khomeini, it is so important that neglecting it could result in the defeat of Islam.”
He considered it incorrect to introduce and define “expediency” as the opposite of “the truth and the rules of the Sharia.”
Imam Khamenei also considered the validity of the laws discussed in the council to be valid while they were in place, stating that, “There should not be extremist approaches on either side regarding general policies, because it is not correct to only include idealistic matters as a general policy, as it is also incorrect to go into every detail regarding all executive and legislative matters.”
Prior to the Leader’s speech, Chairman of the Expediency Council, Ayatollah Amoli-Larijani, presented a comprehensive report on the expertise and efforts of the council, including the agenda for the council’s new term.
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