Khamenei.ir

In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly the remnant of God on earth.

Welcome, my dear brothers and sisters. You are a truly praiseworthy sample of the dear people of Isfahan, as Mr. Tabatabaee Nejad correctly stated. I am very pleased to see you again in this Hussainiyah, especially the veterans and the honorable families of the martyrs. I wish to send my greetings to all the people of Isfahan from here and thank them for their efforts, faith, struggles, and their special Isfahani characteristics.

We are gathered here today to commemorate the events of November 16, 1982. I will begin with a few sentences about this very important event and the actions of the people of Isfahan in the areas of struggle on the path of God and martyrdom in general. I will then state a few words about the country and the Revolution’s general outlook with regard to the hostility between Iran and the Arrogant Powers, and how and why this antagonism exists. I will then mention a few things regarding the country’s recent events, the riots and the like.

Now regarding Isfahan, it is a city of abundant virtues. Isfahan is a city of knowledge, a city of art, and a city of struggle on the path of God. It is a lively city. Regarding knowledge, if we were to write only the names of all the great scholars from Isfahan that have lived during the past 400 years and have specialized in the fields of jurisprudence, philosophy, traditions, and interpretations, etc. – while their importance and value was not limited to Isfahan alone, since in some cases they were important and valued in the entire country and at times in the entire world of Islam – their names alone would be enough to fill a thick book. Our great scholars, even our modern-day scholars such as the late [Mirza Mohammad Hussein] Na’ini, Sayyid Aba al-Hassan Isfahani, Haj Sheikh Mohammad Hussein Isfahani, and the greatest scholars of the past 400 years, were from Isfahan. Well, it is a city of knowledge. It is a city that educates, and not only in jurisprudence, but also in philosophy. Some scholars were not even originally from Isfahan, but they flourished and showed themselves in Isfahan. This is one of the characteristics of Isfahan.

It is a city of faith and love for the Household of the Prophet. This is one of the qualities which has not been spoken about much. I used to travel to Isfahan frequently in the late 1950s and 60s. Something that caught my attention was the fact that the people of Isfahan are people who are attentive to invoking God, to supplications, and to contemplation. This arises from their faith. Now in those years in Mashhad, for example, there would be gatherings for reciting Dua Kumayl, which were organized by an Isfahani scholar. The late [Sheikh] Kalbasi was in Mashhad then and he would recite the Dua Kumayl. At times there would be less than 20 people attending his Dua Kumayl recitations. Now I’m being cautious when I say 20 people. Sometimes there would be perhaps eight, nine, or ten people who would gather to read Dua Kumayl. In those same years in Isfahan, the late Haj Mahdi Mazaheri would recite Dua Kumayl in the Sayyid Mosque, which would fill with people. This is a comparison between Isfahan and Mashhad. Words are not enough to describe their mourning ceremonies, the gatherings they held for the Prophet’s Progeny (pbut), and other such gatherings. It is a city of faith.

So, it is a city of knowledge, a city of faith, and a city of art. Isfahan is home to various types of beautiful art. It is home to a rich, valuable artistic heritage. I don’t recall seeing anything like the artistic heritage that we have in Isfahan anywhere else. These are all outstanding features of the people of Isfahan, a city with a completely Iranian, Islamic identity. I believe our good, talented documentary filmmakers, and thankfully there are many of them, can use these and the next point that I will mention to create many beautiful, interesting documentaries about Isfahan.

Now, I will talk about the revolutionary identity. I have already spoken about their scientific, faithful, and artistic identity. Now it is time to talk about our revolutionary identity. Even though many of the cities in our country demonstrated good, strong revolutionary efforts before the Revolution, Isfahan was still ahead of them. Even if it wasn’t the most revolutionary city, it was still one of the leading cities in the Revolution. Isfahan was the first city that was under a military curfew during the time of the Taghut [Pahlavi] regime. No other city was under a curfew before Isfahan. This shows that the people of Isfahan had put in more effort compared to the citizens of other places. During the Holy Defense, two of the leading divisions were the Imam Hussain Division, which was commanded by Martyr [Hussain] Kharazi, and the Najaf Division, commanded by Martyr Ahmad Kazemi. After Kharazi’s martyrdom and a while after Martyr Kazemi left the Najaf division, a number of other distinguished commanders took over these two divisions. These were commanders who were truly courageous, many of whom I have met and know personally. Well, these efforts are the reason why Isfahan province has about 24,000 martyrs, 7,500 of whom are buried in Isfahan’s Martyrs Cemetery. These are unusually large numbers and great signs. The tens of thousands of disabled veterans and the thousands of prisoners of war are a certificate of honor for Isfahan. These things bring responsibilities. I am not just saying these in praise. All conscientious human beings have a duty to safeguard this magnificent legacy.

As for the event that took place on November 16 [1982], around 360 martyrs were buried in Isfahan on this date. How can a city bear such a thing? 360 martyrs! The commanders who had to witness the martyrdom of these men were left to wonder how they should bring these martyrs to Isfahan for their funeral procession. It was such an immense, unusual event! I believe that if they were to bring the blood-stained bodies of 360 young men to the people of any city and bury them, that city would be paralyzed that day. [But] Isfahan was not paralyzed. According to our clear-cut news reports, on the afternoon of that same day, a large number of young people moved toward the battlefronts and an even larger number made their way there in the days that followed. That same evening, a large aid convoy left Isfahan to support the martyrs. Now, [one would expect that if] they bring 360 martyrs today, people will become preoccupied with their mourning processions and not pay attention to what is happening on the battlefields. No, a number of people took off that same day and in the days that followed. See this spirit! See the motivation they had! [There were] families that had two martyrs, three martyrs, and four martyrs. A number of families had five martyrs, some had six martyrs, and there was one family that had seven martyrs! These belong to Isfahan. These things describe Isfahan’s revolutionary, jihadi identity for us. These are some of Isfahan’s virtues. There is much more that can be said about Isfahan. In the last four decades, Isfahan has always courageously come forward in times of need. The people of Isfahan have never backed down on any issue. I specifically remember a number of cases. Now, I don’t wish to bring them up or name anyone. [But] they have always proven to be full of life. With just one gesture or insinuation, they entered the field on numerous occasions and put an end to an existing sedition.

Of course, this quality of the people of Isfahan is not related to their complaints and requests. What Mr. Tabatabaee said was correct. He is right. Water is a very important issue in Isfahan. I have been following up on it as well. I have received many letters, forwarded them to the appropriate departments, and followed up on their work. I have recently pursued this issue, and praise God they are working on it. Good work is being done. There are five or six measures being worked on. Some of these are long-term projects, but that is fine. Work is being done, actions are being taken, things are moving forward, and hopefully the problem will be solved. I have told our dear government officials, who are indeed working hard and putting in a great deal of effort, that this issue requires special attention and needs to be attended to as soon as possible. The people of Isfahan are truly worthy of us working hard day and night to serve them.

Now, that was about the people of Isfahan. Other cities in the country have also created values in one way or another. We don’t want to just highlight Isfahan. Of course, not all have been the same or at the same level. Some were ahead. Isfahan is among the leading [provinces]. Good efforts have also been made in other places. The full-scale efforts of people all around the country have allowed us to be victorious in one of the most unique trials. The period of the 8-year Holy Defense was not a small test. It was a very important event. Many of our youth are unaware of what happened [during that period]. For eight years all of the world powers were on one side, and Iran was on the other side! Now, there are some events that take place in some places, for example where attacks are launched on a country. First of all, they are not as extensive as the one that took place in Iran. Secondly, there are people who help [those countries]. Nobody helped us. NATO was with Saddam. Particularly the US was backing Saddam. The former Soviet Union was with Saddam. A number of European countries, such as Yugoslavia, that were not very dependent on the Soviet Union or the US were also with Saddam. I went [to Yugoslavia] and saw this from up close. They were also on [Saddam’s] side. So, the whole world was on one side, and the Islamic Republic was on the other side. Well, Iran was victorious in this war with these actions taken by the people and with the motivation that they had. It was able to do this empty-handedly. We achieved a complete, brilliant victory in the eight-year war. We attained victory, but that was not the end of the story. I would like to begin the second part of our discussion now, the issue of looking at the bigger picture of the challenges that exist between Islamic Iran and the Arrogant Powers, the Arrogant system, and Global Arrogance.

I would like you to please pay attention to this point that this is what the problem is from the Arrogant Front’s perspective. The problem that the Arrogant Powers have with the Islamic Republic of Iran is that if the Islamic Republic makes advances, thrives, and shines in the world, the Western world’s logic of liberal democracy will become invalidated. I happened to have this discussion in Isfahan once. I mentioned it before a large crowd in Isfahan’s central square. The West has plundered the entire world for more than two centuries using the logic of liberal democracy. In one place, they said there is no freedom here. In another place, they said there is no democracy here, and they entered those places. They plundered the wealth, treasures, and resources of those countries under the pretext of wanting to establish democracy there. Europe, which was poor, became wealthy at the price of demolishing many wealthy countries such as India. They destroyed India. If you read Nehru’s book, Glimpses of World History, you will realize what happened exactly. And the same thing happened in many other countries too, such as China. Now Iran was not colonized directly, but they did whatever they could here as well using the logic of liberal democracy. They said freedom and democracy, freedom and the people. They used this label to conquer other countries. They did whatever they could against both the freedom and democracy of other countries.

An example of this is in front of your eyes in Afghanistan. [The US] came to Afghanistan 21 years ago to overthrow the government that they claimed lacked freedom and was undemocratic. The Americans entered Afghanistan and committed crimes there for 20 years. They committed all sorts of crimes. They stole whatever they could get their hands on, they looted the country, they killed people, they destroyed everything, they ruined families, and they destroyed morals. After 20 years, the same government that they were initially fighting ended up governing Afghanistan. They handed the country over to them and left [Afghanistan] in such a disgraceful manner. This is one example that exists right before the eyes of you, the young people.

For 300 years, first the Europeans and then the Americans took actions using the logic of liberal democracy. Now, if a government or a system is established in the world that rejects the logic of liberal democracy and it uses real logic to give people an identity, to give the people of its country an identity, to revive them, to awaken them, and to strengthen them while standing up to liberal democracy, this will invalidate the logic of liberal democracy. This is how the Islamic Republic is. Liberal democracy was founded on the negation of religion, while the Islamic Republic was founded on religion. They claimed to be democratic, while the Islamic Republic is a democratic system in the true sense of the word.

Of course, they obviously deny this in their propaganda and their television, but they know it. The reason why some people here say that there is no freedom, democracy, and things of that sort is because they listen to what they [the media outlets] tell them. Otherwise, the fact that these people are saying these things against the government without being reprimanded is in itself indicative of freedom. The reason we say it [the system] is democratic is because since the demise of Imam Khomeini and up until today, no two governments that have come to power have had the same mindset. One government came, the next government started working with a different mindset. Well, it is obvious that there is freedom of thought. People are free. They make choices. At one time they choose this [candidate] and another time they choose someone else.

The problem that the West and the Arrogant Powers have with the Islamic Republic is that the Islamic Republic is advancing. It is thriving. The whole world is seeing this progress and acknowledging it. The West cannot bear to see this. They are not prepared to tolerate it. That is where the problem lies. The problem is that Iran is advancing. If we hadn’t made any progress, if we had failed to demonstrate a strong presence in the region, if our voice was quivering before the US and the Arrogant Powers, if we were willing to accept their aggressive, coercive behavior, there would have been less pressure. Of course, they would have come and dominated us, but there would have been less sanctions and these sorts of pressures and challenges. Whenever the strength of the Islamic Republic has been more pronounced – because as you know, the situation has been different during these years – the enemy’s efforts to maul it have increased.

The country’s main challenges today are the challenges of progress, cessation, and recession, or perhaps we should say the challenges of progress and resilience, because cessation means going back, and whoever stops is in fact moving backwards. The world is moving forward. If you stop, you will fall behind. The issue is this that we are making progress. We are seeking progress. They do not want this to happen. All of the world’s Arrogant Powers – mainly the US and Europe – are angered by the progress that the Islamic Republic is making. It makes them anxious. It upsets them. That is why they are getting involved and using everything at their disposal, but they cannot do anything at all. They have not been able to do anything up until now, nor will they be able to do anything after this either.

The US is at the forefront of this battle. The reason we keep highlighting the US is because it is leading the way. There are others too, but they are following behind the US. In the years following the victory of the Islamic Revolution, all of the US presidents have fought the Islamic Republic on this front line. Where are they now? Some died, perished, or disappeared and others fell into the dustbin of history, even though they may still be alive. From the Democrats Carter, Clinton, and Obama; to Republicans such as Reagan, Bush, and that “former fool [Trump];” and to this “current, poor scatterbrain [Biden]” who wants to “save” the Iranian people, they have all stood up against the Islamic Republic of Iran with no exception and sought help from whomever they could. They especially provoked the Zionist regime. They helped. Now some say that the usurping Zionist regime is the one provoking them. Yes, that might be the case at certain times, but it [the Zionist regime] is their chained dog. It is their rabid dog in the region. It has a duty to create corruption and put pressure on the region. Unfortunately, some of the other governments in the region have also gone along with it. Of course, they struck some blows too, not that they didn’t do anything. But overall, they failed. They were not able to stop the Islamic Republic. None of their plans worked. That is, they did not achieve what they were pursuing. Yes, they did create some problems, but they did not get what they wanted. The sanctions, the assassinations of our scientists, bribing certain individuals to speak against the Islamic Republic inside the country, and the various political and security tricks they used – none of these were able to stand in the way of the Iranian nation’s movement, advancements, and perseverance.

Now, we are faced with a situation like this. I would like to state that all of us – the country’s officials, the people, the intellectuals in our society, the active youth, and the elites of our society, the scientific circles, the seminaries, and the universities – we should all understand that we need to make advancements. Today, it is our duty to make progress in all fields. We need to make progress. We need to make scientific progress, we need to make progress in the field of art, we need to make progress in the economy, and we need to make political progress. This progress will strengthen and give authority to the government. When you have authority, the enemy will not be able to do anything to you. The enemy’s goal is to shake the pillars of authority. You are seeing this. They do not want the [Iranian] government to have authority. We all need to pursue progress, because progress is what empowers us. It makes us self-sufficient. It strengthens us. If these advances – scientific, spiritual, moral, economic, and political progress – continue as they have in the past, praise God, the enemy will be anxious. The enemy is truly afraid of this and will do everything it can to prevent this from happening.

So how can we advance? Well, there are various methods for advancement. There are many ways. I would like to just mention an important point, and that point is hope. The most important means for advancing is hope, and this is what the enemy is focusing on. The enemy is using everything it has in its power to induce disappointment and the feeling of being in a deadlock. Sometimes you might find that a young person who is unfamiliar with worldly affairs gets affected by this. He loses hope. And once he loses hope, he doesn’t work. Hope is needed for advancement. The enemy is focusing on the hope of the Iranian nation. The enemy is using a wide range of tools, such as the media; satellite stations; the bizarre world of cyberspace; and mercenary, hired television stations. It is using all of these to kill hope in people. Fortunately, our hope is alive. Now, I shall briefly touch on this. But they do not want our youth to remain hopeful. They do not want our officials to remain hopeful. They even want to take hope away from our officials. Now, unfortunately, this has extended inside the country. I have no choice but to say this. A person does not want this reality to exist, but it does. These things extend inside the country. They do this by inducing despair. They induce thoughts of hopelessness, such as “It’s useless,” “We’re never going to get anywhere,” “What do we want to do?” You hear these sorts of things. And unfortunately, some newspapers and social media activists inside the country are also saying such things. They too are extensions of them [the enemy].

Now, a reality exists in spite of their provocations. The reality is that we are advancing. We are moving forward. [Of course,] we do have a problem in economics, and I don’t want to negate or deny the economic problems. But God willing, that too will be solved. And praise God, we are constantly making progress in other areas. We are moving forward. They especially don’t want to allow the young generation to be informed about these advancements, so they conceal them. The same applies to their extensions inside the country, which I mentioned before. Much of our progress is either concealed or belittled.

Now, what I had written down to tell you about is the following. Over the past few weeks, while we were seeing a handful of troublemakers or deceived people creating unrest out on the streets, great achievements were being made at the time of these riots. If we compare these achievements to other weeks and months, we will be able to draw a big conclusion from this.

I am now going to list the things that have happened in the past few weeks. Iranian scientists have discovered a new method for treating blood cancer. This is progress. It is an important achievement. It is not a small thing. [We have also] engineered a key device for our oil and gas wells. Oil and gas are one of our most important natural resources. We need to be innovative in the field of oil and gas extraction and this innovation is taking place. An important step was taken in this direction just a few weeks ago. This is a great accomplishment. A strategically important railway link in Sistan and Baluchistan Province was inaugurated. This railway line had always been an important dream of ours since the beginning of the Revolution – there had been no talk of such a line before that time. It has always been a dream of ours to build a North-South transportation corridor. And now the Baluchistan railway line is a part of this link. This means that we can connect the north of the country to the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman by passing through Baluchistan. A few days ago, an important part of this railway line was inaugurated. An important task was accomplished. This is progress.

A number of new factories have been inaugurated. We also witnessed the inauguration of our first offshore refinery in another country. Six new power plants have begun operating these past few weeks. I have been informed about these cities. They have been reported to me, but I don’t want to name them one by one now. One of the world’s biggest telescopes was recently unveiled. The construction of one of the world’s biggest telescopes was completed and put into operation during this time. A new satellite carrier and a new rocket were also unveiled among other things. These all took place during the past few weeks when we were experiencing riots in the country. If we count every single one of these achievements, these are many things. [But] they don’t let this happen. They do not want the young generation to know about these things. They belittle these things. They ridicule it. They deny it. We had advanced immensely in our defense capabilities, but they kept denying it. They would show pictures of it saying, “These are photoshopped. They are not real.” Later on, however, they had no choice but to admit to it. They had no choice but to acknowledge it.

Now, these things that I have mentioned are important both in terms of the work that has been accomplished and also because it is a sign that there is movement in our society. So our society is not stagnant. It is moving forward. It is making progress. It is very important for a society to make progress and move forward. The Iranian youth are alive and full of motivation, even on the days when the enemy is busy with its malicious actions. So if you are patriotic, one of the signs and indicators of patriotism toward Iran is to create hope. If you induce despair, you cannot claim to be a patriot. The main indicator of anti-Iranian sentiment is creating despair and hopelessness, as well as inducing feelings of helplessness and being at an impasse in others. These are indicators of anti-Iranian sentiment. Those who love Iran move in the opposite direction. Do not let the enemies of Iran change their image and appearance and do such things while pretending to be defending the interests of the nation. Do not allow them to control the indicators. If you are a writer, or a poet, or a scholar, or a cleric and you love Iran, you love Islamic Iran, very well then, you need to create hope. If you do the opposite, you cannot claim that you love Iran.

Very well, so the issue at hand is advancement. Let me summarize what I’ve said. Our problem with Global Arrogance is that we are making progress and we have the determination to make progress, but they consider our advancements to be to their disadvantage. This is the main challenge that we are facing. Islamic Iran should not make progress in the opinion of the US and the Arrogant governments. Our response to such a statement is that Islamic Iran must make progress in order to exalt the name of Islam.

As for the third thing that I wanted to talk about, I would like to say a few words about some issues concerning the riots. The main orchestrators of the riots are working behind the scenes and apart from these people who take to the streets. Those who are orchestrating this from behind the scenes wanted to bring the people out. Now that they have failed, they are trying to exhaust the officials and organizations with their villainous acts. They are making a mistake. Such villainy only causes people to become fed up with them. It makes the people despise and hate them even more. Now that the people loathe these evildoers, the continuation of these acts increases the people’s hatred toward them.

Now, the first thing is that yes, events like these do create problems for people. You need to close your shop if it is on the street. You need to look after your car. What can you do? They create problems and they commit crimes. They destroy things. But those who have come out and those who are behind the scenes are far too small to be able to harm the system. Without a doubt, this villainous behavior will be dealt with and stopped. Then the Iranian nation will enter the field with more strength and a fresher spirit, and they will continue to make even more progress. This is the nature of how it works. This is the nature of a nation that has faith. Yes, certain things might come up for them, but they create opportunities for themselves from the events that might have been threats. They create opportunities from threats. That is how it has been up until now. That is how it has been since the beginning of Islam.

Our dear brother recited this verse from the Qur’an, “But when the faithful saw the confederates, they said, ‘This is what Allah and His Apostle had promised us. The promise of Allah and His Apostle were true’” (Qur’an 33:22). Well, the Battle of Ahzab [the Confederates] was not a small battle. All the Arab tribes from Quraysh, Ta’if, Mecca, and other places had gathered to fight against the city of Medina, which had a population of several thousand people. It was the Battle of the Confederates. This should make the hearts tremble. When the believers saw this, they said, “This is what Allah and His Apostle had promised us.” [They said] this was not something new. God had told them that they would come and that they had enemies who would come to them. They came. “‘The promise of Allah and His Apostle were true.’ And it only increased them in faith and submission” (Qur’an 33:22). “And it only increased them in faith and submission” is the opportunity we are talking about. They were faced with a threat and they took advantage of this threat. It increased their faith. They found an opportunity to increase their faith. It was like this during the early days of Islam, and it has always been like this.

It was the same during the Holy Defense. The Holy Defense was a war with the confederates who attacked us from all sides. The Iranian nation turned this threat into an opportunity. What was that opportunity? It was to show the world that the Iranian nation will not be defeated. Everyone was there. The US, Europe, NATO, Warsaw at that time – the Warsaw Pact, which belong to the communists – they all supported Saddam. Everyone supported him. [However], Iran was not defeated. The Iranian nation was not defeated. That became a precedent. It was an opportunity. Whenever the world powers imagine that they have everything on the table, as they themselves say, “All new cards on the table,” one of these cards is the military card – whenever they think about this, they remember the 8-year Imposed War on Iran. They know that the Iranian nation will not be defeated. On numerous occasions, the Iranian nation has told its adversaries such as the US and others, "You may come here yourself, but your leaving won’t be up to you!” You might come forward, but you will get stuck. You will suffer. That is how the Iranian nation was able to make use of the Imposed [Iraq-Iran] War. The people of Isfahan also made use of the event of November 16. Their motivation increased, and like I said before, a larger number of courageous young people marched toward the battlefields from Isfahan.

The same thing happened during the recent riots. The Iranian nation took advantage of this so-called threat. They consider these riots to be a threat to the Iranian nation. What did the Iranian nation do? They showed who they truly are and the direction they have chosen. When? On the 13th of Aban (November 4th). This year, the 13th of Aban was different from all previous years. A few people took to the streets at the request of the US, but the great nation of Iran came out on the 13th of Aban and chanted slogans against the US. The 13th of Aban was one example.

Another example was the funerals of these martyrs. A beloved martyr, a young person, was martyred during this time. These were dear martyrs who were protectors of security, Basiji martyrs, law enforcement martyrs, every single person who was martyred. Suppose a young man, for example, Martyr Ruhollah Ajamian, is martyred. He was an unknown young man, but there was an extraordinary turnout of people at his funeral! This is [an example of] the people’s response. They turn that threat into an opportunity. That is, the people show what they are made of and say, “This is who we are. You martyred our youth, [but] we are all behind this young man.” [This is] exactly the opposite of what the enemy is seeking to insinuate. They want to insinuate that the people of Iran are taking to the streets, the Iranian nation are against so-and-so, the people of Iran did this and that. [However,] the nation showed itself. It used this threat and turned it into an opportunity.

Showing the true colors of those orchestrating the riots was another opportunity. The orchestrators of these riots pretend to be on the Iranian people’s side, but they fought against all the Iranian people’s wishes, beliefs, and sanctities. They showed enmity toward Islam, they burned mosques, they burned the Qur’an, they showed enmity toward Iran, they burned the Iranian flag, and they disrespected the national anthem of Iran. They showed their true colors. They claim to be on the Iranian people’s side. Well, the Iranian nation is a Muslim nation. It is a nation of the Qur’an, it is a nation of Imam Hussain. When you insult Imam Hussain, when you use foul language, when you are shameless, how can you be on the side of the Iranian people? You disrespect Arbaeen, you disrespect the Arbaeen Walk that millions of people attended, and you still call yourself a supporter of the Iranian nation? Well, we can see the true colors of those orchestrating the riots now.

The next point is about how the orchestrators of the riots should be dealt with. Some [of those who participated in the riots] are the orchestrators, some are people who have been deceived, some are those who have been paid money, and others are those who have committed crimes. These people are not all the same. The person who has only been deceived but has not committed any crimes should be given a warning and admonished. They need to be guided. It does not matter whether they are a student or not a student, whether they are on the streets or in the university, you need to ask them, “Is this action you are taking helping or hindering Iran’s progress?” Let them think about it. These people have been deceived. You need to encourage them to think. Those who go along with the enemy without realizing what the enemy is pursuing, need to be awakened. You need to tell them, “The enemy is there. Be careful not to join forces with the enemy.” In the words of Imam Khomeini (ra), “Shout whatever you want at America.” So, this is with regard to the youth who have been deceived.

As for the perpetrators of crimes, murder, vandalism, or threats – they threaten shopkeepers, telling them to close their shops or they will set fire to them; they threaten drivers, telling them if they don’t honk their horns or do this or that, they will damage their car; and they threaten others – these perpetrators need to be punished. They need to be punished according to their offenses. Murderers should be dealt with in one way, vandals should be dealt with in another way, and those who instigate others to do these things using propaganda need to be dealt with differently. Each one of these elements needs to be punished according to the crimes they have committed. Although, I must add here that these punishments need to be carried out by the Judiciary. No one has the right to arbitrarily punish someone at their own will. No, there is a strong Judiciary, which by the grace of God is alive, alert, and motivated. They need to punish the perpetrators.

So there is giving advice and there are also punishments, like the Prophet, the way of the Messenger of God. There is a saying from Imam Ali (pbuh) where he said, “The Prophet (pbuh) is like a doctor who has medicine, and his burning tools are ready too” (Nahj al-Balaghah, sermon 108). In the past, if a wound was not healing, they would burn it. They would put a hot iron rod in the fire until it became red, then they would put it on the wound to heal it. Imam Ali (pbuh) said that the Prophet had his medicine ready and the iron rod too. They were both ready.

As the poet Saadi said, “Harshness and kindness go hand in hand, like a surgeon who cuts and heals” (Golestan Saadi, chapter 8).

A surgeon cuts the wound open and puts a dressing on it. Both need to be done. This is another point.

Another point is that up until this moment, the enemy has been defeated, praise God. The enemy’s intention was to bring people out onto the field, [but] the people demonstrated that they are not with the enemy. Of course, the enemy creates media campaigns – pseudo-campaigns and mass, false propaganda. As you can see in the various media outlets, the enemy portrays things in a way that causes one who is unaware to believe that there actually is something happening. But this is not the reality of the situation. That which is widespread, that which is magnificent, is the presence of the people serving the Revolution and in the fields of the Revolution. Yes, this is truly remarkable. But not the other [the enemy’s] side. They wanted to provoke people, [but] the people responded strongly to them. Although let me add here that the enemy has a new trick up its sleeve every day. If it fails here, it is not clear that it will give up. It will go after something else. It might target ethnic groups. It might target workers. It might target women. Of course, our honorable women and workers are too dignified to surrender to the enemy and be deceived by them. There is no doubt about that.

So, the enemy had a goal, which it did not achieve. However, the fact is that our society is facing problems. We do have problems. The most important problem we are facing at the time is our economic problem. You can see that I have been mentioning a point about economics in the slogan of the year for many years now, and I have been asking the officials to work particularly hard on solving and following up on these issues. Economically, the past decade was not a good decade for us. We faced many problems.

If they had listened to those recommendations and if the things that are going to be done now, God willing, had been done years ago, we would be in a much better situation now. After all, the sanctions have an impact, some strategies have an impact, and some management issues also have an impact. All of these issues are effective. From what I can see, the officials are truly working hard. They are seriously putting in a great amount of effort, and their efforts have been effective in many cases. They have even been effective in the current economic situation, but well, economic problems still exist. Of course, today many countries around the world are suffering from economic problems, and we are not an exception. We should strive to solve these problems, God willing. This is possible with the cooperation of the people with the officials and the cooperation of the nation with the government. God willing, there will be sympathy, empathy, and mutual cooperation. With the grace of God, the Iranian nation will respond strongly to the enemy in the field of economics as well.

We pray that Almighty God will bestow His blessings and mercy on our dear people. We hope that God willing, the people of Isfahan will be even more prosperous, buoyant, prepared, and present in the front line of the Revolution with each passing day. We hope the pure soul of Imam [Khomeini] is pleased with you and me, and that we will be able to fulfill our responsibilities toward our dear, diligent people, God willing.

May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.