Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met this morning with thousands of revolutionary and faithful people of East Azarbaijan. Speaking at the meeting, the Leader described vigilance, deep understanding of the importance of events and situations, and appropriate and courageous actions as the great lessons that Arba'een holds for all people. He further added: "The Iranian nation understands the current critical situation and is extremely vigilant against the enemies who try to take Islamic values and the revolutionary spirit away from the Islamic Republic."31 years ago, on February 18, the people of Tabriz staged an uprising to commemorate those who were martyred in Qom 40 days earlier. Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the event played a determining role in the Islamic Revolution. He said that the event generated the motivation to protest and be vigilant.
His Eminence said that vigilance, deep understanding of the situation, risk-taking, faith, and optimism were the lessons taught by the uprising. "These important lessons hold the key to the present and future success of the Iranian nation."
Ayatollah Khamenei touched upon the current stance and goals of the enemies of the Iranian nation and said that they have failed to destroy the Islamic Republic. He added: "The arrogant powers have used all their political, economic, and military means in the past 30 years in order to destroy the Islamic Revolution. But they have come to the conclusion that the unswerving support of the people of Iran [for the Islamic Republic] and reliance of the Islamic Republic on the strong faith of the Iranian nation has made it impossible to destroy the Islamic Republic. As a result, they are trying to divest the Islamic Republic of its religious and anti-arrogance qualities. They are trying to destroy the revolutionary spirit of the Islamic Republic. Considering these realities, it is essential for the public and government officials to be vigilant."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution expressed his gratitude to the people for their impressive demonstrations on February 9 this year. He described these demonstrations as a manifestation of the Iranian nation's wholehearted support for the Islamic Revolution. He further reiterated: "Scientific advances, vigilant and enthusiastic presence of the youth in different arenas, and revival of the revolutionary slogans are other obvious manifestations of the enemies' failure to defeat the Islamic Revolution. Besides, none of the government officials feel embarrassed to repeat these slogans. On the contrary, they feel proud of them."
His Eminence referred to cultural invasion on the part of the arrogance camp as one of the signs of their efforts to take Islamic values away from the Islamic Republic. "Thorough understanding of this issue and defending the Islamic and revolutionary values are the duties that lie on our shoulders. Thankfully, our people are present on the scene and enjoy vigilance, deep understanding, and praiseworthy critical thinking abilities," he added.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that Allah's assistance for faithful and active people is a divine promise that will never be broken, further reiterating: "Thanks to its deep faith, the Iranian nation is still treading the path of the Revolution with the same original enthusiasm and slogans. The young generation appreciates the current situation and is more experienced than the early revolutionary youth. They have combined enthusiasm with thought and insight and their presence in various arenas is praiseworthy. We must appreciate this divine blessing."