In an address delivered at Imam Khomeini's shrine, Ayatollah Khamenei warned presidential candidates and their supporters against disorder and confrontation in electoral campaigning. He urged all Iranians to take part in the presidential election, which is due on June 12.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that the western world has softened its tone due to Islamic resistance and awakening.
He touched on the attempts of the Obama administration at presenting a new picture of the American government and added: "I say with certainty that introducing change and presenting a new picture cannot be achieved through words and slogans only. Rather, America needs to take action and compensate for the numerous cases of violating Iran and the regional countries' rights."
"The Iranian people and government officials have constantly declared that they are not seeking to develop atomic weapons in their nuclear program. It was even declared that using nuclear weapons is haraam from an Islamic point of view. But western countries, especially America, state in their false propaganda that Iran is seeking to build nuclear bombs. This behavior is an obvious case of trampling on our rights," he stated.
Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the American occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq during George Bush's term under the pretext of fighting terrorism. He said that the honesty of the American government officials will be demonstrated only when they bring about a change in action.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Iranian nation has not been degraded and criticized the people who spread such ideas. "The signs of the Iranian nation's grandeur are clear in many global issues. And saying that the Iranian nation has lost its respect in the world is totally unacceptable."
Ayatollah Khamenei further touched upon the forthcoming presidential elections in the country. His Eminence referred to the propaganda broadcast by foreign media during the past few months and said: "The enemies say that the result of the elections is predetermined and that the elections will be rigged. They say the competition between the candidates is a political game going on inside the Iranian government."
He said: "Such claims are aimed at undermining religious democracy and preventing the people from taking part in the elections."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the presence of different political groups and their candidates in the elections is a source of honor for the Islamic Republic. He further urged the supporters of the presidential candidates to avoid clashes with those from other political parties.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the presence of Iranian youth in the streets in the run-up to the presidential elections and said that those who use such opportunities to cause disorder in the country are either traitors or suffer from a profound lack of vigilance.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the presidential candidates should be careful not to cause enmity and spite among themselves by rejecting one another. He said that rejecting others with the intention of proving oneself is not acceptable.
Referring to recent televised debates between the presidential candidates, Ayatollah Khamenei said that he is not opposed to televised debates, but stated that such debates should be run within a moral framework. He added that the people are all vigilant and aware of the realities.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that no one knows who he will vote for in the upcoming presidential elections and stressed that he will never advise anyone to vote for a particular candidate. He further stated that voting for a particular candidate is a matter of personal choice.