The following is the full text of the speech delivered on March 28, 2011 by Ayatollah Khamenei to the employees of the National Oil Company in Asalouyeh, Bushehr province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I am very happy that today's visit to this sensitive and important part of the country resulted in a meeting with you dear brothers and sisters, the employees of this important industrial center and the local residents. This meeting is the last part of my trip. I am very happy to meet you dear brothers and sisters.
Fortunately in every part of the country and in every sector, there are clear signs that our dear nation is making progress in theoretical and practical arenas. Bushehr province is one of the oldest provinces of our country, and its people have emerged victorious out of the test. Anybody who is familiar with the history of this region knows that the people of this area have made selfless efforts for the sake of our country, our independence and our dignity. Having realized the importance of this region, the belligerent and hegemonic powers decided to completely dominate this rich part of the Persian Gulf region during a certain historical stage. The same colonial powers whose presence had done irreparable damage to the people of the Indian subcontinent - as well as the people of North Africa and East Asia - were not prepared to give up this region. At that time the people on the coast of the Persian Gulf - especially the people of Bushehr and Hormozgan provinces - rendered a lot of services to the country. They resisted bravely and proved the power and resistance of the Iranian nation. This is the historical background of this region, and such things will never be erased from history.
Today we are going through another historical stage. Aggressive hegemons of the world are thinking of new methods to spread their domination over different parts of the world and to promote their illegitimate interests - even at the cost of destroying the identity and dignity of other nations. Over the past years this is what they have been doing in different parts of the world, especially in this region.
What has happened in Iran is exactly the opposite of the goals and interests of global arrogance. The government which has been established in Iran relies on the people and their hearts, religious faith and emotions. Our government pursues Islamic and Quranic goals - the goals that have been specified in "and to Allah belongs the might and to His Messenger and to the believers." [The Holy Quran, 63: 8] It relies on the kind of belief that cannot be shaken by any pressure. It is an Islamic system. This resistance against the greed of foreigners is enough to enrage the centers of global power. It is 30 years that they have been expressing their anger in one way or another, but the willpower of the Iranian people - which depends on the will of Allah the Exalted and on their faith in the divine promise of victory - has disappointed the enemies, and the Iranian nation has been treading the path of progress, growth and transcendence every day.
I named this year as "The Year of Economic Jihad". This means that this year the Iranian nation should focus the major portion of its efforts on the economic arena. I travelled here to visit this region today. This region is an economic region which relies on production, and production - particularly production that is based on knowledge - is the most important factor which can bring about sustained growth for the economy of a country. This is true of this region, which is both an economic region and a region for production and knowledge. The production is knowledge-based. This is what the Iranian nation deserves. There was a day when the people of this region and the people of other parts of our country used to stand up against the bullying and greed of plundering and aggressive governments in a particular way, but today the situation is more complicated. Today resistance against such powers requires serious efforts which are profound and carefully planned.
Fortunately our nation is familiar with the culture of jihad. We are not alien to the concept of jihad. Our nation is experienced in different areas of jihad: military jihad during the eight-year Sacred Defense Era, political jihad since the beginning of the Revolution, economic and scientific jihad. We are familiar with jihad. The kind of jihad that we should engage in - namely, economic jihad - is not more difficult than the other kinds of jihad that the Iranian nation has engaged in so far. But we should know what we want to do.
Economic jihad is not limited to economic efforts. Jihad has a particular meaning. Not every effort can be called an instance of jihad. Jihad includes the concept of confrontation with the enemy. Sometimes one may make an effort without being faced with an enemy: this is not jihad. But sometimes you decide to make an effort because an enemy is standing in front of you. This is an instance of jihad. Sometimes this jihad may be in the form of a military confrontation. Other times it may be in the form of scientific jihad. Yet other times it may be in the form of technological jihad. These are all different kinds of jihad. A good contemporary equivalent for jihad would be "battle". Economic jihad means economic battle.
And everybody is responsible in this regard. The efforts made by faithful men - some of whom I met today - are an instance of jihad. And many of you are among those faithful men, and your efforts are an instance of jihad. The work that is being done in this impressive industrial and economic center is an instance of jihad. If your intentions are divine, your efforts will be jihad in the way of God. When a person makes efforts to promote justice and Islam and to bring about glory for the Islamic Ummah and the faithful people of Iran, his efforts are jihad in the way of God. And such efforts enjoy the blessings and greatness of jihad in the way of God.
I would like to thank all the people who are active in this area, and I demand from them that they should consider their work as jihad in the way of God. Do not get tired. You should know that Allah the Exalted has promised success for jihad in the way of God. If you move forward for the sake of God and on His path, you will succeed. This year all our people and government officials from across the country should make such efforts for the sake of God. And Allah the Exalted will bless their efforts. Allah the Exalted will definitely help the people whose efforts, work and determination have this orientation, just the way He has assisted us during the past 32 years. Without God's assistance it was not possible for a nation to stand up against global arrogance.
There are rich sources of natural gas in this region, which we share with the neighboring countries. I do not want to refer to the neighboring countries as our rivals. You see that all those who are dissatisfied with the progress of the Iranian nation have joined hands against the Iranian nation in this regard. They help the neighboring countries as much as they can, and when it comes to us, they create as many obstacles as they can. This shows the meaning of jihad: having a hostile enemy in front of you. In this case and in similar cases, every step that you take will enrage and upset the enemy. And they will engage in as much obstructionism as they can. They will try to focus on whatever you need for this progress, and they will try to limit your access to those things.
What is the solution? The solution is to rely on ourselves and utilize our own capacities: the inexhaustible source of determination and talent that our people and youth enjoy.
There are many things that should be discussed in this regard. Today the officials in charge of this center discussed some of these things during this long visit, and I offered some recommendations. Everybody has to play a role in this economic jihad, and this is the point that I would like to address to the entire Iranian nation. As far as managing the economy of a country, consumption is an essential pillar: appropriate consumption, consumption that is not wasteful. And this is something that is constantly recommended.
Now I would like to speak about the necessity of creating the culture of hard work for the sake of God. Even as a teacher, you can play a role in this economic jihad. You can engage in economic jihad by teaching this culture of hard work to the youth in your class - who are going to be tomorrow's workforce. No matter where you work, you can play a role in this economic jihad.
It is necessary to help promote justice. This decade is the decade of progress and justice for us. From an Islamic perspective, progress minus justice is not progress at all.
For example, the people of Asalouyeh have their own needs. Contributing to the fulfillment of these needs is an instance of economic jihad. It is part of the great work that we are supposed to do. Today I had several discussions with the managers and officials in charge of different sectors about ecological issues, pollution and problems of the local residents. By Allah's favor, they will follow up these issues. It is necessary to address the problems of the people. These are all different aspects of a great and comprehensive economic jihad. This nation can achieve the position that it deserves through cooperation, solidarity, sense of brotherhood and good deeds.
The spiteful enemies want to hurt the Iranian nation with whatever they have. This is because the Iranian nation supports justice, because it is independent, because it refuses to give in to the bullying of the enemies. They want to impose their will on the Iranian nation. They want to bully and hurt the Iranian nation. It is possible to stand up against these enemies through unity, solidarity, cooperation and jihad. The Iranian nation has managed to overcome its enemies and preserve its dignity so far, and it will be the same in future.
What I would like to recommend to the honorable officials in charge of different sectors, especially this economic center, is that they should make serious efforts to rely on our domestic capacities and to become self-sufficient. They should know that God will pay attention to these efforts and that their efforts are an instance of jihad in the way of God only if their intentions are divine. The intention to serve the people and the country is a divine intention. And Allah the Exalted will bestow victory on their jihad. They should not stray away from this path and this orientation. They should work hard.
What I saw during this visit was satisfactory. Of course there are certain shortcomings. They should think of a way to address these shortcomings. I feel that they are already thinking of a way to address the shortcomings. Great achievements have been made, and this shows that the Iranian nation can do anything that it wants. Feeling of self-confidence is the greatest spiritual asset that a nation can have. Our nation has this feeling of self-confidence, and the signs can be seen in all areas.
It is necessary to do certain things in this regard. Regarding the issue of oil and gas, we should definitely work on the legal and economic issues as well as the technical issues. We should think about these issues and carry out scientific investigations. Our youth will be able to work on these things and by Allah's favor, they will make progress in this regard. This source of wealth belongs to the Iranian nation. Natural gas is a source of wealth. Oil is a source of wealth. But having a talented, enthusiastic and competent workforce is more important than these sources of wealth. We have this source of wealth, and this is the most important thing. If a nation enjoys such a workforce, it can make use of its natural sources of wealth. But if a nation does not have such a workforce, its natural sources of wealth will be used to serve the interests of foreigners. Its natural sources of wealth will benefit foreigners more than itself. Thankfully we have this source of wealth.
Fortunately the general atmosphere of the country is in favor of hard work and solidarity. This situation is the result of the selfless efforts that have been made in the past. The families of some of our dear martyrs are present in today's meeting. We should know that every achievement we make today is the result of the selfless efforts of our martyrs and their blood: selfless efforts of our martyrs, disabled soldiers and war veterans. Some of our people went to the battlefields and laid down their lives, but they were not martyred. Allah the Exalted saved their life, and they are still serving the Revolution and the country. These selfless efforts helped our nation achieve this glory. These efforts gave our nation the opportunity to make great achievements.
I pray to Allah the Exalted to increase the power, dignity and progress of the Iranian nation on a daily basis. I pray to Allah the Exalted to help us do our share of work in this great public endeavor and make God satisfied with us.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings