The following is the full text of the speech delivered on February 6, 1991 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the foreign participants of the ten-day fajr ceremonies marking the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I would like to welcome you dear brothers and sisters and the dear guests of the Islamic Republic. I hope that by Allah's favor, the bond of brotherhood and friendship among Muslims of the world is strengthened day after day on the basis of the noble Quranic teachings.
These days bring back a lot of memories for the Iranian nation and for all those who discovered and appreciated the essence of this great Revolution. Twelve years have passed since those brilliant days. The Revolution which took place in our homeland at this time of year on the basis of Quranic and Islamic principles and under the leadership of our magnanimous Imam (may God bestow paradise on him), spread on a daily basis and the claims of the Revolution have been proven by the experiences of the past twelve years.
The first claim of our Revolution is that a new era has begun, the era of the rule of spiritual values. There were not many people who could understand and believe this claim because the world had been dominated by waves of materialism and by materialistic powers. Today there are many people who understand this truth. Today spiritual values are being revived in every part of the world. Many of these spiritual values have already been revived and the failure of different forms of materialism - both in the form of Marxist ideas and in a form that is even more dangerous, namely the rule of materialism accompanied by money, power and propaganda, the embodiment of which is the arrogant powers and in particular the American government - has been proven.
Another claim of our Revolution is that materialistic powers are powerless against spiritual values and the willpower of the people. Today there are not many people in the world who fail to understand this truth, except for those who do not observe global events carefully. The most important sign of the weakness of the arrogant powers which rely on materialistic power is that this Revolution, this government and pure Islam survived in Islamic Iran and they developed roots and became more powerful on a daily basis. The fact that an Islamic system emerges in the world and manages to survive and become more powerful on a daily basis is a sign that materialistic powers are hollow and powerless because they cannot tolerate the existence of such a system and they confront it with all their power, which is exactly what they did.
It is twelve years now that the organizations affiliated with the arrogant powers have been using all their resources to confront revolutionary Islam and the Islamic Revolution. Today many of the secrets of the eight-year war which was imposed on us are being revealed because the ground has been prepared for western and Zionist propaganda machines to do so. Today everybody is confessing that they were using all their resources to help our aggressive neighbor during the eight-year war. We were saying throughout the war that all the organizations affiliated with the arrogant powers were behind the aggressor and today they admit this in their statements.
In spite of all these things, the Islamic Republic survived, the Islamic Revolution survived and the message of Islam survived, spread and developed roots. Today you see that in Asia, in Africa and in other parts of the world where Muslims are present, there are signs which show that Muslims have a strong tendency to return to Islamic principles. This means that the camp of the arrogant powers is incapable of confronting this wave.
But this is not enough. I would tell you dear brothers and sisters as well as all Muslims - especially those who can play a role in guiding the people - that today is the day when Islam is in need of sacrifices and comprehensive efforts by Muslim peoples. Today is the day when the arrogant powers have confronted peoples in the most evil way. Today is the day when the arrogant powers are prepared to sacrifice all peoples and all countries for the sake of their interests.
Notice what western powers are doing in the Persian Gulf region. In order to protect their interests, they do not spare human beings, animals or the environment. They do not spare the air, the sea or anything else. Today the arrogant American government is a threat to all peoples of the world, a serious threat. A government that feels entitled to interfere in all global matters, a government that feels entitled to interfere in the affairs of other countries, a government that feels entitled to interfere in the affairs of different regions, a government that feels entitled to impose its will on others - once such bullying is considered permissible and legitimate in the world, peoples of the world will not be able to live. They are insatiable and they do not stop at anything. They equip their vultures and their submissive followers to fight peoples of the world and they will continue doing so in the future unless peoples stand up against them by relying on Islam.
The world of Islam has two responsibilities. First of all, it should recognize the serious and great threat that is posed by the arrogant powers of the world - particularly America. This danger threatens the existence, honor, religious faith, life and independence of the world of Islam more than ever before. The arrogant powers have become more brutal and aggressive than they were in the past, and they will become even more brutal and aggressive in the future. The world of Islam should recognize this threat. The Zionists and the regimes that are protected and controlled by them as well as many of the kings and leaders who believe that their interests lie in being affiliated with America, the arrogant powers of the world and western hegemony, are the enemies of the world of Islam and they are a great threat to Muslim peoples and the world of Islam. Of course, thankfully the world of Islam has awakened and today it has recognized this threat to a large extent.
The second point is that if Muslims make a firm decision, they can prevent this threat. Superpowers used to pretend that nothing could happen against their will. Our Revolution, the eight-year imposed war and other events - including the events that took place in the Persian Gulf - clearly proved that this claim is absurd. In order to move their plans forward, superpowers resort to threats and aggression rather than genuine power. Otherwise in terms of genuine power, if a people make a firm decision, they have the power to defeat superpowers.
Current events in the Persian Gulf have clearly shown that contrary to its claims and calculations, America did not manage to achieve its goals in a few days. Their calculations proved wrong, as they have in many other cases. They waited for several months and they have been engaged in a war for several weeks. It is clear that they are not as powerful as they claim. They are not as powerful as they pretend. They are weaker than they claim. Therefore, all peoples and governments in Africa, Asia and other parts of the world - even where Muslims are in the minority - have the power to stand up against America and its impositions.
Muslim peoples should rise up to revive Islam, to reduce the enemy's influence, to secure independence for themselves, to give rise to Muslim unity and create a massive power bloc. Today this is a responsibility that lies on the shoulders of the people, particularly religious scholars, intellectuals, public speakers, vigilant youth and all those who can play a role on this path.
The Islamic Republic proved that it is possible to resist and move forward. All powers of the world stood against our magnanimous Imam (r.a.), yet he managed to defeat all of them and promote Islam and the Islamic Revolution in the world by relying on Allah the Exalted and the people. Peoples are capable of such achievements. Islam and Muslims can move forward. This is a responsibility that lies on our shoulders and the Islamic Republic will continue this path. Our pleasant, exciting and successful experiences are a source of motivation for our nation to continue the path of God, Islam and the Holy Quran.
I hope Allah the Exalted helps our people and all Muslim peoples to engage in determined jihad in a powerful way and to liberate themselves from the enemies and by Allah's favor, more affection and kindness develops among the hearts of Muslims.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings