The newly elected members of the 4th Experts Assembly met the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on Thursday, February 22.
Speaking at the meeting, the Leader felicitated the audience on the auspicious birth anniversary of His Holiness Imam Muhammad-ibn-Ali al-Baqer (greetings be upon him).
Ayatollah Khamenei further described the present condition and status of the country and the Islamic system as unique and unparalleled compared with all the years after the revolution. He stated that the Iranian nation and officials of the Islamic Republic, relying on the main factors contributing to the victory and continuity of the revolution, i.e., patience and gratefulness to Almighty Allah, will continue to tread the path to greater achievements and victories.
The Leader referred to the reliance of the Experts Assembly on the people's votes as a very important phenomenon and a clear indication of religious democracy.
"The enemies are quite aware of the matchless significance of the Experts Assembly. This is why a few months before the elections, they began to apply a variety of propaganda-political means and threats and intimidation in order to dishearten the Iranian people and discourage them from going to the polls. But the faithful and vigilant people of Iran took part in the elections for the 4th Experts Assembly more massively and more enthusiastically than in the previous elections, to such an extent that the number of votes cast in the 4th Experts Assembly elections was even greater than the number of votes cast in the Islamic councils elections," the Leader told the audience.
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the major motive for the Iranian people's presence on various scenes is their deep faith in and strong attachment to the Islamic system. He stressed that all the officials of the Islamic Republic should really believe in and highly value the people's deep faith in the Islamic system and make every effort to preserve and boost this precious and rare phenomenon.
Further in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Republic referred to certain Qur'anic verses to the effect that the presence of the faithful and believers in various arenas is a sign of divine assistance. He stated that on the 28th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution's victory on February 11 the Iranian people from all walks of life and with different political leanings took part in the parades and rallies marking the anniversary of the revolution's victory.
Ayatollah Khamenei also hinted at the attempts that are being made to insinuate that there is a state of emergency in the country. He noted that those who are making such attempts are in practice following the enemy's line.
"There is no state of emergency in the country, since the enemies have been arraying their forces against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the past 28 years. However, the great and powerful Iranian nation has achieved victory during all these years, and the same situation also exists today," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
The Leader further referred to the enemies' explicit acknowledgement that the influence of the Islamic Revolution has expanded and deepened in the Middle East and the Islamic world.
"Despite the escalation of enmities on the part of the arrogant powers, the Islamic Republic of Iran has become stronger with the passage of time and its roots have grown deeper, so much so that today the Islamic system is in the strongest position and status from various aspects compared with 28 years ago," the Leader noted.
Ayatollah Khamenei described the warm welcome that is accorded by the people and youngsters and intellectuals of different countries to the Iranian president during his visits to those countries as a clear sign of the futility of the negative propaganda spread by Western countries against Iran and an indication of the different nations' interest in and enthusiasm for the Islamic Revolution.
"Today, the logic of the Islamic Republic is more acceptable and our argument is stronger and the influence of the Islamic Revolution has grown deeper in the hearts of Muslims," Ayatollah Khamenei added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader of the Islamic Republic referred to patience and gratefulness to Almighty Allah as the main factors contributing to the victory and continuity of the Islamic Revolution.
"Patience does not always mean the endurance of hardships, but it also means perseverance and continuing to tread the path, since any stop will provide the enemy with an opportunity for aggression. Therefore, efforts should be made to pursue the objectives of the Islamic Revolution and ideals of the nation with valor, prudence and appropriate planning," the Leader pointed out.
Ayatollah Khamenei described gratefulness to Almighty Allah as another major factor contributing to the victory and continuity of the revolution. He stated that the Iranian people should be deeply grateful to Almighty Allah for some great blessings such as the rule of Islam in the country, the vitality and attraction of the slogans of the late Imam Khomeini and the revolution after the lapse of some 28 years, the Islamic Republic's being the standard-bearer of propagating the divine religion throughout the world and the Islamic honor and dignity of the Iranian nation.
The Leader also referred to the incessant efforts made by the incumbent government to serve the public as another divine blessing.
"The officials of the incumbent government are making efforts to serve the public round the clock in the real sense of the word, and they are pursuing the goals and objectives of the Islamic system and the nation through appropriate planning and effective measures. Therefore, the Iranian people should recognize this great blessing and highly value it," Ayatollah Khamenei observed.
Further in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Republic touched on the attempts that are being made by the enemies to foment sectarian conflicts in the Islamic world, and he underlined the need for vigilance in the face of these attempts.
"By the favor of Allah, Shia and Sunni Muslims are living together in peace and harmony in Iran. However, the tragedies in Iraq and the enemies' propaganda with respect to those behind these massacres indicate that the wicked enemies are harboring evil thoughts of creating discord and division in the Islamic world. The fact of the matter is that those behind these tragedies and massacres of the people in Iraq are indeed neither Sunni nor Shia Muslims," the Leader pointed out.
In conclusion, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the Experts Assembly has been entrusted with a heavy and very significant responsibility. He noted that members of the Experts Assembly should always be prepared to perform their momentous responsibility in an appropriate manner.
At the beginning of the meeting, the first vice-speaker of the 4th Experts Assembly Hojjatoleslam Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani said that the need for the consolidation of unity and national solidarity as well as the need for due measures to neutralize the enemies' plots to foment discord between the Shia and the Sunni in the Islamic world were the main issues on the agenda of the first session of the 4th Experts Assembly.
The second vice-speaker of the 4th Experts Assembly Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Yazdi also presented a report at the meeting about the first two-day session of the assembly.