This Thursday morning, August 3, 2017, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, formally endorsed Hujjatul-Islam wal Muslimeen Hassan Rouhani's presidency, during a ceremony held at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in his opening statements, mentioned that the endorsement ceremony is the beginning of a new era for management in the country, saying: "I hope that with new innovations and more capabilities than the past, the administration will be able to make the people happy."
His Eminence stated that endorsing the presidency is a symbol of democracy: "The people of Iran have played their part in electing the president and the high-ranking managers of the country 12 times. Of course, ten parliamentary elections, five city and village council elections, and five Assembly of Experts elections must be figured into this."
Stressing that all these achievements have been carried out, because of the Revolution, he stated: "Our new generation should not forget: we felt the pre-revolutionary era with all our hearts; with our hearts, we witnessed and felt a dictatorship and lack of attention towards the people in the government sector. Our youth did not witness, before the victory of the Revolution, the lack of our people's role in the management of our country. The rulers [pre-revolution] of the country--monarchs and their cohorts--used to come and go, while the people were mere spectators; however, the Islamic Revolution came about, bringing the people from the periphery into the center: this way, the people were given the power to make choices regarding everything. Since the beginning of the Revolution, this is the 12th time that results of the people's votes, for the management of the executive branch, are announced; therefore, this endorsement ceremony is extremely important."
Reflecting, further, on past events, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed towards the prominent role the US government once had, especially in appointing officials of Iran, during the pre-revolutionary era: "Our magnanimous Imam [Ayatollah Khomeini] changed this; It was his firm determination, his peerless faith, his reliance upon God, and his trust in the people that managed to change that condition."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also acknowledged: "Over the past four decades, the people and the administration have carried out great tasks. Many scientific, executive, practical and intellectual infrastructures have been built in the country: these infrastructures never existed before the Revolution. In the beginning of the Revolution, we did not have many personalities who were prepared for management; but, today many youth have, thankfully, been trained to play their roles in this arena."
Next, Ayatollah Khamenei brought up the enemy's efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic, on that note he stated: "Despite the fact, after the Revolution, enemies have always wanted to isolate the Iranian nation, the Iranian nation has not become isolated; and, it has cooperated with the world, but at the same time, it has confronted the system of domination and arrogance in a serious manner."
Expanding on the enemy's efforts against the Iranian nation, he referred to the effect of sanctions imposed by foreign powers. His Eminence said: "They imposed sanctions on us: these sanctions have, of course, created some problems for the country, but they have also opened our eyes towards our own resources; we had many capacities which we were not aware of. Today, despite the desires of the enemy, we are strong, and we know the ways to confront the enemy."
The Leader of the Revolution reminded the audience: "We have many shortcomings: we will not keep them out of sight: we will not be denial of them. Nor will we deny that there are many untapped capacities at our disposal, which we can benefit from by Allah's favor, jihadi work, and the people's support."
Three major orientations, to be carried out by the administration, were offered by Ayatollah Khamenei: "The first orientation is attending to the people's problems and issues surrounding their livelihood; this should reach a satisfactory point over the next four years. The second orientation is extensive interaction with the world; this is the exact opposite of what our enemies and global imperialists want. We can, both, help other nations and governments, and we can receive help from them. The third orientation is that you should confront every hegemony with complete decisiveness and power--no matter who that hegemonist might be. Today, the United States of America is further transgressing and more shameless than anything."
Ayatollah Khamenei asserted: "Four decades of international activities have revealed that the price of giving into the aggressive power is much more than the price of resisting them. Surrendering to these bullish powers will ruin nations and countries; it blocks paths that lead to their progress."
As the ceremony continued, the Supreme Leader offered his words of advice to the administration: "The first word of advice is: you should consider this responsibility as something special that has been entrusted in your custody. The Commander of the Faithful (as) once stated, 'this responsibility falls on your shoulders like the things that you hold in trust.'"
He then said: "The next word of advice is that you have little time, while there are many tasks to be carried out; we should take priorities into account, both in the area of expenditure and planning. As the honorable President pointed out, 'today the issue of administering justice and uprooting poverty and corruption are our major priorities.'"
Ayatollah Khamenei also offered advice on planning and unity: "Another piece of advice is that you should move forward by making plans. The 6th five-year development plan (2016-2021), of the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a comprehensive one: The movement can be launched if you have plans if you show complete precision, and if you take all resources into account. My next word of advice is that you should attach great significance to national unity. Whatever we have, it's because of the unity of the people among themselves and their unity with officials. You should not become irritated with opposing viewpoints. You should allow opponents to criticize, if they have critical views to express. Tasks are heavy, and our shortcomings are not few in number."
Living among the people and appreciating the value of revolutionary forces, were other hints of advice His Eminence offered to the administration: "The next word of advice is that you should go and be among the people; connect with them directly and without any go-betweens. The reports that officials receive might be sincere and genuine, but they are very different from what an official witnesses when he meets with the people. I advise you, as well, appreciate the value of revolutionary and motivated forces; it is they who preserve the country in times of difficulty."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed, once again, at the enemy's intentions and stated: "With international decisions, you should remember that the enemy has used all his power to destroy you; today, some of government officials, which are in conflict with us, are saying this openly; of course, some of them hide their intentions and do not express their enmity openly."
In regards to Iran's, recently conducted, orbital launch vehicle test, Ayatollah Khamenei briefly spoke on the enemies' reaction, stating: "We send orbital launch vehicles into space, but suddenly we see that they've created uproar over it, throughout the world, while this is merely a scientific and technical activity: it is a necessary measure for every country, it is completely normal and ordinary." Thus, he noted that enmities do not only exist in the military arena: "Of course, we should be strong in the military area, but we should also be strong in the area of the economy, science and other areas."
Towards the end of his final statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: "The last point is that you should rely on God, and you should believe in the divine promise of assistance. You are taking a path towards reviving the authority of God's religion; therefore, you should be assured that God will help you."
To read the full text of the speech click here.
