In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad - and upon his pure, immaculate and chosen household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.
You are very welcome. This great gathering of university professors, scientists, experts and pundits in different areas, including both brothers and sisters, is truly an invaluable gathering. It is a great divine blessing for the country and I thank God for bestowing on me the opportunity, this year as well, to be at your service.
A great responsibility falls on the shoulders of university professors and the department members in universities. The position and status that they have is really comparable with only a few positions in the country. If the position of university professors and cultivators of young students is carefully examined, we will easily accept that this position truly has few peers. We are not saying that it has no peers, but that it has few peers. And this sensitive position makes it essential for the honorable professors and the management organizations in charge of higher education to move, to take action and to make decisions more carefully in this regard.
The statements that were made were very good. Various subject matters were brought up. I personally benefitted from them in the true sense of the word. We might have knowledge of certain things, but hearing them from others helps us appreciate the significance of the matter. Regarding the points that you raised, it was perhaps the first time that I heard many of them. I benefitted from your statements. Both the brothers and the two honorable ladies who spoke raised very good points. I have written down the core of your statements. As usual, by Allah’s favor my office will follow up. We will carry out those tasks that fall on us, God willing. As for the tasks that should be referred to other organizations, my office will do that.
One part of what I want to discuss today is about universities and another part, if there is any time, is about current international issues. However, the main part is the first part.
Well, academic achievements are impressive in the real sense of the word. This should not be ignored. The reason why I am stressing this matter is the movement that has been launched, not only in Iran but all over the world, to play down and to belittle the great scientific movement of the country and to portray it as worthless. In the present time, they are working on this in the world. They spend money and devise various plans on this.
An example is the Standford University Iran 2040 Project – which you are possibly aware of you or you will be aware of it later on – which is about Iran in 2040 and about questioning the scientific achievements of the country and the important academic projects of the country. Inside the country too, there are some individuals who echo the same words. In order to help them score a goal, they give them assists. The same course of action is being adopted inside the country.
I insist on emphasizing that this move, which is a mixture of malevolence and treason, is not a correct move in any way. Universities have made many breakthroughs in the true sense of the word. A great feat has been accomplished in the country. If we want to compare these achievements with those of the pre-revolutionary era, there is a world of difference. Before the Revolution, there were universities, but they were weak and ineffectual on the matters related to the world. In the area of international science, our universities in those days were anonymous and they were dependent on others. Most of the time, they would use westerners to address educational and scientific needs.
So, the two are not comparable at all, but our universities today are even radically different from the ones that existed 20, 25, 30 years ago. Today, universities have made progress in the real sense of the word. International centers in charge of world rankings have acknowledged that a large number of our universities are among the outstanding universities in the world. Today, we have 14 million academic graduates in the country. Fourteen million is a very high number. Just in the present time, five – or slightly more – percent of the overall population of the country is comprised of students who are busy pursuing their studies in universities. This is a high number.
I do not know if you are aware of this or not, but you are probably aware of it: they level accusations at our scientific achievements. For example, such and such a mercenary Saudi writer writes an essay about our advanced defense products, which scare wise individuals in the world, saying that those products are of no value and that they have been manufactured by others, not by the Iranians themselves. They say that they have not been produced by us! They know nothing about these products at all. They say such things and as for foreign writers – American and European – they accuse, with the help of some treasonous Iranian individuals, this large number of academic graduates of lack of depth and knowledge.
If they have no depth, then who managed to achieve the 20-percent uranium enrichment in the country? Who is pursuing achievements in the area of nanotechnology? Who is furthering achievements in the area of stem cells – which was also mentioned by one of the friends in the meeting – in the country? All these catch the attention of others, the attention of well-informed and knowledgeable individuals.
Therefore, universities have thankfully accomplished a great feat. Even those who appear as non-political but who are political in reality have no choice but to acknowledge in their speeches the scientific breakthroughs of the country. Therefore, this is a reality that exists and we should think, work and formulate plans on the basis of this reality.
Another point which is noteworthy is that as one of the friends mentioned, academics and academic engineering in the beginning of its establishment was aimed at making the country dependent, not independent. From the beginning, universities were established like this.
They were established with the same logic that Taqizadeh had: “Iranians should become westernized from head to toe”. Universities were established with this outlook and perspective. Now, it is the same universities which are raising the flag of scientific independence and independent scientific progress. It is the same universities which are doing so. This is a very important reality. Well, this was about the progress of universities in this respect.
Of course, I should add that the progress of universities in the conditions that I described has been accompanied by many interferences. The scientific progress and the scientific education of young students in different areas has coincided with some interferences. There have been certain people in our universities – for example some university professors – who have encouraged students to stop pursuing their studies inside the country and to go abroad. Another example is about the students who have graduated outside the country. These individuals have pursued their studies outside the country and they have strengthened themselves. Now, they have returned to the country and are willing to stay and to render services to the country. However, there are certain rules, individuals and executives who treat them in a way that they regret their decision to return to the country.
The cases that I am mentioning are cases which I am personally familiar with. Outstanding and elite youth have graduated from such and such an advanced country and university. Now, they have come back. However, they are treated in a way and they expose them to certain rules and regulations that they really regret their decision to come back. But despite these obstacles, our universities have made these achievements.
Well, these deserved words of praise about universities and these feelings of honor and pride because of universities do not mean that we are satisfied with this amount of progress. Also, it does not mean that our current universities are devoid of shortcomings and flaws. This is not the case. We praise and admire universities and we are proud of them, but at the same time, we stress that this level of progress does not present the scientific status that Iran, the Iranian nation and Iranian society deserve. We are still backward and I have said this many times.
In a very bitter historic era, our country fell behind the caravan of science to a great extent because of the misconduct of the politicians and managers of the country. Now, we are making up for that. We have a long way to reach the point that we should reach. By Allah’s favor, I might mention some examples that I have written down in this regard in the remainder of my speech. We are not in the place that befits our status in the arena of science.
In the second phase of the Revolution, we should reach that peak. One of the friends in the meeting mentioned that the country does not need scientific progress, rather it needs a scientific leap. This is correct. We need to take a leap and this is completely feasible. This is not an unattainable request. Of course, it involves a lot of pain. It will be painful and difficult, but it will be sweet. It is a sweet pain. This was another point.
As for shortcomings and problems, it is true that our academic environments suffer from certain problems including in the area of science, culture, education and the quality of management. You yourselves are academic personalities. Some of the friends who spoke issued correct warnings regarding the problems. These warnings are completely well-informed, originating from being closely in touch with the matter.
Another issue is about educational quality which should definitely improve. This does not contradict what I said about the high quality of our educational level. In the present time, there are certain academic certificates which do not manifest scientific depth. In other words, they do not have a high scientific value, but they have a high formal and managerial value. When someone has this certificate, they are valuable in a formal sense of the word and in terms of finding a job and the like, but such certificates do not represent scientific depth.
As well as being responsible towards their own affairs, university are also responsible towards society. The internal responsibility is to produce science and to bring about scientific progress and scientific education. The external responsibility is influencing society as a whole. Universities cannot be separate and isolated from the issues of society. This is a very important matter that I wish to discuss with the honorable university professors – both brothers and sisters: you should try to involve universities in the issues of society.
Of course, later on in my speech, I will mention that different organizations should ask universities to help and to guide them and to do work and universities should help them. However, this is about the relationship between organizations and universities. This part of my speech though, is about the relationship between the people and universities regarding the issues of society.
For example, we have held meetings on the issue of social detriments. It is perhaps two, three years now that we have been holding regular meetings which I myself participate in. The main officials of the country also participate in them. In these meetings, social detriments – such as addiction, divorce, sub-standard housing and the like are discussed and certain decisions are made on them. Good measures have been adopted in this regard and there have been good achievements. These are the issues of our society. What role can universities play on these issues?
Universities and particularly university professors should be in touch with the people. What is the way to do so? How can professors be in touch with the affairs of society? It is not at all necessary for someone outside universities to specify this. It is not at all necessary for people like me to raise a point in this regard. This falls on universities themselves. Professors and various scientific groups and societies in universities themselves should sit and discuss these matters. They should look and see how professors should be involved with the problems of societies and what the ways are to pursue this. If this does not happen and if professors become isolated from society, the request that universities should solve social problems will then be unattainable. Professors should not be isolated from society.
This is the exact disaster that befell the intellectuals of the country. From the beginning of their formation, our intellectual society as they themselves acknowledged, would reside in an ivory tower. They did not join and mingle with the people. They themselves have admitted this. A few years ago, I said in a meeting with students held at a university that in the play “Ay ba Kolah, Ay bi Kolah” written by that person [Gholam-Hossein Sa’edi], there is a man standing on the porch who sees the events around him. However, he does not take any action whatsoever. This is how intellectuals are. Westernized intellectuals are inspired by western thoughts and this is how they are. This is what their position is like. Their position is that of a man standing on the porch – like in the play – and not taking action and doing nothing. He only observes. He observes well. He can understand matters and he can identify the problem, but he does not take risks and he does not get involved. He does not put himself in trouble. He only utters a word from time to time.
This was seen in the Revolution as well. During the Revolution, in that great popular movement, the people were present in the frontlines, but some intellectuals were standing at the back and some of them did not appear at all. They did not show themselves until the end. We should not act in a way that university professors and the great valuable society of academics end up in such a fate – in other words separating from the people, becoming indifferent to them and being unaware of their concerns.
I have written down a few points to discuss about academic affairs. One point is that a fundamental condition for progress is hope. Today, there is an orientation inside and outside the country for promoting the idea of despair instead of the spirit of hope. As I mentioned in the beginning of my speech, some people outside the country sit and discuss the affairs of Iran. By making hostile analyses and spreading false – untrue – news, they conclude that the scientific movement in Iran has not made any progress and that there is no hope to that end.
This is generating despair. Well, they naturally ignore the achievements and this influences students. This orientation of generating despair influences the minds of students. When they become disappointed, they stop working. In these circumstances, those students who are outstanding and who have the necessary means, will embark on leaving the country and going abroad and they will never look back.
Of course, a few students are like this because most students do not have these means. Therefore, they become disappointed and pursue a certificate which is of formal value only and which is devoid of any scientific content in order to find a job and get engaged somehow. In this condition, there will be no scientific progress.
This is how despair works. It influences students. It exerts less influence on professors, but it has been witnessed that it influences some of them as well. In other words, this propaganda disappoints the hopes of university professors to make scientific progress while they are in fact the ones in the middle of the academic arena and the ones who lead academic affairs. Generating despair is a very grave danger.
The others who do this – foreigners – do it in a carefully calculated way. Notice that they have written articles specifying that the scientific progress of Iran is a source of concern. They have written this explicitly, saying that the scientific progress of Iran is a source of concern. A source of concern for whom? It is clear: for colonialist, transgressing and power-seeking powers whose life depends on dominating the weak. They cannot bear seeing a country in a sensitive location like that of our country, liberate itself from weakness and achieve power and strength. This is a source of concern for them. They easily ignore the achievements and successes and some people really forget them as well.
Regarding those individuals and those professors who say discouraging words – according to the reports that we have received - to students in the classroom or in other academic environments, I am really surprised how they ignore the achievements of the country! They are witness to this great scientific progress and this scientific movement which has been launched in the past two decades – starting about 17, 18 years ago, in mid 1380s – in the country and they see to what extent Iran has participated in producing science in the world and how it has managed to display its scientific capabilities to everyone, but at the same, that propaganda and despair-generating temptations influence them. This is a source of surprise.
When I speak about scientific progress, this is not only my claim – I have said this many times in this meeting in previous years. This is based on the statements of scientific centers in the world which once said that the rate of the scientific movement of Iran in science is 13 times faster than that of the global average. This is a very important point: our rate of scientific progress is 13 times faster than the global average. We are witness to high scientific ranks. In some fields, we have a single-digit rank – for example, we are forth, fifth and sixth – and in some fields we are 15th and 16th in the world. This is very important.
They do not see this. They do not see these achievements. That is why one of my points is this: planning should be made in a way that the great scientific breakthroughs of universities be placed within everyone’s sight. Everyone should see them. The camps organized for university professors and students should encourage them to make a scientific tour. They should go and see scientific achievements.
For example, when they hold an exhibition of such and such industrial products, everyone goes and becomes familiar with them. They should introduce scientific achievements so that everyone can see them. They should also specify when those achievements were made – in which years and how long it took to do it – so that there will be hope. I wish to emphasize the issue of hope. My request is that the dear brothers and sisters – the honorable and esteemed professors – should definitely take this into account in the classroom and in their contact with students.
You should do something to make youth hopeful. The enemy wants to engender despair. There is unfortunately an orientation inside the country which is helping the enemy’s cause. This is how it is, this exists. You should stand up against this treacherous and malicious orientation and create hope instead. This is the first point.
The second point is about “beneficial science”. I have spoken many times about beneficial science before. I have discussed this in various academic meetings with students and the like. I said that beneficial science is a science that resolves the issues of the country. The resolution of the issues of the country defines “beneficial science.” This means that the different matters that exist in the country should be treated in a scientific way. And our issue is not confined to industry. Yes, the relationship between industries and universities was a special and important point that I stressed a long time ago. At that time, I spoke to the president of the time and the scientific deputy [of the presidency] was then formed in order to develop a scientific relationship between industries and universities.
That was related to industries, but our issue is not confined to that. We have blind spots in various areas. We are suffering from chronic diseases on economic matters, for example. Another issue is low productivity. One of our economic problems is low productivity. Well, there is a scientific solution for this. This should be worked on in a scientific way. There is a scientific solution for this.
Another example is the high rate of energy consumption. Our rate of energy consumption is several times higher than that of the global average. This is a very grave and serious loss. However, there is a solution for this. I have pointed this out several years ago in one of my speeches, but it is not the case that it can be resolved with a speech and a word of advice. This is not the case. A scientific solution should be found and sought for this. Universities should be benefitted from on issues like this.
Other examples are the dependence of our economy on oil – oil-based economy – our state-based economy, the problems related to the tax system, and the problems related to the budget. All these are the problems. And in all of them, the relationship between government organizations and universities is a necessity. Another area of participation is putting forward proposals to break the sanctions. We are not the first country to suffer from sanctions. There have been many countries. There are solutions and projects for confronting sanctions. There are scientific solutions to counter them. These solutions should be sought, found and presented to officials.
We should make the most of sanctions. Sanctions involve certain pains and problems, but they also contain certain benefits and advantages which compel us to refer to our inner capabilities. These are the tasks that can be carried out. As for boosting production – which I brought up as the slogan of the year – there is a scientific remedy. These issues should be examined in universities. Firm willpower is required for this task.
There should really be an endeavor to find a way to help university professors, researchers, scientists and academic scholars get involved in these issues. We should find a procedure for how they should get involved. This falls on universities themselves. For example, in the area of industries, one of the proposals is that they should give sabbaticals to professors in an industrial center. University professors should go to such centers and get familiar with industrial issues up close. They should see the problems that exist there.
It was apparently a few weeks ago that I said that different organizations should list their scientific needs. Fortunately, the Ministry of Industry did so. It presented a list which was broadcast in the national media. Very well, now the Ministry of Industry says that it has such and such problems, shortcomings and needs. Therefore, universities should enter the arena. You too should put forward your proposals. The Ministry of Science should sort this out with correct management. It should specify what universities can do in the face of this request made by the Ministry of Industry. This is both beneficial to the industries and universities of the country.
In any case, this is beneficial science. As I said, the needs of the country and the blind spots in different areas – including industrial, economic, agricultural and managerial areas – should be resolved through academic research and academic articles. This will help. This is beneficial and practical science. Well, I have said this in the past and I would like to repeat and stress it now as well.
However, deep and long-term research should receive attention as well. There are important tasks that do not yield immediate and short-term benefits, but that they pave the road for the scientific progress of the country. Scientists should be given the opportunity and the permission to pursue their ambitions. They should be allowed to pursue deep and fundamental research. So, there are two orientations. When I speak about beneficial science, it does not merely mean a science that has a practical aspect to it. One part of beneficial science is this. Another orientation is related to important and fundamental projects.
I would like to discuss the issue of fundamental sciences which is related to our debate. I have already brought this up once or twice in my meeting with academic personalities. Fundamental sciences are very important, but because they do not yield immediate results, few students are drawn to them when they want to choose their field of study. We should act in a way that students will give a better and warmer reception to these fields.
And fundamental sciences need the investment of the administration. Unfortunately, when administrations face a financial problem, one of the first areas that they cross out in budget allocation is the area of science, culture and the like. This is not difficult at all. The first thing that they do is to cut their budget. They said to me that they have reduced the budget of scientific divisions up to 50 percent. This means that 50 percent of the scientific activities of the country should be stopped. The administration should help.
Experts and scientists should help as well. The educational system is responsible too. The educational system should provide educational guidance. They should direct and guide youth in a way that they move towards fundamental sciences and the like. This was another issue that I had written down to discuss.
We should make continuous investment in fundamental sciences and we should play a pioneering role in this regard. In other words, we should rush towards undiscovered truths in the world. There are many truths in the universe which have not been discovered yet, as was the case a 100 years ago when many of the findings that exist today had not been discovered yet. They existed in nature, but they had not been discovered.
It is not the case that electricity, for example, has just come into being. Since the creation of the world, it was there. Later on, some people showed determination, acted in an intelligent way and discovered it. We should be after finding the truths that have not been discovered yet. This is one of our fundamental tasks. Attending to fundamental sciences helps draw the scientific society towards the undiscovered truths in the universe. We should not merely work on the truths that have already been discovered and the moves that others have made in this area.
Another issue is rating and ranking universities. I have discussed this before. This is addressed to organizations in charge of higher education, the Ministry of Science, the Ministry of Health, the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution and various other managerial organizations. We too should evaluate our universities. Of course, international ranking systems already exist and they are alright in their own respect, but many international evaluations do not attend to our domestic conditions, resources and traditions. They introduce certain factors as the main criteria that may not be accepted by us. We ourselves should rate universities inside the country and specify what the criteria are – of course one of the criteria is related to cultural aspects which I will discuss later on – so that it can become clear what their rank is.
This will lead to a constructive competition among universities. We should also evaluate their work. For example, we should say that the work done by such and such a university should be rated high and that it has made good progress. We should grade their work. This is one of the tasks that in my opinion is necessary to be done by the higher education management as it will affect improvement in quality and the formation of a competitive environment.
Another matter that I have written down to discuss is that revolutionary and pious professors are fortunately many in universities. A large number of our university professors are individuals who believe in the Revolution with all their heart. They are committed to it, they are pious and they are willing t5o work for revolutionary achievements to continue in all areas. In my opinion, these revolutionary professors should endeavor to set a trend in universities. This is very important in my view.
Due to certain cultural problems, the academic environment is not one that the Islamic government and the Islamic Republic expects. It happens many times that youth with a religious, revolutionary and intellectual background enter a university and get out devoid of such a background. This exists which is a legacy of the history of our universities.
As I mentioned, from the beginning, our universities have not been engineered in the direction of shaping piety and attachment to intellectual and cultural independence. Actually, the opposite has happened. This current still flows in our universities to a large part. You honorable, pious and revolutionary professors should do something to make the revolutionary, ideological and Islamic orientation become the dominant one in universities.
This course of action does not need to be reinforced with security measures, police work and the like. This is not the case. This is humanitarian, Islamic and cultural work. It is creating a trend. Well, students naturally have certain questions because they are young. Revolutionary professors should answer those questions. Last week, a number of students were here and some of them spoke. Well, these are the questions that students have. Their questions are like this and thus, they should be answered. The best place to answer them is the academic environment, in the classroom. And the best people to answer the questions are you, university professors. You should enlighten the minds of students in different areas.
In universities, we should confront and fight against reactionary attitudes, eclecticism and deviation. Today, even the Marxist-leftist orientation dares talk in universities. That is while the main and most important elements of Marxism collapsed under the pressure of the reality and the truths of the world. It was not the US that destroyed the Soviet Union, rather it was the illegitimacy of the pillars of Marxist philosophy which ruined the Soviet Union. Of course, the Americans made the most of the situation. Westerners made the most of it.
Despite the fact that those false foundations have collapsed and been ruined, there are still some people who wish to revive Marxist-leftist slogans. Of course, they are not very serious. In my opinion, the people who speak about leftist and Marxist-leftist ideas are people who are actually American leftists if one takes a close look at their statements, just like the individuals who apparently chanted leftist slogans, but who had an American and western nature in reality. They are the same too. This was another point.
Another point that I wish to raise is about the cultural environment in universities, the growth of cultural activities. This is a necessity, but it is not being addressed. In some universities, there is no cultural activity whatsoever. This is another shortcoming. Dear brothers, dear sisters, the goal of universities is not only to pass on science to youth. The goal is to build youth. The goal is to build lofty individuals equipped with the weapon of science. Therefore, morality, ethics and lifestyle are other elements which should be given to youth as well as science so that they can be cultivated. This is something which is essential. Universities should be enriched in terms of culture. The necessary cultural ingredients should be given to universities.
Of course, these ingredients already exist in certain universities, but they are absent in some universities and in some others, the opposite ingredients exist! Youth should be taught to be pious, revolutionary, modest, attached to the country and prepared to render services to the people. Otherwise, if they are cultivated in a way that they have no sense of responsibility and are indifferent to the fate of the country, how can they serve the country even if they graduate with high credentials? This is another point.
There are a few other points about academic matters, but there is no time to discuss them. I wanted to raise certain points about the universities of applied sciences and technology and teacher-education universities. As for interdisciplinary research, one of the brothers said that the interaction of different sciences with one another could bring about many advantages. This is completely correct. Today, interdisciplinary research has developed in the world and scientists from various sciences sit together and accomplish great feats.
What I want to say about political and international issues is brief. My statements in this regard are not long. It is about the uproar of negotiations which has been brought up recently. Foreigners constantly speak about it and newspaper and propagandists write about it all the time. By “negotiation” - they say that Iran should return to the negotiating table – they do not mean negotiation in its general sense of the word. What they mean is negotiation with the US government. Otherwise, we are already negotiating with other countries – with European and other countries. We have no problems in this regard. We are negotiating with the Europeans and others.
The issue is about determining the subject of the negotiations. We will not negotiate on every matter. We do not negotiate on the strategic issues of the Revolution. We will not negotiate on our military capabilities. Because, by negotiation they mean making a deal. For example, they say, “You should accept our terms and you should be willing to give up the defense mechanisms that give you the power to defend.” Well, this is not negotiable. Negotiating on these matters has two parts and is easily concluded: he says, “we want this” and we respond, “we don’t accept!”. So, negotiations will not move forward and there will be no deal.
This is like a marriage proposal ceremony when someone asks, “How is the issue of your marriage getting along?” and the other person responds, “Everything is concluded. Only two issues remain. We say, ‘We want your daughter’, and they respond, ‘The hell you do!’” [Supreme Leader and audience laugh]. The issue is resolved through fundamental matters, through these two issues. This means that negotiation in this sense is not feasible – negotiation in the sense of a deal. Here, negotiation means making a deal. The goal is not to merely sit and chat. So, by negotiation – they constantly say that Iran should return to the negotiating table, both the Americans and others say this – they mean negotiating with the US.
Well, regarding negotiating with the US, we have said many times that we will not negotiate. What is the reason? I have given the reason in different discussions: first of all, negotiating with the US will be of no use to us and secondly, it will be harmful. In other words, it is something useless and detrimental. I have already explained these issues.
I want to add another point. When the Americans target something in their relations with a certain government and country and when they want to reach their goal by exerting pressure, pressure works as a strategy for them, but as well as this strategy, they have a tactic which is negotiations. They exert pressure to exhaust the other side. When they feel that the other side is exhausted and might accept their terms, they say, “Very well, let us negotiate.” Negotiations complement their pressures.
The purpose of the negotiations is to reap, yield and obtain the fruits of their pressures. This is the purpose of negotiating. They exert pressure and when the other side is exhausted and feels that he has no other choice, they say, “Very well, let us negotiate.” And they sit at the negotiating table. They wish to establish and obtain what they have prepared through the pressures. This is the nature of negotiating with the US. Its strategy is not to negotiate. Its strategy is to exert pressure and negotiations are a subset of those pressures.
And the way to confront this strategy is only one thing and that is: if the other side has an instrument to exert pressure, he should use it. This is the only way. If he uses that instrument, then he can stop the other side or he can decrease or stop their pressures provided that they use their instruments. However, if this does not happen and if he is deceived by the invitation to negotiate and says to himself, “Now that he wants to negotiate, there is no need for me to use my instruments of exerting pressure which are available to me. Why should I do so? Let us negotiate”, if he is deceived by this, he has slipped and he will be ruined. In other words, defeat will be definite.
This is the only way. We have instruments to exert pressure in the face of the pressures of the US. Unlike what they want to say and promote, these pressure instruments are not military weapons and the like. If need be, we will use those weapons for sure, but what we mean by these instruments is not this. We have other means of exerting pressure. The measure that was recently adopted and announced by the Supreme National Security Council is one of the pressure instruments. They said, “now that you are behaving like this and now that the Europeans are not fulfilling their obligations, we will not fulfill ours in certain areas and within a certain scope”.
This means that we too will not abide by our obligations. This was a correct move. The move was a correct one. This is one of the ways. When you fail to utilize your pressure instruments and pivots, the other side will rest assured and he will not be in a rush. He will keep delaying the matter because he knows that he will not be at a disadvantage. However, if you manage to use your pressure instruments, he will have to do something.
Our scientific and technological capabilities are massive in the area of nuclear matters. We are not after nuclear weapons either: not because of the US and the sanctions, rather because of our foundations. Our foundational beliefs do not permit us to build weapons of mass destruction such as atomic and chemical weapons and the like. These are religiously haraam. Some individuals said to us, “Have them built, but do not use them.” No, this is wrong as well. Because if we produce them, we will have undergone heavy expenditures while we cannot use them in any way.
And when the other side knows that we are not going to use them, this is like not having them. It makes no difference. Therefore, when we are not going to use them, producing such weapons is not logical and reasonable. So, we are opposed to this in essence. Our fiqhi, religious and shar’i foundation is this. We are not after such weapons, but we need nuclear enrichment. Today, this need might not be felt tangibly, but in ten years’ time, it will definitely be tangible.
If we do not prepare ourselves and if we do not increase the capabilities of the country in this regard, we will have to start from point zero in ten years. This is our logic. Therefore, we can utilize these capabilities and we can strengthen them. These are our pressure instruments becasue they can stop the other side. So, the idea to negotiate today is not correct.
Fortunately, all the officials of the country agree on this. Executive, diplomatic and executive-political officials of the country all agree that negotiating with the Americans is not advisable. This is not only the case regarding the current American administration. No, the behavior of the former American administration – the Obama administration – was not essentially different from that of the current one. They were different in appearance only, but in reality, they were the same. Therefore, everyone agrees on this unanimously.
They should notice that we will undoubtedly not be deceived by the Americans’ trick in this regard. Currently, this is the bill that the Supreme National Security Council has ratified. Later on, anything that is necessary [will be ratified]. This means that stagnation in this regard does not make any sense, but for the moment, this is what it is. If it is necessary, we can use other pressure instruments at future stages.
This year, the issue of Quds Day is more important than all other years. Of course, the issue of Palestine is a fundamental matter, one that is not particular to governments and Islamic countries. The issue of Palestine is a humanitarian issue. Human conscience is compelled to take action in the face of what has befallen the Palestinian nation. So, it is not merely an Islamic issue. Of course, this issue is of more significance to Muslims and it has a higher priority to them. Apart from the humanitarian aspect, there are shar’i and religious aspects as well, but the issue is a humanitarian one in general.
Therefore, the Quds Day rally signifying support for Palestine and manifested by popular presence, is always important. This year it is even more important due to the malicious course of action adopted by the cohorts of the US in the region with the purpose of establishing the “deal of the century”. Of course, it will not be established. This will never happen. The US and his cohorts will definitely be defeated on this matter as well.
The difference with the predecessors is that they openly say that they want to eliminate and wipe out the issue of Palestine so that it will never be there among the important issues of the world. Of course, they will not be able to do such a thing and they will be frustrated.
Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad and his household, make what we intend to do and what we are already doing serve You and Your cause
Dear God, help our universities get closer to the Islamic ideal on a daily basis. Bestow Your kindness and mercy on university professors, managers, students and all academic members
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
