The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei issued a message on the occasion of the Iranian New Year on March 20, 2008. The text of the Leader's message is as follows:
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
O the Transformer of hearts and eyes,
O the Planner of night and day,
O the Transmuter of power and circumstances,
Change our condition into the best of conditions.
The arrival of the spring this year, marks three festive occasions: first, the auspicious birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet (SWA); second, the auspicious birth anniversary of His Holiness Imam Sadiq (AS); third, the Iranian New Year, which is an Iranian national day. I offer my greetings to the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) and extend my congratulations to him on these auspicious eids. I also congratulate the Iranian people, all Muslims, all the devotees of the Holy Prophet's household, and all those nations who celebrate Norouz (the New Year) and share the joy of this celebration with our nation. I hope that this New Year and this fresh and beautiful spring will be the start of a fruitful year for all Muslims, especially the honored Iranian nation. Before I start my speech, I also deem it necessary to extend my congratulations to the esteemed families of martyrs, war-disabled veterans and the devotees of Allah's path.
I will have a mention of the major events that took place in the year 1386, and I will also have a brief talk on the year 1387. The year 1386 was an important and eventful year that brought about glory for the Iranian nation. In the beginning of last year, we arrested and then pardoned and released the British soldiers who had encroached on our territory. This made our nation feel proud, and it also presented a powerful and at the same time patient and magnanimous picture of our nation to the world. At the end of the year, the glorious and impressive participation of our nation in the parliamentary elections created a great event in front of the astonished eyes of the people of the world. Electing the future members of the parliament for a four-year term was a decisive event for the Iranian nation. Moreover, in this event, our esteemed nation displayed its grandeur, power, decisive participation, and firm determination to flaunt its presence in managerial spheres and help manage the country appropriately.
In the course of the year 1386, valuable accomplishments were made by government officials - whether the officials in the administration, in the parliament or in other governmental sectors. There were also other achievements that were made by the general public, scientific associations, students and researchers for the Iranian nation which helped our nation progress in various fields. There were many scientific advances, and many development projects were also carried out. All these achievements - whether in legislation or in executive affairs - were very beneficial to the Iranian nation, and, by Allah's grace, they proved to be a cause of progress and flourishment.
Of course, there were also some losses, shortcomings and failures: unsuccessful implementation of different plans or the loss of our esteemed figures. That is life, anyway. A nation always has to take happiness with sadness and pleasant events with bitter incidents. But amidst all these events, the important point for a nation is that it should have a clear goal in mind and take big steps towards its goal. The last tragic event that took place last year was the loss of some dear students in a heartrending accident which left us all grief-stricken.
As for the year 1387, which has just started, we have very bright prospects and lofty hopes. This year, the Islamic Revolution will celebrate its 30th anniversary. During these three decades, the Iranian nation and the government officials have made very valuable efforts to defend the country and our national independence and glory. They have also made valuable efforts to promote our movement towards scientific and practical progress. During all these years, the Iranian nation was determined to make up for the backwardness caused during the long pre-revolution era. We have gained great achievements in this regard. What has been done during these three decades will, God willing, go down in the Iranian nation's history as a prominent endeavor.
We have, however, pinned numerous hopes on the efforts and the movements that are to take place this year. And that is because, first, we have a newly-elected parliament which has just stepped onto the scene of endeavor, and second, because we already have a devoted and diligent administration that is working tirelessly in the executive branch.We hope to do great deeds this year provided that the parliament and the administration make plans in a foresightful and prudent manner.
Both on the home front and on the complex international front, the Iranian nation needs diligence, innovation and serious efforts. We have to make up for what we have lost under the evil regimes that ruled before the Revolution, as a result of which we suffered backwardness. This situation makes it necessary for us to exert more and more serious efforts. On the home front, what we need is find short cuts that do not go against wisdom and prudence. We cannot afford to proceed at a slow or normal pace. We must proceed at a calculated and well-organized rate. We must be able to make achievements that will benefit the future generations. On the international front, we have both friends and enemies. There are some others who are not our enemies, but who are considered to be our rivals. This complex sphere makes it necessary for us to plan our efforts in a prudent, courageous and dignified manner. If we are successful on this front, we will also be successful on the home front and in the advances that the Iranian nation makes inside the country.
Fortunately, our government officials are fully aware of the significance of national glory. They know that it is not a good option to retreat or surrender in the face of the enemies' extravagant wishes. If your enemy bullies you into concession, you will have to resist and progress. The solution for the Iranian nation is to gain power. This power is not, of course, limited to military power. We must also gain scientific, economic, moral, social and, more importantly, spiritual power, which results from the nation's reliance on Allah the Exalted.
If the government and the people intend to go ahead and gain power for the Iranian nation and achieve their goals, the two must join forces and fully cooperate with one another. By Allah's grace, the Iranian nation has always supported its government officials. They must keep supporting the officials as strongly as possible, and the government and the people must cooperate with each other. People of various social strata will benefit from this cooperation. Scholars, researchers, university students, laborers, farmers, capitalists, all those who are able to drive the nation forwards with their money, and managers serving in various state departments or private sectors: these people must all feel that they are shouldering a duty entrusted to them by God or by the people and also that the outcomes will accrue to everybody, especially to those who have done this duty in the best possible way.
This year, I hold two important expectations. First, there must be innovation in all the fields that I talked about. Government officials must exercise innovation in their economic strategies, in political and diplomatic techniques, in driving the country towards knowledge and research, in fostering the proper culture in the country, in providing services for people from various social backgrounds - especially the oppressed and the underprivileged - and in the construction of the country. Ordinary people must do so in universities, in economic enterprises, in various social organizations, and in other organizations that provide services for people from different social backgrounds. Both groups are required to exercise initiative in their respective fields of expertise. These all constitute my first expectation. This year, innovation must engulf the whole country, and everybody must consider himself or herself responsible for infusing innovation into all the activities carried out throughout the country. Of course, this has to be done in a prudent and well-organized manner.
Second, all the activities that have been done during the past years, all the great investments that the government officials and the people have made in various fields - whether material or spiritual investments - must bear fruit this year so that the people can feel their tangible outcomes in their lives. Some of these efforts have just been made, and as a result, they are not going to produce the desired outcomes in the near future. The efforts that have been made during the recent years as well as many of the efforts that have been made in the past years, must gradually start to yield the desired results for the people so that they can feel the sweet taste of the outcomes. Therefore, I hereby name this year 'the year of innovation and flourishment'. I expect that, by Allah's favor, our nation will benefit both from the innovation and from the flourishment. I hope our nation will go through the year gloriously, successfully, happily, vigorously and in the best possible way.
pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow success on our dear people and government officials. I hope that the prayer of His Holiness the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) will benefit everybody. I also pray to the Almighty to associate with His saints the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam, who opened up this path ahead of our nation and who created the opportunity for the Iranian nation to live this new life.