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 Muhammad, and upon his pure household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth
Greetings be upon the Commander of the Faithful, the Imam of the Pious, the Best of the Inheritors, and the Hujjat of the Lord of the Worlds, and God’s mercy and greetings be upon him
We should be ready to receive divine mercy in these days of divine banquet
The peak of the month of Ramadan are the auspicious days and nights of Qadr. We have reached the peak now. Therefore, we should grasp the unique opportunity to say prayers, to supplicate and to make requests to the God of the world. This is the month of divine banquet and the best divine banquets occur in these auspicious days. The prayers that you say, the supplications that you utter and the tears that you shed are all banquets bestowed on you by God. So, you should appreciate their value and you should pray for all your religious brothers, for your country and for your society. You should make requests to God and ask Him to answer your prayers and you should be sure that He will answer.
It has been said in narrations that when you pray, you should feel confident that they will be answered. There is no fault on the part of God. He is Pure Generosity, but it sometimes occurs that we are not ready to receive that divine kindness and mercy. Therefore, we should try to prepare ourselves to receive divine mercy by asking for God’s forgiveness and paying more attention to Him. Two nights are left of the Nights of Qadr. You should appreciate their value. I too ask all you dear ones who are watching and listening to my statements to pray for me.
My discussion today is primarily about paying a short tribute to the Imam of the Pious (God’s peace and greetings be upon him). After that, I will raise a few points about the dear teachers and the dear laborers on the occasion of Workers’ Day and Teachers’ day, God willing.
The lofty spiritual Imamate of the Commander of the Faithful
One point about the Commander of the Faithful (peace and greetings be upon him) and in introducing his personality concerns his imamate. Imamate does not mean presiding over religion and worldly affairs and the other common things that we people say about imamate, rather it means the kind of imamate that Allah the Exalted attributed to Prophet Abraham (pbuh): “I will make you an Imam to peoples” [The Holy Quran, 2: 124].
When was this addressed to Prophet Abraham (pbuh)? Undoubtedly, it was addressed to him when he was at an advanced age because he says to God in response, “And also Imams from my offspring?” [2: 124]. It is evident that he had children then and he had children when he was an old man: “Praise be to Allah, Who has granted unto me in old age Ismail and Isaac” [14: 39]. Prophet Abraham (pbuh) did not have children in his youth, nor did he have children when he was middle aged and even when he had just stepped into old age. He had children when he was at a fairly advanced age. So, his imamate is related to the late stage of his life.
He had, however, been a prophet tens of years before that and a prophets’ duty is to preside over religious and worldly affairs. There is no doubt about this, but Allah the Exalted bestowed on him imamate later on. So, imamate is another stage: it is a higher level as it is a spiritual matter.
Imamate cannot be measured and weighed by our common criteria. Imamate is a concept about which Hazrat Sadiq (greetings be upon him) said in Mina, in the presence of large crowds of people: “The Holy Prophet was indeed an Imam.” He meant an imam in its special sense.
Well, imamate is a lofty concept which is really difficult for us to understand. Apart from the infallible Imams themselves (greetings be upon them), there were certain personalities who understood the lofty concepts of imamate. Perhaps in our own time too, there are such people. There were other individuals in previous eras as well, whose names we are remotely familiar with or whose works we have seen. For example, we could mention the late Hajj Mirza Jawad Aqa Maleki Tabrizi who passed away about 100 years ago. In his “Muraqibat”, he writes about the Commander of the Faithful and the status of imamate, but the likes of us cannot understand these matters.
The unique personality of the Commander of the Faithful from a worldly perspective
Even excluding this really lofty and very important spiritual status, the Commander of the Faithful is a unique personality, even from a worldly and human perspective. Perhaps, after the Holy Prophet (God’s greetings be upon him and his household), we cannot find any other personality with the qualities that the Commander of the Faithful had. That is why his followers and even those who do not follow him love and respect him. Many people among non-Shias, non-Muslims, irreligious people and other such people love him. Those who know about him and about concepts related to that great personality respect and love that Hazrat. This is because of the qualities that existed in him.
One of those qualities which attract more attention is primarily his justice: a kind of pure and extensive justice without any considerations for anyone. It was so astonishing that one becomes really astonished at hearing about its examples and instances.
Another noteworthy quality of his was piety and indifference to worldly possessions for himself. That great personality built the world and helped people achieve growth and worldly and otherworldly progress, but he did not want anything for himself. What has been narrated about him in this regard is really impressive.
We could equally mention his courage, his kind behavior towards the weak, his firm determination directed at oppressors and arrogant powers, his self-sacrifice on the path of the truth, his sea of wisdom – his words indicate a sea of wisdom and his behavior was as firm as a mountain. There are really astonishing points in the life of that personality. These astonishing qualities existed in him which even made his enemies acknowledge them, but there is no time to expand on this. For example, Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said something to his son, who was speaking against Hazrat Ali, which is astonishing: “It is God who has raised him and no matter what people do, he will achieve more development and growth.” That is while the Zubayr family, especially the children of Abdullah ibn Zubayr, had a really bad relationship with the Commander of the Faithful. Well, these are the qualities of that great personality and he perfected all of them. In other words, he was the shining epitome of these qualities. We should make these qualities our model.
Of course, we have considerably fallen behind in these areas. We should follow that great personality’s lead both in terms of his personal conduct and in terms of the way to govern and to rule. Today, the government is in the hands of the Commander of the Faithful’s followers. Therefore, we should use the same methods, show the same qualities, administer the same justice and show the same courage and piety in our behavior, but we are hugely behind. We should endeavor hard to move forward in these areas.
An example of the Commander of the Faithful’s enthusiasm for martyrdom
Well, on the occasion of the 19th day of Ramadan – the day when he was wounded – I wish to say something about the sacrifices that he made and his enthusiasm for martyrdom. He said this in Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 156. Hazrat Ali says that when the ayah “Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, ‘We believe’, and that they will not be tested?” [The Holy Quran, 29: 2] was recited and the idea of fitna was discussed, he understood that as long as the Holy Prophet lived among them, that fitna would not happen and that it would happen after the Holy Prophet. He spoke to the Holy Prophet and put a question to him. The Holy Prophet said something in response which has been mentioned in the same sermon. When the Holy Prophet (greetings be upon him and his household) discusses those points for the Commander of the Faithful, his chosen pupil, Hazrat Ali becomes excited due to his sense of obligation and responsibility and he says something that I will read for you now: “Oh Prophet of Allah, on the day of Uhud, when people had fallen as martyrs and I was not among them, and that was distressing for me, did you not say to me, 'cheer up, as martyrdom is for you hereafter?'" To paraphrase this, he said to the Holy Prophet, “Do you remember that during the Battle of Uhud, when Hamzah was martyred and when a number of our friends were martyred, I was upset because I had not been martyred despite the fact that I had all those wounds. You paid attention to me and said, “Dear Ali, I have good news: you too will be martyred.”
“Cheer up, as martyrdom is for you hereafter.” Apparently, Hazrat Ali asks, “Several years have passed. Why have I not been martyred yet?” The Holy Prophet answers: “Yes, it is so.” The Holy Prophet answers that it is true and that he will be martyred. Then he says, “But what about your enduring at present?” Now that your destiny is to be a martyr, how will you bear that? Well, martyrdom in battle is not difficult as an arrow or a sword will strike you. Nowadays, people are hit by a bullet and they are martyred. This is not a very big issue. However, martyrdom in great arenas after having endured so many hardships is very important. The Commander of the Faithful was martyred after having endured so much and while he was in the mihrab. That is why the Holy Prophet said, “But what about your enduring at present?” When martyrdom is bestowed on you, how will you endure that? “I said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, this is not an occasion for endurance, but rather an occasion for cheering and gratefulness.’”
This is one of those blessings for which one should be happy and should thank God for. This enthusiasm for martyrdom is one of the qualities of the Commander of the Faithful and Hazrat Ali achieved his goal at a night like this. Then, people heard a cry saying, “I swear to God that the pillars of Guidance have broken and Ali al-Murtaza has been murdered.” The martyrdom as a result of the wound that he received occurred to the Commander of the Faithful at a night like last night. God’s greetings be upon him.
The followers of the Commander of the Faithful in the present time
I thank God because we have seen many altruistic men who followed in the Commander of the Faithful’s footsteps in this aspect. They loved martyrdom and they pursued it enthusiastically and thus, Allah the Exalted granted it to them. The enemies threatened to martyr Shahid Soleimani, but that great personality said to his friends: “They are threatening to do something that I seek in mountains and deserts and everywhere else!” I hope that God will make us the followers of this path. I hope that He will help us benefit from his great advantage, God willing.
The important qualities of Shahid Motahhari: 1: Producing and promoting thoughts and ideas as well as having mastery over intellectual matters
As for Teachers’ Day, Teachers’ Day in the Islamic Republic coincides with the martyrdom anniversary of the Great Teacher, the late Shahid Motahhari (May God bestow paradise on him). There is a characteristic in Shahid Motahhari that should be imitated by all teachers – including teachers in Islamic seminaries, university professors and teachers at school. Well, Shahid Motahhari was a knowledgeable and intellectual man. He was really a knowledgeable philosopher and faqih and he had complete mastery over intellectual matters. These characteristics existed in him, but his very important quality was that he would produce thoughts as well as promoting them. Promoting thoughts and ideas is very important. He would not sit idle and he was always restless. We witnessed him like that: he was always thinking enthusiastically about promoting the right and correct ideas among his audience. He had begun a ‘software’ jihad, in the true sense of the word, which lasted for many years. He would face the opposing waves and he would tackle and overcome them. And the issue for him was not only Marxist and eastern waves. He would tackle both eastern and western waves – both Marxist thoughts and common liberal notions in the west. When one reads his books, one sees this. Well, I was witness up close, to his activities.
2. Guiding the audience and bridging the gap between intellectual capacities and the needs of society
He would guide his audience, giving them peace of mind and tranquility by showing them the right path. Shahid Motahhari was a dutiful and committed person. He was really worried about his obligations. He never stayed idle. The scholarly legacy of his predecessors was at his disposal and he himself added to that legacy with his own wealth of knowledge. He provided his audience with this legacy, in its entirety. He did so in his classes at university and, at some point in time, in Islamic seminaries – he had classes in Qom Seminary – and through writings and speeches in academic environments.
He delivered many speeches in his meeting with students. Such is his intellectual and behavioral status. He passed his knowledge onto future generations. The important point was that he bridged the gap between all intellectual and scholarly capacities and the needs of society. In other words, the priorities of society were the main criterion for his endeavors. He would try to find the mental and psychological priorities of society and he really had the capability to identify them. Then, he would drive intellectual capacities towards those needs.
Teachers’ heavy responsibility
Well, the valuable society of our dear teachers should set this the framework for their duty. Teachers’ duty is to pass on scientific teachings and humanity’s scientific legacy to the next generation. They should transfer these teachings with complete trustworthiness and in a skillful way and they should prepare their audience, their pupils, for thinking and for adding to those teachings. This is one of the most important duties of teachers. This is a heavy responsibility and it requires a great sense of responsibility. This should be teachers’ most important concern. Teachers should also pay attention that, as this is another important duty that teachers have, they should protect their students’ – university and school students, various youths, the clergy and other such people – students’ minds in the same way that Shahid Motahhari did.ا
Teachers are officers in the progress army of the country and they should believe in this role
Fortunately, today educational facilities exist extensively in our country. In the past, this amount of educational facilities did not exist for youth, teenagers and even little children throughout the country, but today, they are available thanks to the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic. These facilities are available to teachers. Of course, teachers themselves are an important part of these facilities.
The educational system has thankfully obtained a source of wealth with an increase in the number of teachers and due to their competence and knowledgeability. Therefore, we can say that teachers are the officers of the progress army of the country. If we liken the general movement of the country’s progress to the movement of an army, the young officers of this army are our dear teachers. They themselves should believe in this role.
I spoke of young teachers because a large number of our teachers are young today. However, there are veteran and experienced teachers who have worked hard for many years and who are attached to teaching. They never stop teaching because they hold it in high regard. They are busy working in the present time too, despite the fact that they are at an advanced age. Teachers themselves should believe in this vital and important role. If they believe in it, they will naturally feel responsible towards it.
Teachers should be alert towards the enemies’ cultural invasion against youth
To look at the issue from another perspective, there have been few eras like the present era in our country when our youth and teenagers were threatened by ideological and moral invasions. Of course, during the Pahlavi regime, this invasion was made by the officials of the country themselves, but today, it is made by foreigners, by the enemies and by deviant individuals. On the one hand, our teachers are faced with that great capacity and on the other hand, they are faced with this all-out attack. They should undertake a continuous and real jihad between the two and they should fight in the true sense of the word. They should do something to minimize the fall of the leaves [young students] and to maximize their growth.
People’s responsibility towards teachers
Of course, others are really responsible towards teachers as well. All of us have heavy responsibilities in the face of teachers. The main responsibility is to raise the status of teachers. I have said in many speeches, and I wish to repeat, that teachers have a lofty status. We should put this across to everyone and this should turn into a public culture. The same thing should be done regarding laborers – I will explain this later on.
Teachers’ status should be highlighted because teaching is a very great vocation and a very important and valuable job. The educational system should play its role in this. Media and organizations in charge of cultural and promotional activities should play their part as well. The goal of all of them should be to introduce the lofty position of teachers to the people. Of course, resolving teachers’ livelihood problems is also a very necessary and important task that should definitely be accomplished. This falls on the administration and the Islamic Consultative Majlis.
The outstanding role that teachers and also mothers played during the pandemic
I think it is necessary to point, at the end of this part of my statements, to the exemplary role that teachers played during the pandemic as they did not cancel educational services and they provided the best services from a distance. In certain cases, teachers went through more trouble. They really endured difficulties – well, this job involves its own special difficulties. We should thank them. Families helped too, in particular mothers. I sincerely thank students’ mothers. These statements were about teachers.
As for Labor Day, well, last year we had a good program on Labor Day. It was an online meeting, but we managed to have a videoconference with many workshops and labor centers. We spoke with both laborers and entrepreneurs. We listened to them and discussed some issues with them. Last year’s meeting was a very good and memorable meeting. This year, because of the recent wave of this sinister virus, there was unfortunately no opportunity to do this. There was not the possibility to gather together laborers in one place and to speak to them even from a distance. Apparently, the English variant of the virus is more dangerous than the other ones!
As for laborers, one issue is to see what the status and position of laborers is. Another issue is the support that we should provide for them. And the last issue is about employment opportunities. I will briefly discuss each.
Laborers are the main pillar of production
To praise laborers, it would be enough to say that Allah the Exalted and the Holy Prophet love laborers’ hands. The Holy Prophet kissed a laborer’s hands. This would be enough to show the value of laborers. The entire society is greatly indebted to laborers because in an independent economy – an economy which is based on production, which wants to stand on its own feet and which is not dependent on this and that and which is not reliant on foreigners in the main parts of economy - laborers play the main role. One of the most important roles is played by laborers and they are the main pillar. An independent economy relies on domestic production and domestic production relies on laborers. Therefore, laborers are the main pillar. This role is one of those roles that should receive the people’s attention and that should be turned into a public culture. As I mentioned in the part on teachers, the media and organizations in charge of cultural and promotional activities should work on these areas.
Laborers’ great right in the Islamic Republic
Of course, in the Islamic Republic, workers have more rights than many other places. The reason is that since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the enemies, foreigners and malicious individuals tried to set the society of laborers against the Islamic Republic. They tried hard to lure laborers away, but laborers stood firm. They continued to serve the Islamic Republic and they stood by its side. They participated in the Sacred Defense in the true sense of the word and therefore, they have a great right in the Islamic Republic. A number of our dear laborers laid down their lives in the Sacred Defense.
Support for laborers
As for supporting laborers, this is a very important issue. I have always stressed this in my speeches with laborers and today too, I wish to stress it again. This year’s slogan is: “Production: support and the elimination of obstacles.” Well, one of the most important kinds of support for production is support for laborers. If we want to support the domestic and national production of the country, we should support laborers. This is an important part of support. We should also pay attention that supporting laborers means supporting national wealth. If the laborers of a country are active and fresh and if they work well, the country will achieve national wealth and national wealth will bring us credibility and power. Laborers bring the country independence, power and credibility. If you support laborers, these are its results.
Different kinds of support for laborers: Improving laborers’ skill
Of course, when I speak of support for laborers, I do not only mean that we should raise their base salary in line with inflation every year or every two years. This is one kind of support, but there are other kinds of support that deserve attention. One is upgrading laborers’ skill. There should be an extensive plan to teach laborers – industrial and agricultural laborers and all other laborers – how to acquire a skill and how to improve it. We should upgrade their skill because this is beneficial to them and it raises the quality of work and gives it value. This is one kind of support.
Insurance, health and treatment
The issue of insurance, health and treatment is also an important issue in supporting laborers. Laborers’ insurance, health and treatment are a necessity. Of course, this is adequately observed in some popular production centers, but everyone should observe them and this should become one of the main labor issues discussed everywhere.
Job security
Providing job security is another kind of support. Laborers should not be worried about whether they can stay in their current job or not or whether their jobs will be taken away from them. One of the important reasons why we are so sensitive about factories being closed down is this – I will later on expand on this. Laborers should have job security and they should know that their job is guaranteed.
Housing
Another important issue is laborers’ housing. Today, an important part of laborers’ income is allocated to rent. Therefore, we should propose a serious plan for laborers’ housing. Of course, I heard that this year, the Islamic Consultative Majlis has included this in the budget. If this is the case and it is implemented in a good way, it will be a great help.
Establishing a reasonable and fair relationship between laborers, employers and the administration
Another kind of support is, generally speaking, establishing a reasonable and fair relationship between laborers, employers and the administration. Cementing a fair relationship is another form of support for laborers. Of course, this is one of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Labor which should work on these areas.
Another important issue that should be discussed about labor and laborers is creating employment. This is another important issue and if governments have a good plan on creating employment, if they pursue this plan in a careful and organized way and if they utilize the capacities of the country and those of the private sector to create employment, then in my opinion this will be a huge help to the economy and progress of the country. Actually, the country’s economic health and growth depends on it.
The economic, social and political blessings of employment and the consequences of unemployment
I want to say that creating employment has not only economic but also social and political blessings. Work and jobs in themselves are a source of enthusiasm, dynamism, excitement, liveliness and freshness for the people, particularly for youth. Notice how fresh and energetic a laborer and employer become when they can work and endeavor hard and when they are successful. The opposite point is unemployment which is a cause of corruption, pessimism, malice, addiction and moral and even security deviation. So, employment is not merely related to the economy. The creation of employment and job opportunities is a multilateral issue which is very important. One of the important plans of governments should be how to create employment. They should have these plans. The economy is expected to address these issues.
Factories’ closedown is a serious blow to production and a treasonous act against the independence of the country
I deem it necessary to warn those who have caused factories to be closed down. Unfortunately, many factories were dragged into a state of shutdown. We received reports about some of them and we are being updated about some others these days. Some people obtain the possession of a factory somehow, after that in order to use the land on which the factory is built, they sack laborers and they convert the machinery and the implements into money. Later on, when the opportunity arises, they keep the land in order to change it into a building complex, thus creating a false and haraam value-added for themselves. Whether they know it or not, this is treason.
Some people do not intend to commit treason and they only seek their personal interests, but this is treason anyway. It is a betrayal of the independence and economy of the country. It is a betrayal of the people and laborers. It is a betrayal of production. When laborers become unemployed and the factory stops working, the products that the factory used to manufacture have to be imported from outside the country. Then, the problems such as the ones that we have in the area of imports today will arise. Not only will our monetary resources be used outside the borders of the country, but we will also be faced with sanctions and other such economic hurdles. This is because some people hamper production, which is the main investment of the country.
Laborers’ unemployment will also harm those who are employed
Besides, when a large number of laborers lose their job, this will harm even those laborers who are employed. This is because when there is a large supply of laborers, their work will naturally decrease in value. When they are unemployed, this will make those who are employed earn less than what they deserve. So, these points are very important. The organizations in charge should think seriously about this. The executive organizations which are responsible in this regard are primarily the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and the ministries which are in charge of creating employment. They should play their part. Of course, this issue is much wider in scope. I only discussed it in brief. One of the main plans of the economy of the country is this: those who close down the current production centers should be seriously confronted.
One of the ways to create wealth and employment is to activate small and middle-sized workshops in the country
One of the points that I discussed before too – of course, this is based on the opinion of economic experts: we heard and learned this from them – is that small and middle-sized workshops should become active throughout the country. Of course, large workshops are important for the country as well, but the expansion of small and middle-sized workshops is advantageous for all places and for everyone because they create wealth for the public and for the middle and weak classes. Moreover, they are a source of employment in all parts of the country. This includes thousands of jobs. They should revive these centers.
The best way to nullify sanctions is to strengthen national production
The last point about laborers is that because these days there is talk of the sanctions – of course, it is many years now that there has been talk of the sanctions: today too, there is such a talk – the best way to nullify the sanctions is, in my opinion, making a genuine, not an insincere, effort to strengthen national production. If we manage to strengthen national production in the true sense of the word and if we follow it up with good planning and with a serious approach, you should be sure that the sanctions will be nullified and after that, they will be removed. In other words, when the other side sees that our country has come to no harm as a result of sanctions and that it has intensified its efforts, it will be forced to remove them. Well, the matters about laborers are over.
Elections are a unique opportunity for strengthening the bases of the country
I wish to raise a few points about elections and other related matters. Specifically, I want to raise two points: one is that elections are an important opportunity in the true sense of the word and that the people should not be discouraged from the elections. The other point is that elections should not be spoiled with unnecessary statements and with deceptive and false promises. Those who are willing to enter this electoral arena should think carefully so as to present plans to the people in the real sense of the word.
As for the first point, well, elections are really a unique opportunity. They are an irreplaceable opportunity. Nothing else can take the place of elections for the country and for strengthening its bases of power. Elections mean the presence of the people and when the people are present, no power can shake the system. Elections are the manifestation of the people’s presence. Therefore, those who participate in elections are actually working for the power of their country, for its preservation, for their own security and for the future fate of their country.
Elections have always been healthy in the Islamic Republic
Some individuals discourage the people by casting doubts on elections and on those who organize them including the honorable Guardian Council and other organizations. They try to undermine their work. This is wrong. Since the beginning of the Revolution, we have held many elections, tens of them, and all of them were held in a healthy way. There might have been some small violations here and there – in fact there were such small violations – but they have not affected the results of elections. This is because we pursued the matter. In certain cases, people lodged a complaint and we followed it up. In certain elections, some individuals complained that there were certain violations. We pursued the matter and conducted serious research, but the kind of violations that seriously breach the rules and that affect the results of elections has never occurred in our elections. Our elections have been healthy and reliable. This is the first point.
One should not be unfair towards elections
Of course, there are some people who accept the results of elections only if they are what they want. If the desired result comes out of the ballot boxes, they will call it a healthy election and they will accept it, but if the result is not what they want, they level accusations at elections and those who organize them, no matter in which division they are. And they sometimes cause a sedition, just like the year 1388. Of course, such accusations are unfair and such seditions are a crime! Some people are like this. This is wrong and no one should do this. This is one issue.
Candidates should have a plan and they should not make unreasonable comments
The next issue is that those who run for elections make statements that are not good statements. They are deceptive statements which do not have a source of support, without any plan to back them up. They just make a claim and say something without considering the country’s resources and without knowing what these resources are in the first place. Many of the brothers who enter this arena might not know much about the capacities of the country. They say something and make a promise without hard facts to support their statements. This is not good. They should provide a plan in the true sense of the word. They should speak in a way that when experts listen to a candidate who is talking to the people, they confirm in their hearts that they are making a reasonable comment.
Candidates should be committed to the Constitution
Sometimes, some candidates make remarks which show that they do not even believe in the Constitution. Well, he who wants to run for presidency and who is a candidate to sit in the presidential chair should believe in Islam, in the people’s votes and in the Constitution. They should believe in these things. Otherwise, if they do not believe in them, they are not eligible for presidency. Sometimes, one hears statements which do not befit the status of this important duty. We seriously request that they observe this point.
Officials should take care not to repeat the enemy’s words
Of course, these days, certain officials of the country were heard saying things which are a source of surprise and regret. We also heard that the enemy’s media reflected those statements. One really feels regretful when one hears such statements because some of those statements were a repetition of the enemy’s – America’s – hostile remarks.
It has been many years now that the Americans have been extremely unhappy and dissatisfied at the influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region. They were upset with the Quds Force and Shahid Soleimani for that and they actually martyred Shahid Soleimani because of that. Anything that is considered as an element of spiritual influence for the Islamic Republic in the region is bad for them.
We should not say something which suggests that we are repeating their words, be that about the Quds Force or about Shahid Soleimani himself. The country’s political plans are comprised of economic, military, social, scientific and cultural plans. Social plans include diplomatic and foreign relations. It is the combination of these plans that form the policy of a country. Everyone should work and move forward together. If a sector rejects another sector, this does not make sense at all and it is a grave mistake that should not be made by an official and officials of the Islamic Republic.
The Quds Force is truly the greatest factor in preventing passive diplomacy in West Asia. The Quds Force has implemented the independent and dignified policies of the Islamic Republic in West Asia.
Westerners insist that the Islamic Republic should obey them
Westerners insist that the foreign policy of the country should lean towards them and stand under their flag in an obedient way. This is what they like because this used to be the case for many years. Both during the late Qajar Era and during the long rule of the Pahlavi regime, Iran used to be under the domination of western policy.
The Islamic Revolution, however, liberated Iran from western domination. During all these 40 years, westerners – whether the Americans or the Europeans – have been trying to restore their former domination in our country. That is why they become upset and angry when the Islamic Republic establishes relations with China. Similarly, they become upset and angry when the Islamic Republic establishes political and economic relations with Russia.
When we want to develop relations with our neighbors, they enter the arena. They put our unfortunate weak neighbors under pressure in order to hamper these relations. These are some of the examples that we have been witness to. I know of many Arab and neighboring countries whose high-ranking officials wanted to travel to Iran, but the Americans prevented them from doing so. They are opposed to every diplomatic move on the part of Iran and therefore, we cannot act in a passive way in the face of their demands. We must act in an independent, dignified, diligent and powerful way and this was done by some individuals in the region and they achieved results.
Who makes decisions on foreign policy?
Everyone should know that in no part of the world is foreign policy decided in ministries of foreign affairs. In all parts of the world, foreign policy is determined by organizations superior to ministries of foreign affairs. It is higher organizations and officials who determine foreign policy. Of course, ministries of foreign affairs contribute to decision-making, but it is not the case that decision-making rests on them. No, the ministry of foreign affairs is the executor. It executes foreign policies. This is the case in our country as well.
Foreign policy is decided in the Supreme Council of National Security where all officials are present and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must implement them with its own methods. In any case, we should not speak in a way that might suggest that we do not believe in the policies of the country. We should be careful. We should also be careful not to make the enemy happy. Our comments should really be made in a way that the enemy will not become happy. I hope that God will help all those officials of the Islamic Republic who are willing to serve their country, their homeland and their people to carry out this task in the best way possible, God willing.
I hope that Allah the Exalted makes us successful in doing what leads to His satisfaction and His assistance. I hope that we will be able to take this path and that God will help us to benefit from the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake) and to gain his satisfaction. These nights, it is important to pray so that God hastens his reappearance. It is important to pray for the blessed existence of the Imam of the Age (God’s greetings be upon him, may He hasten his reappearance and may our souls be sacrificed for his sake).
That great Imam will pray for you too. When you pray for him, he will pray for you too and his prayers will be answered. I hope that God will help us benefit from the prayers of that great Imam and that He will make the pure souls of great martyrs and the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam, whom we really miss, satisfied and pleased with us.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings