Statements in Video Connection with the People of East Azerbaijan

On the anniversary of the uprising of the twenty-ninth of Bahman by the people of Tabriz in 1978.

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad and his pure and virtuous family, and God's curse be upon all their enemies.

I wish we could feel your warm breath, dear Tabrizi and Azerbaijani friends, in this Hussainiyah as in past years! This year, we could not visit you closely either. We hope that the Almighty God grants you success, helps you, and continues the favors He has bestowed upon the people of Azerbaijan and Tabriz in the best possible way.

This session is on the occasion of the twenty-ninth of Bahman in 1978, which is our annual meeting with you, and this day is indeed the day of Tabriz's brilliance in the history of the revolution; the twenty-ninth of Bahman is a glorious day and a source of pride for Tabriz throughout our revolutionary history.

Before I delve into the commemoration of the twenty-ninth of Bahman, since today is the fifteenth of Rajab and a day of action, worship, and supplication, I find it appropriate to say that our youth, our dear ones, need to strengthen their spiritual foundation; we all need this, but the youth absorb spiritual factors more effectively. Someone like me may perform today's acts, but when a young person does them, the grace they receive and the benefit they derive from it is much greater than what I receive; this is the nature of youth. I recommend the youth to take advantage of the opportunity of the month of Rajab, to cherish today, which is the middle of Rajab. Of course, today's acts are considered to be accompanied by three days of fasting, but even without fasting, one can perform the act of Um-Daoud with the intention of hope. This connection with God blesses your life, blesses the country, and blesses the future of the revolution.

However, regarding the twenty-ninth of Bahman, firstly, the twenty-ninth of Bahman is a day of thanksgiving for Tabriz and for all of us; my discussion pertains to this topic, which I will continue, God willing. It is a day of thanksgiving; why thanksgiving? Because the incident that occurred on this day in Tabriz led to the fruition of the revolution; this incident caused the revolution and the field and political activities before the revolution to bear fruit; this was the characteristic of the incident of the twenty-ninth of Bahman in Tabriz; why? Because this movement was an innovative movement, an important movement that taught and demonstrated the continuity of the uprising of the nineteenth of Dey in Qom to everyone. If Tabriz had not carried out that great movement on the twenty-ninth of Bahman, the tradition of mourning and the continuation of the struggle for the Iranian nation would not have begun and would not have opened up. When the fortieth day of mourning for the martyrs of Qom was established in Tabriz through the initiative of the people of Tabriz, it became a model. In various other cities - in Yazd, in Kerman, in cities of Fars province, and in various other regions - this movement was initiated, and this current brought the masses of people into the field of struggle and revolution, leading to the victory of the revolution. The victory of this revolution was due to the presence of the people in the arena, in the streets; this revolution was not won by guns, nor by political maneuvering, nor by party politics; it was won by the presence of the people. The presence of the people stemmed from these movements, and the beginning of these movements was initiated and innovated in Tabriz. Therefore, we all, including you dear Tabrizi people, must thank God that your movement was blessed and led to the fruition of the revolution.

Well, the twenty-ninth of Bahman is an incident. Azerbaijan has gone through various events and throughout history, for several centuries now - I can confidently say for the last three or four centuries - Azerbaijan has been a pioneer of national unity and national resistance; that is, Azerbaijan and Tabriz have been a fundamental point for creating the unity of the Iranian nation and an important center for educating the resistance of the Iranian people against various events. This creates great honors for this city and this province, and certainly, it is a great honor for this province and this city.

One of the great privileges of Azerbaijan, which is good to mention, is that the banner of devotion to the Ahl al-Bayt has always been held by the people of Azerbaijan; that is, in these few centuries I mentioned, this banner has never fallen from the hands of the people of Azerbaijan. In many other cities, it is the same, but Azerbaijan has a particularity in this matter, which is also among the great honors of Azerbaijan.

Thus, the movement of the twenty-ninth of Bahman became [the cause of] the continuation of the struggle; today I want to say a few words about this "continuation".

The continuation of a movement is the key to its victory; if a movement begins and cannot continue, cannot take the subsequent steps in order after the first step, this movement will remain barren, will be nullified, and will be ineffective. We have revolutions and movements in the world that started well, took significant steps, but did not achieve victory; why? Because the leaders of the movement - whether they are the leaders of the movement or the followers and the masses who were following them - became dissuaded from walking and continuing the path; either they became tired, or hopeless, or distracted by material distractions, or fell into despair, or fear, or internal conflicts, and ultimately could not take the subsequent steps, thus their movement did not reach victory. Therefore, we say that the continuation of the movement and the persistence of the movement is the key to the victory of any movement.

The story of the twenty-ninth of Bahman laid the foundation for the continuation of the people's field movement. The people of Tabriz did something that initiated the field movement of the people. Well, the struggle had been ongoing for years before that, various types of struggles existed in different corners of the country, but the field presence of the people started from Qom, and if the incident of Tabriz had not occurred, the issue of Qom would have been forgotten; the people of Tabriz taught everyone about continuity, and the movement of the twenty-ninth of Bahman was the beginning of the continuation and continuation of the great movement that had started. This initiative gave the people the courage to come into the field, which caused the resonant cry of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) to reach the ears of all the people of Iran louder than ever - in this very issue of Tabriz, Imam sent at least two messages to the people and the nation of Iran and addressed the people of Tabriz and Azerbaijan - and the path of the revolution became clear; it became evident that if this revolution is to continue, what must be done. This was taught to everyone by the twenty-ninth of Bahman, showing that this is how we must act, we must come to the center of the field and not be afraid of the glitter and glamour of the tyrannical regime, which was in fact hollow and empty.

Well; this issue of continuation that we mentioned is an important matter, and in the logic of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), it was one of the fundamental policies of the revolutionary Imam. After the victory of the revolution and the establishment of the Islamic system, all of Imam's efforts were to ensure that this movement continued. Imam's enlightening statements continuously motivated everyone, showed the way, reminded the people of the goals so that they would not forget the purpose of this struggle and this movement, and mobilized everyone; that is, Imam did not neglect this important point even in the very first steps after the victory of the revolution; even after Imam fell ill and was hospitalized and faced many physical limitations, he did not forget the issue of taking successive steps and the continuation of the revolutionary movement and pursued it diligently; this caused the enemy's tricks to be neutralized and the revolution to be kept alive.

Let me give an example from Tabriz again. In the middle of 1979, Tabriz faced an anti-revolutionary attack; with certain measures and preparations that have been recorded in some places, many people remember, Tabriz faced an anti-revolutionary movement. In Tabriz itself, there were a few bad elements, but the majority came from outside, stirred up Tabriz, and were being helped from the center in some way; some were providing assistance to those disruptors. Some were worried; we discussed this issue in the Revolutionary Council at that time, some were very worried; Imam said that the brave people of Tabriz would resolve this, there is no need for anyone to intervene; this was Imam's logic. Imam stated this in a speech; he said Tabriz does not need the intervention of others, the people of Tabriz will quell the disturbance, and they did. Martyr Madani, who was the Imam of Tabriz after Martyr Ghazi (may God be pleased with them), was in the middle of the field that day; Martyr Madani was in the middle of the field, and the youth gathered around him moment by moment, thousands of young people came with him and were able to overcome this conspiracy. This action of Imam, this perspective of Imam, this type of behavior of Imam led to such a great success, which was a step; this was the nature of Imam's work.

A very important example of Imam's measures regarding the continuation of the movement and the persistence of the revolution was the measures observed and issued by Imam during the Sacred Defense. From the very first day that Saddam's attack began on some airports and regions, until the last day of the eight-year war and the acceptance of the ceasefire, Imam continuously provided fresh breath and motivation to the combatants, to the people, to the supporters, and to the officials of the country; and in fact, Imam turned the war imposed on the Iranian nation into a means of empowerment for the nation. Well, at that time, our hands were genuinely empty inside the country; we were lacking in weapons, in facilities, in organized and orderly arrangements to face the enemy; our capabilities were very weak; it was the early days of the revolution, and there were many problems. In such a situation, Imam created a means of empowerment and national and international credibility for a revolutionary nation lacking resources through the war. The war was designed by the enemies to destroy the revolution, but Imam turned the war into a means to strengthen the revolution and give it continuity and to turn this threat into an opportunity. The issue of "continuation" is in Imam's policies.

Well, let me give another example from Tabriz. I had seen Martyr Baqeri before the revolution; a friend from Mashhad who was studying at Tabriz University brought the late Mr. Mahdi Baqeri to Mashhad, I saw him; he was an ordinary student. Imam created a great personality, a great commander, a model from an ordinary university student; this was Imam's work. Imam produced figures like Mahdi Baqeri and Martyr Qassem Soleimani; Imam brought them into existence. This is how the continuity of the revolution works; it continuously transforms the youth into the personalities of the revolution, into the men of the revolution, into the pioneers of the revolution and advances them.

Therefore, the issue of continuation and persistence of the revolutionary movement - which we said the story of the twenty-ninth of Bahman was the driving force behind this revolutionary continuity - is one of the most important attractive topics of our country's present and future life; we must always keep this in mind, pursue it, think about it, and work on it. And this lesson, of course, was learned by everyone from Imam; we all learned this from Imam.

Well, now what does "continuation of the revolutionary movement" mean? We have provided examples, but generally, what are the instances of this continuation of movement? "Continuation of the revolutionary movement" means that we should keep the goals of the revolution in mind, consider them, and take into account all the needs of today and tomorrow, the needs of the present and the future that lead us to those goals, and we should provide these needs in any way we can; this means the continuation of the revolution; the revolutionary goals should be taken into account. And to achieve these goals, there are naturally needs that some of them are related to the short term, related to the present, and some of these needs are related to the future, related to tomorrow, which must be prepared from today. We should strive to create these needs to the best of our ability; this creates the continuity and persistence of the revolution, and now I will provide examples. Now, what are the "goals of the revolution" that we mentioned? They are the progress of the country, social justice in the country, the power of the country, the establishment of an Islamic society in the country, and ultimately reaching a new Islamic civilization and a great Islamic civilization; these are the goals of the revolution. We must see what actions are necessary to achieve these goals, to achieve social justice, to achieve the real progress of the country - not superficial and claimed progress; comprehensive, material, and spiritual progress - and to achieve an Islamic society where the laws of Islam are truly implemented and the people benefit from the realization of these laws, and ultimately to achieve a new Islamic civilization, what actions are necessary, and we should do those actions to the best of our ability; each person in their own capacity; I in one way, that official in another way, that student in another way, and so on.

Therefore, I will now present some instances. The efforts of scholars and researchers; the effort that a scholar makes and a researcher performs is a movement for the continuity of the revolution. The efforts of the scholars of the seminary and university, the teaching of the scholars of the seminary and university. The activities of entrepreneurs and workers, in industry, agriculture, services, and so on; all of these are among the things that, when done with regard to the goals of the revolution, are instances of contributing to the continuity of the revolution. The efforts of the young scholars, whether in university or seminary; the activists in the field of social services, the activists in the field of charitable assistance, many of which the Iranian nation has carried out in the best possible way in various issues in the last couple of years; the activists in the field of military defense; the activists in the field of explanation and clarification; all these things that Mr. Al-Hashim mentioned in his speech and reported that are being done. The dedicated employees of the government; in the government, in the three branches, employees who are engaged in sincere and devoted service. The enlightening efforts of political enlighteners; many individuals are engaged in political enlightenment, clarifying the truths for the people in various media [and today, fortunately, this work is being done well through individuals who feel responsible in the virtual space, as well as in the press and mainly in the national media]. Assistance to resistance centers; those who provide assistance to resistance centers in our region and the Islamic world are indeed working for the continuity of the revolution and for the persistence of the revolution. And likewise, those who are ready to be present in the fields in various events; for instance, when the issue of defending the shrine arises, those who come into the field; sometimes various issues arise inside, for example, the ninth of Dey - which, of course, in Tabriz, on the eighth of Dey, entered the field a day earlier than everyone - those who come into the field. All these movements are movements of the continuity of the revolution; all of these are parts of a general movement that we call "the movement of the continuity and persistence of the revolution," which is carried out with regard to the great goals of the revolution and the lofty goals of the revolution.

Of course, these efforts are of two types; some of these efforts are related to today, the current issues, and some are related to the future. The current needs, the immediate needs, are usually quickly recognized by the masses of the nation or recognized with a little hint and they boldly enter the field. This was the case during the Sacred Defense; a hint from the great Imam would send a flood of people to the battlefields; in the recent issues, it was the same, in the issues of defending the shrine, it was the same. Of course, in this regard, the vigilance of the Iranian nation is truly astonishing! How they enter the field with awareness when necessary, a clear example of which, as I mentioned, was the issue of presence in the front lines, presence in confronting the anti-revolutionaries, the same issue of Tabriz in 1979 is an example, and there are other examples in other parts of the country and various other activities. The ninth of Dey was one of these activities; the people spontaneously came into the field, felt the need, and fulfilled that need.

The scientific activities needed by the country are the same. For instance, in the issue of Corona, the young scientists of the country immediately engaged in activities; well, we were closely aware of what they were doing. As soon as it was raised that a vaccine needed to be produced for this, they began working from various places, in various sectors, and now you see the result is various vaccines produced domestically that the people used and the country became self-sufficient from having to extend a hand to this and that or having others bestow a few vaccines, which they would not have given if we had not produced them ourselves. This is the immediate need that they feel is necessary for the country, and they produce it.

The most recent of these immediate works was the presence just a few days ago at the ceremony of the twenty-second of Bahman. This year, the twenty-second of Bahman was an extraordinary event; it was truly a spontaneous movement; it was genuinely a self-initiated movement that the people carried out and was truly commendable; indeed, this movement was commendable. With all the problems surrounding the people - Corona on one side, livelihood issues on another, the slander of foreigners on one side, and unfortunately, some internal elements assisting in the same slander on another side - amidst all these obstacles and problems, the nation carried out this massive march, and those who usually have the means to gauge the crowd and report annually, with cameras and such, can estimate the crowd size with reasonable accuracy, reported to us that in all provinces of the country, except for two or three provinces, this year the crowd was larger than last year; some were double last year, some were fifty percent more, some were forty percent more; it was like this everywhere. This movement of the people is a remarkable intelligence; these are truly commendable and this movement is very meaningful. Well, these are related to the current needs that the people recognize and spontaneously enter the field and innovate.

There are also some things that are related to future needs; many recognize these and carry them out, while some neglect them. What I mean by these future-related needs are those needs that if you do not think about today and do something for them, tomorrow you will be left behind; that is, tomorrow you will be stuck; if you do not think about them today, tomorrow problems will arise for you. For example, training scientists and researchers is one of these. Today, if we do not train researchers, if we do not initiate a great scientific movement, fifteen years from now, twenty years from now, we will not have prominent scientists who can compete with the world or surpass the forefront of global science. Today, this work - training researchers and scientists - is a long-term task.

The issue of childbearing and population growth, which I emphasize so much, is of this kind. Today, if we do not think about population growth, if we do not consider childbearing today, in fifteen years, twenty years, it will be too late; we will become a country that will not have enough of the necessary element for progress, that is, the youth. Today we must think about tomorrow.

Or the same issue of nuclear energy, which the world is becoming increasingly dependent on, we too will inevitably find ourselves in urgent need of peaceful nuclear energy sooner or later. If we do not think about it today, if we do not pursue it today, tomorrow it will be too late, and we will be empty-handed. When the world dominates all aspects of this issue, that day it will be difficult for us to move forward. Therefore, you can see how the enemy is unjustly focusing on our nuclear energy issue! Sanctions are due to nuclear energy, which they know is peaceful. Now they mention that [Iran] is so far from producing a bomb! These are nonsensical and meaningless statements; they know very well that we are not pursuing this issue, we are seeking peaceful use of [nuclear] energy; they have understood this, they recognize it. They do not want the Iranian nation to achieve this great and remarkable scientific advancement, and they exert pressure because the nation will need this tomorrow and they want this movement not to continue. If we neglect these future-related and long-term issues today, we will face problems tomorrow. In the issues of the JCPOA, in 2015 and 2016, the criticism I had was that certain points should have been considered in the JCPOA to prevent future problems; my objection was mainly to this; I said these points should be taken into account, and I repeatedly mentioned them in reminders. Well, some of these were not taken into account, were not considered, and these subsequent problems arose that everyone observes. Therefore, looking to the future and preparing for the future is important.

Well, I want to mention an important point here, and that is that in these four decades since the victory of the revolution, many activities have been carried out for the continuity of the revolution, and these have been fruitful activities; now some have been spontaneous popular activities, some have been governmental activities. Great works have been done in these decades that some want to deny, some want to cover up. A few days ago, I also mentioned in a discussion that we should not allow the current problems in the country to cast a shadow over all the important and great activities that have been carried out over these years; these should not be overlooked. We have made significant progress, we have had numerous examples; one of them is scientific progress. In the years following the revolution, we have been ahead of the entire world in scientific advancement. This is not my judgment; it is the judgment of international centers; that is, our speed and pace of scientific advancement is several times the world average, with some saying ten times, some saying thirteen times. Well, science is very important: knowledge is power; knowledge truly brings power to a country. We have made advancements in various scientific fields that we could not have imagined at the beginning of the revolution. We ourselves were present in the forefront of the revolution; we could not have believed that we could achieve such advancements in nuclear energy, nanotechnology, biotechnology, complex medical issues, very difficult surgeries, infertility issues, stem cell research, and various important scientific fields, which, thanks be to God, we have advanced; our youth have strived, moved forward, and progressed.

Fundamental infrastructures; now one aspect was scientific issues, one aspect is the infrastructures of the country. Of course, I do not intend to compare these; those who are familiar with statistics can compare, and the comparison is indeed interesting and sweet. In terms of secure roads, highways, railways, dams, housing, and water, electricity, and gas supply to various parts of the country, the advancements made in these decades are astonishing, very important advancements that certainly would not have been achieved without the revolution and the revolutionary and jihadist movement. [For example] Iran has become the hub of health and medical services in the region. [Previously] for the smallest surgical operation, those who could afford it would go abroad; today, people come to Iran for the most complex surgeries from neighboring countries. Some of the services that have been provided and the advancements that have been made are truly dozens of times what existed before the revolution, and these are very important; well, these works have been done, these are services that should not be overlooked.

Even in the economic field, it is the same. Now, I am one of those who always criticize ourselves regarding economic issues; in terms of social justice, in terms of equitable distribution of wealth, in terms of the deprivation of the weak classes and so on, I have criticisms in various discussions; however, in this economic aspect as well, the judgment of well-known economic centers in the world is that Iran has made significant advancements in important economic indicators compared to before, has taken great steps, and has carried out significant movements. In addition to these, our self-sufficiency in producing many things and the self-confidence of the Iranian producer [has also been achieved], which should be reflected. Of course, the national media has a great responsibility in this regard to reflect these; however, it has not reflected them as it should; it must do so; this is one of the necessary tasks that rests on the shoulders of the national media. All the activists who have worked in these areas have contributed to the continuity of the revolution, have helped the persistence of the revolution. And of course, we have had shortcomings, we have had negligence over these many years, and there have been occasional ill intentions, but these great works have also been done, and if these neglects had not occurred, the situation would have been better.

I want to say that with this movement of the continuity of the revolution and the persistence of the revolution, today, thanks be to God, the revolution is both alive and productive. The fact that you see the front of global arrogance standing against the revolution and the revolutionary nation of Iran and acting with such hostility is because the revolution is alive. If the revolution were not there, they would not have the motivation to exert such malice and wickedness against the Iranian nation. Now, what does "the revolution being alive" mean? It means the attachment of the new generations of the country to the ideals of the revolution. Today, the people are attached to the same ideals that the revolution presented; that is, national independence, national dignity, national welfare, social justice, the realization of an Islamic society, and ultimately, as we mentioned, the establishment of a new Islamic civilization; these are the great goals of the revolution. Our people today are attached to these goals, are interested; if they can do something - anyone who can do something - they truly do it; that is, a vast majority of the country has this [attachment]. Now, there may be individuals here and there who are somewhat slow in movement or do not engage in the movement, but the Iranian nation, in general, is attached to these ideals. The nation is attached, the revolution is alive, and one reason for the revolution's vitality is the enmity of the front of global arrogance, which is due to the system's steadfastness in pursuing these goals.

Of course, one hears from some that the revolution has strayed from its goals; no, this is not the case. If the country had strayed from the goals of the revolution, the enemies of the revolution would not have acted with such enmity towards the country's system and the Islamic Republic; this enmity itself is a sign that the country and the Islamic system have been faithful to the goals and committed to these goals. Now, one hears that some individuals say the system has strayed from the goals of the revolution; they want to show that they are attached to the revolution. I do not accept this statement; I do not accept their attachment to the revolution either. Someone who pursues a life of luxury and whose movement is a luxurious one cannot uphold the slogan of supporting the downtrodden. The slogan of the revolution is the support of the oppressed and the support of the downtrodden; those who pursue a life of luxury and whose movement is luxurious cannot remain faithful to this slogan. The slogan of the revolution is to confront global arrogance, to confront the arrogant powers; those who speak of submission to global arrogance, who speak of submission to America, cannot remain committed to this revolution and these goals; this argument is not acceptable. And we thank God for having bestowed upon the Iranian nation the strength to stand firm, to resist, and to bring the country to this point, and God willing, this resistance must continue day by day. Not only inside the country but also in the region, the resistance of the Iranian nation has had an impact; today you see the resistance movement in the countries of the region is on the rise, and the arrogance of America, the arrogance of global arrogance in the region has been shattered, the nations have become emboldened, and the voices of the nations have been raised against America and against their movements.

Well, we must appreciate this and continue this movement of the continuity of the revolution. My advice to our dear youth is to see today where the enemy is moving, what the enemy is targeting, and act in opposition to that. In my view, as I observe the situation, the enemy is targeting the nation, targeting public opinion, targeting the thoughts of the youth; they are spending billions of dollars in their think tanks - as they call them think tanks and intellectual groups - trying to turn the Iranian nation, especially the youth, away from this path. And the means they are currently pursuing are twofold: one is economic pressures to bring the people to their knees and separate them from the Islamic system, and the other is slander; slanders, fabrications, accusations against the pillars of the revolution, against the components of the revolution. One day against the Islamic Consultative Assembly, one day against the Guardian Council, one day against the IRGC; today it is the turn of the IRGC, to slander the IRGC, to slander and defame, and in the meantime, to a great martyr like Martyr Soleimani. If they had the courage, if they were not afraid of the people's anger and reaction, they would insult Imam as well; but they do not have the courage and know that the people's reaction is severe in response to this. Therefore, these two means are at the enemy's disposal to separate the people from the system; to manipulate the thoughts and ideas of the people, the enemy has taken these two paths: economic hostility and media hostility. The youth must stand against these; the Iranian nation must stand against these two movements. The economic pressure must be countered with internal efforts, internal endeavors, and by neutralizing the sanctions, and of course, diplomatic efforts - as our good brothers are engaged in - [must be made]; our revolutionary brothers are working on eliminating the sanctions and convincing the opposing side, which is good, but the main task is to neutralize the sanctions through creating internal production movements and internal economic dynamism. These knowledge-based companies are very important, and truly this movement of knowledge-based economy and the knowledge-based companies that have been established is a significant movement; this must be developed and expanded. This on one side, and on the other side, neutralizing the enemy's media movements and slanders.

We hope that, God willing, the Almighty God will increase His blessings, His favors, and His bounties upon the Iranian nation day by day, and may the Iranian nation, God willing, succeed in overcoming the peaks, may our dear martyrs be resurrected with the Prophet, and may our great Imam, who is the initiator of this great movement, be resurrected with the Prophet of God and the divine saints and receive His great reward and merit, and may the Iranian nation and the people of Azerbaijan and the people of Tabriz, God willing, be among the recipients of divine blessings. I hope, God willing, that all of you will be successful. I thank you for the programs you executed, the recitation of the Quran, this very good anthem, and the statements of Mr. Al-Hashim and the mention of the tragedy that our dear brother recounted. God willing, may God grant you all success.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.