Statements in a televised speech on the occasion of Eid al-Adha

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One on earth.

I congratulate the dear nation of Iran and all Muslims and followers of the Abrahamic religions on the blessed Eid al-Adha, which is one of the great historical memories of all the faithful in the world.

The first decade of Dhul-Hijjah is a decade of instructive memories and a decade of supplication and turning to God. The memory of the day of Eid al-Adha is a great memory; fundamentally, the first decade of Dhul-Hijjah is a decade of memories. In the month of Dhul-Hijjah, each decade has its own characteristics; the first decade is both a decade of glorious and important instructive memories and a decade of supplication and turning to God. The memories begin with those related to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), where the issue of "And We appointed for Moses thirty nights, and We completed them with ten, so the appointed time of his Lord was forty nights" (1) [which] lasted forty nights of Moses' meeting with the Lord on Mount Sinai, or that appointed time which lasted from the first night of the first Dhul-Qi'dah until the night of Eid al-Adha. The first is the appointment of thirty nights, then ten nights are added, which are these ten nights of Dhul-Hijjah; this [topic] shows the importance of these nights.

The sufferings of Prophet Moses in these memories are evident. The many hardships of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) in Egypt, his struggles with Pharaoh, and the strange and difficult problems that arose after returning from Midian until leaving Egypt for this great man - in relation to Pharaoh, in relation to the Children of Israel, in relation to the sorcerers and others - and then the great miracle that occurred, where the sea was split and the enemy of the Children of Israel was drowned before their eyes with all his forces, this should have created a firm and established faith in the Children of Israel; [but] it did not happen this way. First, they said, "Make for us a god just as they have gods" (2), as they were inclined towards polytheism and idol worship - this was the first act - then there was the incident of the calf [which] apparently relates to these forty days; when this great man returned from the appointed time, he saw that the situation had changed and the nation had turned back.

What a great suffering it is for a prophet, a caller to God, to lead a group towards God with all this effort and instill faith in them, only for them to turn away from this faith for something trivial! The Quran states, "And he threw down the tablets and seized his brother's head, dragging him to himself" (3). When the Prophet saw this situation, he became extremely angry, upset, and regretful, as the Quran mentions this at least twice, saying, "Do not be like those who harmed Moses" (4); the harm done by the Children of Israel to Moses is mentioned here; once in Surah As-Saff, it states, "Moses said to his people, 'O my people! Why do you harm me when you know that I am the messenger of God to you?'" (5); this indicates that the harm and suffering inflicted by the Children of Israel on Moses was very great; these ten nights are the memories of these important historical events and show us how difficult it is to move in the path of truth, even with miracles like those of Moses, and how one must face these difficulties and be patient, which is a memory. Then there is the issue of the Day of Arafah, which is the day of prayer, supplication, and the peak of attention to God, where it is narrated from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said his father, Imam Baqir, used to fast on the Day of Arafah in the hot weather of Arafah - which must have been a vowed fast - and would recite prayers and supplicate and cry in that hot weather. The prayer of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) is well-known, and the supplications of Sahifa Sajjadiyya are also extraordinary. These are related to the Day of Arafah. We hope that our dear nation has derived great benefit from yesterday, which was Arafah, and God willing, all your prayers will be answered.

Then comes the Day of Eid al-Adha, this astonishing and remarkable sacrifice in history that is unparalleled. Prophet Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his own son with his own hands - it is a divine command, a divine test - that too of a child he had been deprived of for many years and in old age, "Praise be to God, who has granted me, in my old age, Ishmael and Isaac" (7); God Almighty had given this child to Prophet Abraham, and it is clear how much a person is attached to a child born in old age. To this child, who has now "When he reached the age of striving with him" (8) - has become a young man or adolescent - he said, 'I want to sacrifice you; this is God's command.' The young man said, 'O my father! Do as you are commanded; you will find me, God willing, among the patient' (9). See, these are the strange events of the history of religion, the history of faith, the history of Islam. We have these in our past, in our religious history, where the old father is ready to sacrifice his young son by his own hand for God's command, and the young man willingly and eagerly says: 'Do as you are commanded; you will find me, God willing, among the patient.' This is also the memory of Eid al-Adha, which, well, this first decade is a decade of such glorious, meaningful, and guiding memories.

The second and third decades of Dhul-Hijjah; a reminder of the superiority of the position of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist. The second decade of Dhul-Hijjah is the decade of the Guardianship, and the issue of Ghadir, where it is narrated that "No one has been called to anything like what has been called to the Guardianship"; among all divine commandments, this Guardianship has a superior position, as the story of Ghadir and that very important narrative [illustrates].

The third decade is also a decade in which there are significant events; among them, and perhaps the most important, is the story of Mubahala, where the issue is the issue of monotheism; that is, the discussion between the Prophet and the Christians of that day, the Christians of Najran, which led to Mubahala, was about Prophet Jesus, where the Prophet said that Jesus is a servant of God and a prophet of God, while they said other things; it was decided to engage in Mubahala, and later in the events of Mubahala, which are well-known and you have heard, they were forced to retreat.

Well, we hope that, God willing, this day is blessed for you; may you have spent this decade with blessings and may the two decades after Dhul-Hijjah also be spent in a manner that pleases God and brings happiness to our dear nation.

The reason for my deprivation from public meetings. Well, one of my joys, always throughout these many years, has been meetings with the people; one of my attachments and captivating events for me has been meeting with the people, to hear something, to say something, and to meet with various classes of people; this insignificant and dangerous enemy, namely the coronavirus - which is both very insignificant and small, and very dangerous and serious - has prevented this; and it has taken this away from us like many other attachments. It was supposed that due to the deprivation from meeting the people, [instead of] this program we currently have, I would have a video meeting with the servants of the health sector and charitable assistance and similar individuals; that a number of them would naturally have to gather in one place. Then it was said that the resolution of the National Coronavirus Headquarters is that no more than ten people should gather; we also canceled that due to this [resolution], and it turned into this meeting today, where we are speaking to you, dear people, from a distance.

The exemplary selflessness of the Iranian nation in natural disasters and the Sacred Defense, and this recent universal affliction. I will raise a few topics. The first topic is the issue of service and the great works that, in fact, the health and service warriors are doing today and must, God willing, continue. Well, today the whole world is facing a universal affliction; that is, it is not specific to a particular place; today the whole world, almost the entire planet is afflicted by this incident; some less, some more; and perhaps in many places there are individuals from among the people who are helping the afflicted and the patients and similar individuals, there are some helps here and there, but I do not think anywhere is like our country, like our dear Iran, where the number of those who voluntarily engage in such assistance is so high; I have not heard of or seen any report that in any country of the world there is such a movement of the people and popular support; this is one of the characteristics of our nation in selflessness; both in natural disasters like floods and earthquakes and such things, and in unnatural disasters like the imposed war. In the eight years of the Sacred Defense, it was this great movement of popular selflessness that created this great epic and adorned the fronts in such a way that it remains a prominent period in our history. Today it is the same; in this matter, it was observed. Well, the medical groups were at the forefront; doctors and nurses and other medical personnel truly sacrificed themselves, and words fail to express the importance of their sacrifices. Behind them were volunteers who entered, helped in health matters, and did great works that non-specialists could do; some of them learned and did them, and great works were done in this area, which must now, given the renewed peak of this disease, continue to be provided.

The necessity of continuing charitable assistance; to compensate for the serious problems and damages of the people. One issue is the issue of charitable assistance. Some people were seriously harmed in these incidents; of course, for most people, there have been problems regarding business, income, and life, and similar matters, but not everyone has suffered serious damages; however, some have truly suffered serious damages and faced numerous problems. This must be compensated; who will compensate it? The people. It cannot all be placed on the shoulders of the government; of course, government and semi-government officials have responsibilities that they must fulfill and are fulfilling. We are aware that they are working, but this is not enough, and the general public must, just as they entered the first charitable assistance movement at the beginning of the month of Ramadan and truly helped, do the same again. This is "racing towards good deeds" (10). We have several instances in the Quran where it says, "They race in good deeds" (11); or "They race in good deeds, and they are among the righteous" (12). In one place, it says, "They are those who race in good deeds, and they are the first in them" (13); several places say, "So race towards good deeds" (14), meaning to compete, that the Quran truly tells us to compete in good works and charitable assistance; that is, strive to move ahead of others and go forward. And this work, in my opinion, is important; even the charitable meals that some of the groups, some of the people who have capabilities prepare during those days, can be done in this way as charitable assistance to families and in a completely clean manner, free from the problem of transmission [of the disease] and such matters. This is true revolutionary action; that is, these are among the definitive issues of revolutionary action. Revolutionary action is not with words; it is with action; action must lead a person ahead of words; and truly those who are active in these areas are doing revolutionary work, and these [actions] are revolutionary. Of course, some may not be prepared; that is, it is not that everyone can do remarkable work in this area, but when they see that some people are moving forward with enthusiasm and eagerness in those front lines, they too come with enthusiasm and eventually find a place for themselves among the ranks and enter this field.

Last year - at the beginning of 1398 - in the floods of Khuzestan, Martyr Soleimani and Martyr Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were both present in the field and connected both sides of the border. That is, Martyr Abu Mahdi facilitated the necessary equipment and supplies that were needed in Khuzestan from the other side of the border, from Iraq, from Basra and other places into the country; which was a great help. The very presence of these two dear ones, two prominent stars of the field of struggle, caused many people, both on this side and that side, to look at them and enter. Of course, in those events, our people gave a good test; both in Khuzestan and in other places, they truly rushed and worked.

The necessity of cooperation, effort, and concentrating forces against enmities. The enmity today against the Iranian nation is great. When enmity increases, cooperation must increase from this side, effort must increase. When the enemy attacks, one must concentrate and gather one's forces and work; today it is like this - I will explain later - the enemies are trying to harm the Iranian nation. Just as the Children of Israel harmed Moses, these enemies of ours, some of whom are among the Children of Israel, want to harm our nation, which follows the Prophet and Moses and Jesus and the other prophets. When they want to harm, we must gather all our forces, concentrate them, strive, and work; just like during the Sacred Defense.

Of course, one of the important things that can be done during this period is scientific work; I am aware that in various sectors they are diligently working to identify this virus, to find a means of prevention from the activity of this virus, to find a treatment for the disease caused by this virus. They are doing a lot of scientific work, and these scientific works that are being done are blessed; that is, they naturally lead to important works for us; just as it was during the Sacred Defense; for example, consider Martyr Baqeri, who was a young man working in a newspaper or in a certain organization; when he entered the war, he became a prominent military commander and strategist; that talent in him was revealed; it is the same here; those who are engaged in research may become prominent researchers and great scholars who will do great works, God willing. Well, this is regarding the issue of service.

The goals of America regarding sanctions: The next issue I want to raise is the issue of sanctions. Well, the sanctions that the Americans have imposed against the Iranian nation are certainly a crime; there is no doubt about it, it is a great crime that they are committing against a nation; now its appearance is that it is against the Islamic Republic system, but in reality, this crime is being committed against all the Iranian nation. In this regard, I want to present a few points; one point is what their goal is from this action; they have a short-term goal, a medium-term goal, a long-term goal, and a side goal.

1) The short-term goal of America; to exhaust the Iranian nation. Their short-term goal is to exhaust the people; for the Iranian nation to become exhausted, tired, confused, and stand against the government; this is their first goal. They want to apply so much pressure that the people become exhausted to cause them to stand against the system, against the government and state. This is their short-term goal; hence you see that they said last year, the year before, and this year: "Hot summer"; hot means the people should stand against the system. Now they themselves have become afflicted with a hot summer.

2) The medium-term goal of America; to create obstacles to the country's progress. Their medium-term goal is to prevent the country's progress with these sanctions; primarily scientific progress. They have stated this; these are not my conjectures or analyses, these are statements that have been made among their own remarks - whether by their politicians or those who work in think tanks, political think tanks and the like - they have expressed these. The goal is to create limitations with these sanctions so that the country does not progress, especially in scientific fields. They have even stated and clarified that these martyrdoms that occurred - the nuclear martyrs and the like - were to delay the scientific progress of Iran. This is also their medium-term goal.

3) The long-term goal of America; to bankrupt the government and collapse the economy. Their long-term goal is to bring the country to bankruptcy, to bring the government to bankruptcy; that is, to dismantle the country's economy and collapse the country's economy, which, of course, if the economy of a country completely collapses and disintegrates, continuing to exist for it is impossible, their ultimate goal is this, and they want to do these things.

4) The side goal of America; to cut the Islamic Republic's ties with the resistance forces. They have a side goal that they want to use this to cut the Islamic Republic's ties with the institutions and resistance forces in the region; because they know that the Islamic Republic supports these forces as much as it can, they want to cut this relationship. These are the enemies' goals that have entered to carry out these actions; of course, it must be said, "The camel dreams of a grain of wheat"; they are pursuing these three goals - short-term, medium-term, long-term - together, which, thanks be to God, have failed.

The failure of the enemy in the goals of sanctions. Of course, the sanctions have created problems; there is no doubt about it. Not all problems are related to the sanctions; some are related to our weaknesses in managing the country, some are related to the recent coronavirus, and some are related to the sanctions; there are problems; [such as] the livelihood situation of the people, which I will return to later. There are problems, but what they wanted has not happened and will not happen; what they had in mind has not happened, this disturbed dream of this wicked enemy has not been realized. In fact, the non-realization of this dream and the failure of their objectives is something they themselves admit; now in numerous reports from various places - from the West, from America, from Europe - individuals who are working in these think tanks are admitting and saying that the severe pressure of sanctions and the operational intensity that America exerted did not achieve its goal and they could not do what they wanted to do regarding Iran. This is the first point; therefore, the sanctions were a crime with these goals, and the enemy has not reached these goals, thanks be to God, and will not reach them.

The current of distorting truths alongside sanctions. The second point: alongside the sanctions - pay close attention to this - there is also a current of distortion; there is a current of distortion alongside it; distorting truths, misrepresenting realities; whether the realities of our country or the realities related to our country; this is also one of the things they do. The goal of this distortion is twofold; they want to do two things: one is to strike at the morale of the people, which I will explain how they want to strike at the morale of the people; the other is to give a false address for resolving the problem of sanctions. This distortion is in these areas and is being carried out with these two goals. They are spending a lot of money to distort these truths. You can see that their leaders, their ministers, their president, and others are suffocating themselves from traveling here and there, speaking against Iran, interviewing, and trying to bring up Iran's name in every issue; they are truly suffocating themselves, and this current of distortion exists.

The weakening of the morale, vitality, movement, and hope of the people by the enemy, since the beginning of the revolution. However, the first issue of weakening the morale of the people and diminishing the vitality, movement, and hope of the people has been present since the beginning of the revolution. Since the beginning of the revolution, the enemy's constant line has been to convey to the Iranian people, through televisions, radios - of course, at that time it was more limited, now it has become widespread and there are various means of communication - that you have become miserable, your work is finished, and nothing can be done for you, your situation is bad, and so on; from the beginning of the revolution - that is, from the early days of the revolution when they were somewhat confused, [then] they came to their senses and launched a propaganda campaign against the country - one of their goals has been to tell the Iranian people that by cutting ties with America, by severing the connection that existed between Iran during the Pahlavi era and America, the Iranian nation has been ruined. They have pursued this from the beginning; now it is the same; they are still pursuing this, portraying the situation as bad, with hundreds of voices, with hundreds of means. If there is a point of strength in the country, they completely deny it; either they ignore it or deny it. Well, good works are being done in the country; absolutely [not even] one of these is reflected in the enemies' foreign propaganda. If there is a point of weakness, they amplify it tenfold, sometimes a hundredfold, to magnify this point of weakness; for what? So that the morale of the people is weakened; the hope of the people, especially the hope of the youth; because when they are hopeful, the movement of the youth is extraordinarily active, the youth are the vanguard, the driving force; if hope is taken from them, they will stop, like a car that runs out of gas, they will stop like this.

These are the goals; they want to discourage our youth, take away their vitality, take away their movement, and make it so that the youth do not have their own movement and leadership. This is their goal, and of course, it does have an effect on some. Inside, there are also those who repeat the same words; one hears a news item, for example, in the writings or statements of someone who is part of the political groups, two days later, they see that either in social media or in some newspaper in our country, the same is reflected. Unfortunately, there are such things inside.

The condition for the failure of sanctions: the failure of the distortion current in the arena of the war of wills. In that second section, [that is] giving a false address, their way of giving an address is that they say, "If you want the sanctions to be lifted, you must yield to America"; the summary of this is that you must yield to America, you must not stand firm, which I will discuss in more detail later. This is also a current of distortion. Of course, I must tell you that yes, some are influenced, and they repeat the same things they say; whether regarding the weaknesses of the country that are amplified tenfold, or regarding downplaying and minimizing the strengths and advancements of the country, or regarding giving a false address. Well, this does have an effect on some, but on the majority of the people, on most of the Iranian nation, it does not have an effect. [Most people] have recognized America, have recognized the enemy, know that they are lying, know that they are speaking with malice; thus, the distortion current has not reached the results they desired. And I tell you that if the distortion current fails, the sanctions current will certainly fail; because the arena is a war of wills; when the distortion current fails and the will of the Iranian nation remains strong and steadfast, it will certainly prevail over the enemy's will and will be victorious. This is the second point.

Self-sufficiency and reliance on national capabilities, as a result of sanctions. The third point; well, we said there is no doubt that the sanctions are a crime from America, a blow that America has dealt to the Iranian nation; however, the clever Iranian has made good use of this attack, of this enmity; that is, they have done things that have been realized contrary to the enemy's wishes. Our people, our youth, our officials, our scientists, our political and social activists have used these sanctions as a means to increase national self-reliance. You know that secondary sanctions mean that America tells all companies, all countries, all individuals that you are not allowed to provide Iran with certain goods that it needs; well, naturally, what we need to bring from abroad does not reach us; this has led to people in various fields - not just one or two cases, but hundreds of cases - when they see that they cannot reach outside, they think of producing inside.

For example, we needed advanced training jets in our armed forces, but they would not sell them to us; what did we do? We produced the advanced training jet, Kowsar, inside. If they had sold us training jets, we would not have today the production of Kowsar training jets inside; or many of our machines, our factories needed various parts; these parts were sanctioned by the enemy, they did not allow us to import the parts. First, they said that dual-use parts, that is, those that can be used for both military and non-military purposes [are sanctioned]; then they generalized it, did not allow it. This led to a movement of parts manufacturing inside. Now, fortunately, a movement of parts manufacturing has been initiated, and various sensitive and delicate parts for different devices are being produced in the country. If they had given these parts to us, no one would have thought of this inside. Well, if a manufacturer needed something, they would go and import it from abroad; when it cannot be imported from abroad, they turn to universities, they turn to research centers, they ask them, and they strive and produce it for them. Therefore, we were able to use this sanction, with God's grace and assistance, in the service of the scientific flourishing of the country; this is also the third point.

Important economic, military, and scientific works in the country, the reason for the enemy's failure in sanctions. The fourth point; well, we said that the sanctions did not have an effect; that is, they did not reach the enemy's desired goals; what is the reason? The reason is the important works that were done in the country during the sanctions; for example, several thousand knowledge-based companies were established in the country; this is an important work; it is clear that the scientific movement of the country and the economic movement of the country are proceeding with greater power. Before these severe sanctions, we did not have these several thousand knowledge-based companies; or consider the Persian Gulf Star Refinery, which was built by the IRGC; this is a very significant work, a great work; this was done during the sanctions, and it was accomplished despite the sanctions, which astonishes the world; or the very significant works that have been done in the military sector; or the very significant works that have been done in South Pars - in South Pars, which is our important gas region, significant works have been done during the sanctions - or the great projects of land reclamation in Khuzestan and Ilam, which is one of the important works; I do not know how much these have been publicized, how much has been told to the people; great works have been done in reclaiming the lands needing drainage in Ilam and Khuzestan, mainly in Khuzestan and somewhat in Ilam; many lands have been reclaimed and utilized. All these works were done during the sanctions.

Separating the country's economy from crude oil exports; one of the results of sanctions. Or the projects of the Ministry of Energy, which I have mentioned before, which are important projects - both in terms of water and electricity - as well as the projects of the Ministry of Roads and some other projects, and finally our astonishing defense productions, which they themselves have admitted that Iran was able to produce such defense products during the sanctions. And I believe that one of the things that fits into this list is the practice of separating the country's economy from oil. This is a very difficult task; I have been emphasizing this for years in various governments, it did not progress much [but] now it has naturally happened this way. Our oil is being bought less or very little; that is, all our previous customers are not taking enough oil. This has led to the reduction of the harmful and detrimental connection of the country's economy with oil, and God willing, this is a practice that we can continue later. Of course, I mean oil, crude oil; otherwise, I have no objection to oil that gains added value inside and its products are exported. God willing, now we hope that with more follow-up from the government and parliament, this [work] will be accomplished, and there are many capacities in the country that can replace oil and, God willing, solve our budget problem.

Standing firm against America, the remedy for sanctions. The fifth point is the question of whether this sanction is treatable or not? The first answer is that it is certainly treatable; the second answer is that certainly this treatment is not to retreat before America. Some discuss this way and promote it that if you want to stop the arrogance and bullying of America, you must retreat; no, sir, naturally, when you retreat before someone who is aggressive and greedy, he will advance; this is clear and obvious. [If] you retreat, accept America's demands, he will make new demands. Today, America's demand from us is that you completely abandon the nuclear industry; reduce your defensive capabilities to one-tenth, that is, the missiles and defensive capabilities that we have, which are a deterrent to the enemy, abandon them and make yourself defenseless; abandon your regional power; we have a strategic depth in the region that many nations and governments in the region are supportive of us, are interested in us, and are willing to strive for our goals; they want you to abandon this. Abandoning these will not cause him to retreat. When you are willing to reduce your defensive capabilities, willing to destroy your regional power, willing to abandon the nuclear industry, which is vital for our country, he will not be satisfied; he will make a new demand. And no rational person would say that to compel an aggressor to stop, we should fulfill his demands.

Nuclear energy; a definite need for the future of the country. You see, unfortunately, some under the influence of these enemy words say, "What use is nuclear energy to us?" Those who sometimes write something in newspapers and so on. I have said before that nuclear energy is a definite need for our country's future. (15) In a few years, we will need at least twenty thousand or thirty thousand megawatts of electricity from nuclear energy; which cannot be obtained in any other way or is not cost-effective. Well, when we need it, what should we do? Go to whose door? Ask America, ask Europe to come and give us nuclear electricity or come and start enrichment for us? Will they do it? We must think about tomorrow today. These needs are not needs that can be met in six months, a year, or two years; these must be prepared in advance; we have prepared this, we have provided the groundwork. Well, even though we have suffered great losses in this regard due to the JCPOA, fortunately, the essence of this work is preserved, and great and good works are being done in this area; the enemy does not want this; the same goes for defense and missile issues.

The reason for the Islamic Republic's opposition to negotiations with America. The fact that the Americans say come negotiate, their negotiations are about these things. I urge everyone to pay attention to this! Of course, I have said this many times, and I am compelled to say it again, because some either do not understand or pretend not to understand; that the enemy says come negotiate means that you come to the negotiation table and we tell you that you must not build missiles, you must accept this; if you accept, then you have ruined yourself; that is, you have made yourself defenseless; if you do not accept, it is the same dish and the same bowl; there will still be disputes, still sanctions, still threats; negotiation means this; the reason I say we do not negotiate with America is that this negotiation [is fruitless]; of course, he benefits from the negotiation; this old man, the elderly man who is currently in charge in America, seems to have gained some propaganda benefit from negotiating with North Korea; he wants to use it, now for elections, for non-elections, he is seeking personal benefit, but beyond that, the political system of America claims vital issues regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran; that is, it says you must abandon your defensive capabilities, you must abandon your regional power, you must abandon your national power. Well, these cannot be done; a person who is honorable and cares about preserving the interests of the country does not submit to these demands; negotiation means this; that is why I oppose negotiations; otherwise, we negotiate with everyone else in the world except America and the fake Zionist regime; we have relations with everyone, we negotiate, we sit down, we get up, we have no problem; the issue with America is this.

The necessity of relying on national capabilities, pursuing a resilient economy, with jihadist management. This is also a matter that therefore sanctions are certainly treatable, but the remedy is not retreat. What is the remedy? The remedy for sanctions is only and only relying on national capabilities. We must preserve all the capabilities we have, seek to discover new capabilities - which we certainly have many - and rely on them and revive them, bring our youth into the field, and pursue the pillars of a resilient economy - that is, inward-looking and outward-looking - [follow this]. We have both internal capabilities and international capabilities. We can produce inside and various scientific, economic, and other capabilities can emerge from within, and we can also operate in the international arena, in the international arena. We have good friends, we can work with these friends. It requires effort, it requires jihad. In a resilient economy, there is both inward-looking and outward-looking, and we have abundant capabilities in both areas that we can accomplish. Our capacities are truly endless, and as we move forward, new capacities emerge, which, of course, must be achieved with jihadist management; with true planning and jihadist management, these will be achieved.

We have effective friends in the world. Of course, it is not that we rely on our friendly governments; no, our reliance is on God Almighty and on ourselves. Even if we do not have powerful friends in the world, we will do our work and move forward.

During the Sacred Defense, both the Eastern front was against us, and the Western front was against us; both the Soviet Union of that day was our enemy, and America and Europe of that day were against us; we were able to resist for eight years without them and defeat the enemy; we were able to bring Saddam to his knees and put him in the dust; we were able to do this; that is, our reliance is on God, our reliance is on ourselves, but we will make the utmost use of our friends' capabilities, God willing.

Foreign enmities and internal betrayals against self-sufficiency. And know that reliance on internal capabilities has enemies; there are foreign enemies, and there are also internal malcontents; the one who, for his own interests - since he gains some profit from imports - is willing to bring in goods that are produced inside from abroad and create competition and bring the domestic factory to its knees, is committing treason; I tell you this. Unfortunately, despite my emphasis and recommendations, it is still observed that in some cases, a product that is produced inside, even a good type is produced, they still go and import it from abroad, and the poor manufacturer who has invested and worked and produced, his product remains unsold; we must be careful that these oppositions and enmities exist internally.

There has been enmity against internal independence for a long time; see, more than 150 or 160 years ago, Amir Kabir wanted to make the economy of the country and the vital capabilities of the country independent; the British embassy, with its wickedness, its malice, and the temptations they created, forced Nasir al-Din Shah to dismiss him from the premiership, and then they also killed him; it was the work of the British. Similarly, in the nationalization of the oil industry, when the Iranian nation came to stand on its own feet, the events of 28 Mordad and the issues of America and Britain were created. After the revolution, they have clearly opposed all issues; we must be aware that this also has serious and fundamental enemies.

The empty promises of the Europeans after America's exit from the JCPOA. We should not rely on the promises of this and that; I have said this, and I will say it again here: see, at the beginning of 1397 - two years ago - when America exited the JCPOA, we repeatedly said that the Europeans should do this and that; they said okay, for example, wait three months, wait four months; then when four months passed, they said wait five months, six months; they kept delaying us, that is, they conditioned the economy of the country, made the economy of the country dependent; our investors, our traders, our exporters, and the active economic elements in the country were left waiting to see if Europe would do something or not; this is very harmful to the economy of the country. We should not rely on their promises; they violate them. The country should not be made to wait for the actions of this or that; we must do our own work.

The Europeans did nothing; their last initiative was a silly toy called INSTEX (16), which, of course, has not been realized yet; the summary of INSTEX is that Iran should give the money it owes from other places to the European gentlemen - for example, France, England - so that they buy whatever goods they deem appropriate and send them to Iran; this is the meaning of INSTEX; which itself is a harmful and wrong thing, and of course, they have not done this and have not accomplished it. The remedy for sanctions is to activate internal capacities; of course, this requires effort and striving, and it must be done; this is also one point.

Points regarding the economic issue: 1) The necessity of remedying inflation and controlling prices. One sentence regarding the economic situation of the country. Well, the country is facing serious problems regarding public livelihood; that is, the livelihoods of households are facing serious problems, and people are struggling; there are inflation and similar issues, these must be remedied. Of course, the actions that need to be taken, we have told the officials in private meetings or have sent messages; I have spoken with the President and with some other officials from a distance and have sent messages to them to take action; now I will say this again, I emphasize that the responsible agencies should pay attention to this, that in the economic issues, there is an urgent section of issues, and there is also a long-term or medium-term section of issues.

The urgent issues are primarily the issue of controlling prices; that is, efforts must be made [for that]. Economic specialists believe that this is possible; that is, those who are in executive management in the economic field believe that prices can be controlled. Of course, sometimes when prices rise, it is due to a shortage of goods; however, in some cases, there is no shortage at all, the goods are available, there is plenty [but] they are kept in warehouses, not offered, which must be dealt with; that is, these must certainly be addressed by the relevant agencies, which are mainly government agencies - the executive branch, and the judiciary if any assistance is needed from it - must intervene. This is one issue that the market should stabilize. This situation where every day goods have a different price is harmful to the country.

2) The necessity of preserving the value of the national currency. Then there is the issue of preserving the value of the national currency; that this currency keeps losing its value and its price keeps rising day by day is very bad; this is one of the short-term tasks that must be done [by the officials]. Of course, I am aware that the Central Bank is making a lot of efforts, and God willing, it will succeed, and this has also been reported to me from reliable sources that this [issue] has more security - political reasons than economic reasons - not that it does not have economic reasons, but [mainly] it has security and political reasons - if this is the case, it must be seriously confronted; there are those who are fueling this fire.

3) The necessity of directing liquidity towards production. Another issue that is necessary and that the relevant experts and specialists say is possible is the issue of directing liquidity towards production. Of course, two years ago, I said this in the Eid al-Fitr prayer that liquidity is a great danger for the economy of the country (17), but this same danger can be turned into profit; if we can wisely direct this liquidity towards production, not only will it not be harmful, but it will also be beneficial. Experts tell us that this can be done; it requires proper planning, it requires follow-up, which, God willing, must be done.

4) The necessity of identifying and removing obstacles to production leaps. Another topic is the obstacles to production leaps; we have designated this year as the year of production leaps, and there are obstacles here and in the way. I have been suggested that I now raise this, and the esteemed heads of the three branches should pursue this, investigate it. It has been suggested that a special task force be appointed by the heads of the three branches, and this task force, which represents the economic meeting of the heads of the three branches, should go and identify and remove these obstacles. They should raise this in their meeting and reach a conclusion and seriously pursue what the obstacles to production leaps are, which perhaps one of the obstacles is the issue of excessive imports, which is very important.

5) The necessity of reforming the budget structure and banking system, enhancing investment and employment, improving the business environment. These are actions that must be taken immediately and with priority in the short term; and all agencies - government agencies, private and semi-private agencies - must all cooperate to ensure that this work is done; however, fundamental reforms, the very things that we communicated to the economic council of the heads of the three branches two years ago; one is the issue of reforming the budget structure, which is very important, one is the issue of reforming the banking system, one is enhancing investment and employment. Of course, unfortunately, the issue of investment in the country has been weakened for years, and necessary work has not been done in this area; this problem has existed in the country for ten or twelve years, which must be compensated; this work is among the long-term tasks. One is improving the business environment, which, of course, we have requested, and the gentlemen are trying; there has not been significant progress, but we know what we want; that is important; we know what we are pursuing, and these are the plans; these works must be realized; this is also a few sentences regarding the economic discussion.

The need for patience and steadfastness. I want to say a word regarding the future. In my opinion, to secure the future, we need patience and steadfastness; we must take firm steps; "Our Lord, forgive us our sins and our excesses in our affairs, and make our feet firm" (18); one of the things requested in prayer is that our steps be firm; patience and steadfastness are necessary; of course, the people are fortunately patient; we have experienced this, we know that due to their religious faith, due to their trust in the system and the country and the Islamic Republic, the stability of the people is truly good; the officials must also show their patience and steadfastness through jihadist work; that is, jihadist work is very necessary; doubt, worry, whether it can be done, whether it cannot be done, whether we should do it or not, these are very harmful; the officials must pay attention to these.

The great and strange problems of American society. Let us pay attention to the great problems that today surround our main enemy - which is the American system and regime - are incomparable to our problems, they are dozens of times larger than our problems; that is, the Americans are now surrounded by various problems: on one hand, the increase in class disparity in a strange way, on the other hand, the problem of racial discrimination that has emerged and is showing itself and has lined everyone up against this American system; on the other hand, unsolvable economic problems. The fact that now it is said that there are 45 million unemployed [is] very significant, it is a very strange thing in the country.

And the managerial problems that were revealed regarding the coronavirus. These are the problems of America; and the cruel behavior of the police also indicates a managerial problem. That is, the social management of that country is such that they cannot prevent a police officer from brutally killing someone in front of the people in the street; they cannot prevent this. This indicates serious managerial problems, and all of these have made America today despised in the world, isolated in the world, and the fire beneath the ashes has flared up. They may suppress the movements that are currently taking place in the streets of America in various states temporarily, but the fire beneath the ashes remains, it does not go away, and it will flare up. These will destroy the current American regime. And the reason is that the regime is a wrong regime; the economic and political philosophy of the American regime is a wrong philosophy, but wrong philosophies do not show themselves in ten or twenty years; they show themselves over time, and they are now showing themselves; and the management of America is now suffering from dizziness. Of course, I said they constantly speak against us here and there, but this is the surface of the matter; this is to keep themselves from losing face; otherwise, they are all caught up in internal problems, they are all worried about their future.

The American nation, the greatest enemy of the American regime. In my opinion, the Americans are looking for an enemy; sometimes they mention Iran, sometimes they mention China, sometimes they mention Russia; they want to create an enemy. In my opinion, the greatest enemy of the American regime is its own nation; now the greatest enemy of the American regime is the American nation; they should not look for another enemy; this enemy is the one that will bring this regime to its knees. And America's problem with us is that it can neither eliminate us nor can it make us submit; it seeks either to make us submit to its demands or to eliminate us and destroy us, and it can do neither, which is why it is upset; therefore, in our view, patience, steadfastness, and, God willing, jihadist work is our duty.

Well, this government [of ours] is also at the end of its term; in these seven years, they have done work and have tried as much as they could; then, God willing, a new and fresh government will come, and we hope that, God willing, they will pursue the work with more seriousness. Some parts of the government have indeed worked well during this period; now it cannot be said about all these parts, but in some parts, truly good works have been done. Therefore, with God's grace and power, God willing, we will continue our work, we will move forward, and the Iranian nation will be victorious.

The necessity of observing the criteria and regulations of the National Coronavirus Headquarters in the mourning ceremonies of the month of Muharram. I want to say a word regarding Muharram; the discussion [about] Muharram is extensive, and now for a long time, everyone has been saying something about Muharram. Well, mourning will be held in some form; what I want to emphasize is that in the mourning ceremonies, the criterion is what the health experts tell us; [that is] the National Coronavirus Headquarters. Personally, I will observe whatever they deem necessary. My recommendation and emphasis to all those who want to hold mourning - the groups, the speakers, the owners of the ceremonies, the mourners, and others - is: whatever you do, [first] see what they say. That is, if the National Coronavirus Headquarters sets a regulation for mourning, we are all obliged to implement it. This is not a small matter; it is a very important matter. Now there is some monitoring and control; God forbid, if this amount is loosened and goes away, then a catastrophe will occur whose end is not visible.

We hope that God Almighty helps us, that the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) takes our hand, comes to our aid - just as it has always been - and God willing, the pure souls of the martyrs and the sanctified spirit of Imam Khomeini (may God’s mercy be upon him) will pray for us and seek success for the Iranian nation from God.

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