Statements in Meeting with Families of the Martyrs of Seventh of Tir

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I also extend my congratulations and condolences on this unforgettable anniversary to the entire Iranian nation, especially to the esteemed and honorable families of those high-ranking martyrs. I hope that God, by the blessing of the blood of these dear ones, will always keep their path enduring and steadfast in this country and among this nation.

Regarding the tragic and disastrous event of the Seventh of Tir, we have all been speaking for ten years. All the interpretations, analyses, and conclusions are correct and in accordance with reality or at least close to reality; from our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified), who was the first to speak about this incident and these dear martyrs and the late Ayatollah Martyr Beheshti, to other officials, speakers, and writers. What has been said will become books. Therefore, there is nothing new in the essence and analysis of this incident.

It is obvious that the enemy at that critical juncture wanted to destroy the system if it could by this means. Taking a great personality like Martyr Beheshti from a revolution is no joke. Taking a large number of efficient and renowned figures, ministers, members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, judicial officials, and devoted, sincere, and selfless fighters of this path from a revolution is no small matter. Truly, if such a thing happened in any system, it would deal an irreparable blow and perhaps destroy that system; but this did not happen in Iran.

That divine and unparalleled leadership, this exceptional and great nation, those slogans and revolutionary fervor, and the knowledge propagated among the people before and after the revolution had equipped this country and this revolution in such a way that this blow could not do anything. Of course, it was a great loss. How many people like Martyr Beheshti or those fighting figures and those sincere and selfless individuals appear in a country and among a nation? The blow was very heavy, but the system stood firm. Ten years have passed since that day, and you saw that during this time, that devastating war ended, and the nation emerged from it with pride. Great events and regional and global storms occurred; but this country and this nation stood like a mountain.

The whole world had prepared themselves that after the passing of the Imam and the loss of this life-giving heart of the nation, a dead entity would remain from this revolution, and a lifeless being from this nation, so that they could do whatever they wanted. The incident of the Imam's passing occurred; but again, this nation, intelligently and shrewdly, continued their path to this day.

In these ten years, many events have occurred that usually do not happen in ten years for a nation, in this number and quality of events. The fact that this nation was able to resist in this way had several reasons, primarily the hand of divine power and God's support. This is no joke; it is a reality. The Imam sincerely believed in this, and we repeatedly heard it from him. Once he explicitly told me that from the beginning of the revolution until now, I have observed a powerful hand that guides us and corrects matters. That great man said something close to this phrase, which I have noted down.

God Almighty never supports a nation without reason. It is not that we say now that God and divine power support us, so we have no responsibility; we should go and engage in our own work. No, the support and hand of divine power are due to your sacrifices, due to the blood of the martyrs, due to the faith of the people, due to the patience that our nation has shown in various stages, due to the sincerity of this nation in their love for Islam, due to the guidance and clear path provided by that unparalleled man, and due to the presence of the people on the scene. If we preserve these, God Almighty will continue to support us.

The main point I want to make is that global arrogance, which is hostile to Islam and the Islamic Revolution, is always and at all times seeking to create disasters. It always finds people who become tools and instruments in this disaster creation. One day it found the hypocrites who created the tragedy of the martyrdom of Rajai and Bahonar and other disasters; at another time, it finds the Iraqi regime and creates the eight-year war. Therefore, at every juncture, global arrogance, America, and the great international capitalists, who are entirely hostile and opposed to Islam and the Islamic Revolution, find tools.

In the world, there are not few vile and base people and lowly and self-sold groups. Thus, the enemy is always the enemy and seeks to strike; the tools are always at its disposal; that is, it finds the necessary tools to strike. Our duty in this is vigilance and maintaining the principles and standards of the revolution; this is our duty. Let no one think that a period was the period of these blows and it is over; no, if we are negligent for fifty more years, the enemy will strike.

The enemy has been slapped by Islam and this nation. The enemy's table has been cleared in this country. In Islamic countries, the enemy's table is threatened with being cleared. Now see what is happening in Algeria. The people of Algeria go to the rooftops and shout Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest). Who taught this to the people of the world for the first time? Did America and global arrogance not understand this? Do they forget? This nation has taught all the nations of the world, especially Muslims, the way to confront global arrogance and the enemy camp of humanity; they do not forget this.

If they want to counter the wave of movement that our nation has made, the way is to remove this nation from the field and strike it. So, even if it is fifty years later, global arrogance is not deterred from striking. We must be vigilant and not be deceived. We must not be influenced by the enemy's propaganda. We must not lose our faith in the Islamic system; because when the enemy wants to strike, it first shakes the foundations of the people's faith, so it can strike effectively.

Do you remember that for a while, through these liberals and that disgraced fugitive and the vile hypocrites, right here in Tehran at the intersections, they were propagating against the system, against the Imam, against this nation, and against the policies of the Islamic Republic? To shake the people's faith, so they could strike at the right time. They always do such things. Be careful not to let them shake your faith.

Now the hypocrites in Baghdad and other cities of Iraq are working as mercenaries of Saddam's regime! They go to suppress the Kurdish cities! They go to massacre the Arab Shiites of southern Iraq! These hypocrites, ten, eleven years ago, were propagating against the war right here in Tehran and were saying why are you fighting with Iraq; but today their work has reached this point! These are not coincidences; this is a policy that starts from there and ends here.

Our nation must look at every word that is said with insight, so as not to be deceived. As long as this nation is vigilant, faithful, and interested in this revolution and enamored with the Islamic system, and as long as it is connected and attached to the officials of this system, those blows and those mercenaries can do nothing. As the Imam also said, America and others can do nothing.

We hope that God, by the blessing of the blood of these martyrs and the rest of our high-ranking and dear martyrs, will make this nation more and more endowed with His grace and more steadfast and more subject to His blessings, and may He unite the holy souls of these dear ones with His saints.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings