Statements in the First Meeting with the Fourteenth Government Delegation

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 virtuous family, especially the remainder of God on earth.

First of all, we wholeheartedly praise and honor the days of Arbaeen, and we express our gratitude for the Arbaeen march of the people, with the help of God's grace.

We congratulate you, dear brothers and sisters, on the Government Week, and we hope that, God willing, this week will be a week of hope, good tidings, and joyful reports for all the long years of your responsibilities.

We honor the memory of our dear martyrs, Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar, for this week is named after these two great figures, and there is a special significance in this naming: that the government is one that honors the martyrs and cherishes the path of the martyrs, which, thanks be to God, has been somewhat the case.

We honor the memory of our dear martyr, the late President, Mr. Raisi, and we ask God to make this good and prominent name that God has given him everlasting and enduring. God willing, may God elevate the ranks of him and his companions, including his foreign minister.

We thank God that, thanks be to God, the government was formed with the efforts of the respected President and the valuable assistance of the Parliament; this is a great blessing. In some past governments, it sometimes took nearly a month or more for the government to be formed, and all the ministers had not received a vote of confidence from the Parliament; God has granted you, us, and the country this blessing that, thanks be to God, all the ministers emerged from the Parliament with the Parliament's confidence in them, safely. Those who were influential in this election and the formation of this government—after that heavy and bitter incident—are all rewarded before God: the officials of the previous government, the media, various officials who helped ensure that after that heavy and bitter incident, the country could enter the election field with enthusiasm, that the presidential election could be held with complete security and health, and then the ministers could be selected; we must truly express our gratitude to all of them. We must also be very thankful to God. Now I will present some points, and I will express this note of gratitude later.

Mr. President has also been very diligent and hardworking in selecting ministers who must cooperate with him; he consulted with me, and I approved a number of individuals whom I knew or whose qualifications had reached us through trusted channels; I emphasized some of them; I did not have an opinion on a larger number. Well, thanks be to God, he was able to make the selections and convince the Parliament, and this was a great success, and we thank God.

Today, all these respected ministers and you dear brothers and sisters who have gained the trust of the President and the Parliament are the high-ranking officials of this country; it is our duty to support you, to assist you—if you need help—and to strive that, God willing, you will be successful in your endeavors.

I have noted a few points that I will present. The first point is the issue of thanking God. You are now in a position where you can be effective in the advancement of the country and in managing the affairs of the country; the ministry has given you such an opportunity. This is a divine blessing; that a person can serve the people is a great blessing. Many wish to serve, but opportunities do not arise for them. God has given you this opportunity; thank God, express gratitude, be appreciative, seek help from the Almighty, consider this responsibility a trust from God and a trust from the people, and safeguard this great responsibility and mission. Of course, these four years are a part of a person's life that passes as quickly as lightning. Now, at the age of eighty-five, when I look back, I see that these 85 years have passed in the blink of an eye. It is like this; four years pass quickly, but in this fleeting time, great works can be accomplished. Amir Kabir ruled for three years in the country and laid the foundations for great works. Our dear Mr. Raisi ruled and presided for three years, accomplished good works, and laid the groundwork for some things that, God willing, the country will see the fruits of later. Therefore, you can work; in these four years, with health and well-being, God willing, you can accomplish great works.

The second point is that one of the conditions for the effectiveness of government officials is that they recognize their own assets, recognize their existing wealth, and recognize the talents and capacities that can be activated. In these long years, I have encountered officials who did not recognize these capacities; they did not know the human resources of the country, nor the natural resources of the country. Once, an official told me that we must use foreign engineers to build highways! Today, with the hands of your youth, highways and freeways have been built throughout the country, and we did not need those foreigners; this lack of recognition is a great flaw. I have various other examples in my mind that do not need to be mentioned.

Recognize your assets. We have many existing resources, and our capacities are several times greater than what we currently possess. We have several types of assets and capacities; that is, actual and potential. One type is natural capacities. We have many underground resources; we have oil, gas, and various valuable resources. In this desert that you see, those who are knowledgeable about deserts once told me that there are immense resources; wealth that is worth more than oil and gas. We have these things. We have a unique geographical position in this region. We are located at the crossroads of the East and West and North and South; this is a very important position. In terms of climate, the climatic diversity is a very great opportunity that we have. In terms of long coastlines along the open sea, we have this opportunity; our islands, our shores, are all opportunities. This Makran region—thankfully, Mr. President has mentioned this issue to me several times and is sensitive about it—is a great opportunity. We have many such natural opportunities.

One type of opportunities is human opportunities, human capacities. Educated youth; we have millions of educated youth in this country who are eager to work; if we can utilize them, recognize them, and be able to use their energy and thoughts, a world of work will be created for the country. Educated youth, brilliant talents, scientific capabilities, the capacity for genius creation; look, when we consider figures like Khajeh Nasir, Ibn Sina, Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, Mulla Sadra, and other prominent scholars who have been in our country until our time, this shows us that our intellectual and scientific ceiling is very high, and we can reach those heights. After a thousand years, the books of Ibn Sina are still prominent in the world; this is a very important issue, this is a significant phenomenon. We have the ability for genius creation; that is, among our youth, geniuses can emerge. These are our human opportunities and human assets.

The faith of our people is among the capacities; this faith that the people have—religious faith and political faith—is very valuable; this is also a type of capacity. Another type of capacity is the political capacities of the country, such as our strategic depth. There was a time when Iran was known for its carpets and oil; today, Iran is known in the world for its science, military advancements, regional power, and strategic depth; this is an opportunity that is at our disposal. The ability to influence countries in the world and in the region is not a small matter; it is a very important thing; this is also one of our opportunities.

Another opportunity that is among the most valuable opportunities is experiences; we must appreciate these experiences. The wise man preserves experiences; this is the saying of Amir al-Mu'minin. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) considers the use of experiences and the preservation of experiences a sign of wisdom. The best of what you have experienced is that which advises you and paves the way for you. We have good experiences; various governments have come and done things that have become experiences for us: some things that should not have been done were done, and we suffered losses; some things that should have been done were not done, and we suffered losses; some things that should have been done and were done, we benefited from; all these are experiences, and we can use them.

The next point: choosing colleagues. Ultimately, you will choose colleagues; my recommendation is to make more use of colleagues who have these qualities: young, faithful, revolutionary, committed, and motivated; these are the ones who can help you. We have used these young people in various scientific and research fields, such as the nuclear sector, nanotechnology, stem cell research, and various fields that have been among the major scientific and research knots in the world, and we have made great progress, thanks be to God. That quality is this; use these young people, as they will open the knots. Furthermore, when you bring young people into various management levels from the bottom, you are training a generation of motivated managers for tomorrow; that is, when you bring young people into your organizations, they gain experience and you produce a generation of outstanding, motivated managers for tomorrow, which I believe is very valuable. When we spoke with Mr. President, this topic was also raised; if he can prepare, for example, a hundred committed, motivated, revolutionary young people and hand over these hundred young people to the country at the end of his term, I believe a very great achievement has been made. Therefore, this is also the issue of selecting colleagues. The late martyr Raisi had good successes in this regard; God willing, your successes will be several times greater than his.

The fourth point is about the issue of expertise. In the advertisements of Dr. Pezeshkian and the statements made, the reference to experts has been repeated. I firmly believe in this issue of referring to experts; I believe that when governments conduct expert work, their governance will be wise and thoughtful, not cliquish and based on friendship and recommendations. The characteristic of expert work is that sometimes you conduct an expert study that goes against the wishes of a few friends, acquaintances, and influential people; you may make them unhappy, but you satisfy the nation and advance the country; that is expert work. I endorse and emphasize expert work, but there is a point here in selecting experts: sometimes, in certain cases, the wrong sediment of a specialist's mind comes to the fore with expert language, dressed in expert attire, and then creates problems and imposes the wrong opinions or the ethical characteristics of that expert on you. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) also advises in this regard: do not consult with a miser... and do not consult with a coward; do not seek expert advice from a cowardly person; because when you want to take a big step, any good action you want to take, they will scare you, saying that if you do this, such and such will happen. And do not consult with a greedy person; do not seek expertise from a greedy person—because a greedy person will transfer their greed to you. Now, these are examples; that is, the characteristics of someone who is our consultant can affect their advisory opinion and create problems for us. Therefore, let us be careful to use experts who are faithful, honest, believe in the internal and national capabilities of the country, and recognize national assets. Let us not use experts who are looking for foreign prescriptions. Sometimes, an economic or social or political prescription from abroad, proposed fifty or seventy years ago, has since been revoked, and now we want to bring that prescription here! Be careful that the expert is not like this; otherwise, the essence of expertise is very necessary.

The next point is about being present among the people. If you have provincial trips, do not pay attention to those who say this is populism, demagoguery, and so on. Understanding the essence of what is happening in people's lives is not possible with reports and written documents; you must go see and hear from the people themselves. When a person goes and hears, they see that there are many differences from what has been reported to us. I do not want to say that all reports are false; no, we have good reports too, but reports do not show the reality. Now, when we were about to come here, I asked someone who had just returned from the Arbaeen march how it was, and he said it was good, but if all the scholars, all the poets, and all the scientists gather, they cannot describe even a thousandth of what is happening! This was told to me just an hour ago; that seeing—when a person sees up close—is something else. Go among the people; go warm up to the people, talk to them. In some places, in a town, in a village, it is appropriate to go into people's homes; in an earthquake- or flood-affected area, go into the tents of the people; go see, hear from them, and then make decisions based on these.

Therefore, being present among the people is very good, provincial trips are very good, and God willing, you will have successes.

The next point is about justice. Well, "justice" is repeated in the words of all of us. Dr. Pezeshkian also spoke about justice and the importance of justice, both in the elections and in the election campaigns, and after that, and in this session today. This is the case; I do not want to discuss the necessity of justice; this is among the clear principles of the system and the clear principles of the Islamic system and the clear principles of the revolution; the discussion is not about this. The discussion is about how to ensure justice? What are the solutions? Well, we all want justice to be realized; laws, rules, regulations, and programs are constantly being approved, stated, and implemented; what is their relationship with justice? How much can they ensure the justice that we love and constantly repeat? A few years ago, I proposed the "justice appendix"; I said that for every law you approve, for every decision you want to make—important decisions, important laws—prepare a justice appendix for it. The late Mr. Raisi made some progress in this regard; he did some work, but it remained unfinished. I want to recommend this to you: a justice appendix is necessary. A justice appendix is not an administrative arrangement or a ceremonial form; it is a real matter; that is, centers like the Planning Organization—just as an example—that prepare programs, make decisions, prepare laws, and draft government bills, they must monitor—either by themselves or by people appointed by the President—how much this law, this program affects social gaps, whether it reduces or increases them, whether it has an impact or not, whether it reduces or increases class distances; they must monitor this, and if they see that this program causes class distances to increase, they should eliminate the program or that part of the program. "Justice appendix" means this, not that we attach a paper to our law that sets certain conditions; no, it should be in the law itself; this is not easy, it is a difficult task. I have learned that a number of knowledgeable university youth have prepared software for this task, and if you want, you can refer to them and if they are acceptable to you, you can use them. In any case, the issue of justice is one that cannot be implemented with words, requests, repetition, threats, and the like. Justice requires execution, motivation, and entering the field. Fortunately, the motivation exists; I see that he has the motivation for this work. Very well, find the way; pursue how you can implement justice. It should be done in such a way that no manager or official can deviate from the path that leads to justice.

The next point: observing priorities. We have little time, little money, and a lot of work; see what the priorities are. We have two types of priorities; some are related to fundamental and infrastructural work, and some are related to urgent work. Some priorities are related to urgent issues; these must be solved in society in a suitable manner; issues like inflation, rising prices, and so on. Some issues are infrastructural; if we do not address them today, we will have to start ten years later. The doubts some have about nuclear energy stem from neglect of this issue. Ultimately, this country cannot deprive itself of this advanced scientific and technical capability; if you do not start today, you will have to start ten years later; then you will be ten years behind.

For example, I mentioned the geographical position; the government currently has plans regarding the "North-South" and "East-West" routes, and of course, the "North-South" is more important; this is very important. Our north connects to a collection of countries that lead to Europe and other places, and our south is the sea and the Indian Ocean and the vast Asian region. We are located in the middle; this is an infrastructural priority; we cannot overlook this, we must pursue it. We have such infrastructural priorities.

The issue of food security is among the important priorities. Regarding food security, the issue of self-sufficiency in wheat is very important, and the type of water usage in agriculture is very important. Some have new methods; I have heard that some have discussed this with Dr. Pezeshkian. At first, there may be some problems, it may be costly, but it is certainly promising; we must pursue these, these are infrastructural works, these are our priorities.

Similarly, the development of the oil issue is important: both in the upstream oil sectors, such as these wells and the new methods for extracting oil that are currently proposed in the world, and we are lagging behind in this regard, we must use our capabilities as much as possible and provide these methods; and in the downstream sectors, such as refineries, reaching the final product. Today, our final product in oil is, for example, gasoline or diesel, while the final product is not limited to these; there are other things that can be reached as it is said. These are priorities that must be addressed, God willing.

The next point that I have noted—which becomes the eighth point—is about cyberspace. Cyberspace is a new world; you are certainly more aware than I am; that is, cyberspace is no longer virtual; today it is a reality in people's lives that is progressing day by day. What is important is that there should be lawful governance in cyberspace; the reason I have sometimes said that cyberspace is unregulated and chaotic is because of this. Governance based on law; if you do not have a law, create a law and take control based on that law. The whole world does this; you see, this unfortunate young man was arrested by the French! This level of strictness is applied to the extent that they arrest the person and threaten them with twenty years of imprisonment; this is because they have violated governance. Violating governance is unacceptable; you have a country at your disposal for which you have responsibilities and missions; you cannot allow your governance to be violated, and they should not violate it. This is the issue of governance. On this occasion regarding cyberspace, I have expressed my views and my basis; I have said this before, some interpret it differently or understand it differently or do not want to understand it, but my point is this: cyberspace in the country must be regulated by law; then it will become an opportunity. If we can establish lawful governance in cyberspace, it will become an opportunity for the country; otherwise, it may become a threat.

On this occasion, I want to mention the issue of artificial intelligence, which I referred to once again in that inauguration session. You see, today artificial intelligence is advancing at a breathtaking pace; one becomes astonished at the speed this strange technology has gained in the world and is progressing. Now, various devices—military and non-military—are using artificial intelligence, but this should not deceive us. In the matter of artificial intelligence, being a user is not an advantage; this technology has deep layers that must be mastered; those layers are in the hands of others. If you cannot secure the deep and diverse layers of this artificial intelligence technology, tomorrow they will create a station like the Atomic Agency for artificial intelligence—which they are currently preparing for—so that if you reach that station, you must obtain permission to use artificial intelligence in a certain area; in another area, you are not allowed to use it! This is how it is; the clever and opportunistic powers of the world are pursuing these things. An artificial intelligence agency will emerge, and then they will not allow you to cross that boundary. You must reach the deep and profound technologies of this issue, and the infrastructural layers of artificial intelligence must be pursued in the country. Those responsible for these matters, God willing, will follow them. Of course, during the thirteenth government, an organization was formed called the "National Artificial Intelligence Organization," under the President; this was a good initiative, but now it has remained half-finished. If that organization continues under the President, there is great hope that, God willing, this work will proceed as I have described.

The next point is about the economy, which I do not have much to say in this regard. What various trusted experts tell us about the economic issues is that the key to the country's economic problems lies in production; the supply side. If we can advance production, the issues of inflation, employment, and the value of the national currency will be resolved. The issue of production must be taken seriously. If we want the country to progress in national production, government assistance is necessary; without government assistance, it cannot be done. The improvement of the business environment and the statements that are always made must be operationalized. A few months ago, a group of these economic entrepreneurs came to meet with us and spoke; when one listens to their words, they see that the capabilities that these entrepreneurs have are truly astonishing. They can accomplish good works; sometimes they have achieved seemingly impossible tasks; they have made profits, utilized them, and benefited the country; all of them repeat that they need government assistance; therefore, the government must assist them.

One important issue is the population issue and the issue of the country's premature aging, which is very important. Forty years ago, our population growth rate was 3.5 percent, which is very high. Well, some panicked and imposed certain regulations and restrictions. Now, that growth rate is not even 3.5 percent—I do not know the exact figure, I do not have the latest statistics—perhaps half a percent or at most something like that, and we still want to apply the same regulations! This cannot be done. Regulations must be flexible. One day, the population is increasing uncontrollably; it is good to stop it; another day, the population is stagnating or going backward, and the country is heading towards aging; here, you must immediately change the regulations according to the needs of the country. I earnestly ask Mr. Dr. Zafarghandi, the respected Minister of Health, to personally focus on this issue, to pursue this matter; that is, truly go after this issue and do not allow the barriers to reproduction and childbirth—which unfortunately are also numerous—to continue and gain complete control over them. Many of you did things in your youth that you may not be able to do today. Well, we need youth in the country. If, God forbid, the country suffers this bitter and hard fate, that is, population aging, there will be no remedy; today many countries are afflicted by this. This is the population issue.

One issue is not to be afraid of obstacles. I wanted to tell the gentlemen and ladies that there is no task without obstacles; you will not find any program that does not have obstacles in its way; there are always obstacles. Some people, when they encounter an obstacle, their first option is to retreat; this is a mistake. Try to overcome the obstacle, try to go around the obstacle. After you have done all the work, sometimes a person retreats tactically—there is no problem—but it should not be that as soon as we encounter an obstacle, we immediately turn back from our words, our opinions, our plans. Do not be afraid of obstacles; this is also our next recommendation.

Do not pin your hopes on the enemy. Now, he has also referred to this; yesterday or the day before, the respected Foreign Minister also made a reference. We should not pin our hopes on the enemy; we should not wait for the approval of enemies and those who are adversaries to our plans; this does not contradict that a person can also interact with the enemy in some places; there is no problem; but do not pin your hopes on them, do not trust the enemy.

The last point I want to make is that during this responsibility, pay as much attention as you can to your spirituality. My dear ones! We all need a heart full of faith, devotional acts, more intimacy with the Quran, and more supplication before God; we truly need all of these. What I specifically recommend is prayer with humility, prayer at the earliest time, and as much as possible, prayer in congregation; and if you can pray in your workplace with your staff, it is much better. You are a role model for a group; first for your own staff, and secondly, the people look at you; your behavior, your attire, your appearance are a model for many people; pay attention to this. There are some things you must do and be committed to that perhaps an ordinary person does not need to be committed to. I do not make this recommendation to the general public, but to you, yes; because you are a role model, because people look at you, they learn from you, your behavior shapes a collection of behaviors in the country. And ask the Almighty and supplicate that He helps you. If you can and find the opportunity to perform the recommended prayers—especially the night prayers—and if you can be an early riser, this is much better; the dawn is a very good time for solitude with the Almighty and talking to the Almighty and asking from the Almighty. You have also stepped into the realm of service, you have entered the field of service; intend for God, make a sincere intention. This may be said that "so-and-so is showing off"; this is the whisper of Satan. Some people, when one tells them, they say, "If we do this, they will say so-and-so is showing off"; well, let them say! In my opinion, one should not be a prisoner of this whisper. You make a pact with God, make a covenant, act, and God willing, the Almighty will preserve your dignity, grant you honor, elevate you, and give you prestige.

God willing, may the Almighty grant you all success. It has become a bit lengthy, but God willing, it will be beneficial, effective, and may we all work together for this country, for these people, and for Islam, God willing.

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