Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the Seventeenth Anniversary of the Passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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 of God among the people of the earth.

God, the Wise, says in His Book: "In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Have you not seen how God has struck a parable? A good word is like a good tree, whose root is firm and whose branches are in the sky. It yields its fruit at all times by permission of its Lord. And God strikes examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded."

Seventeen years have passed since the sunset of this radiant sun from our sight; seventeen years since that sorrowful night and day that plunged the Iranian nation into mourning. Our dear Imam disappeared from our eyes; his body left our midst; however, the essence of the Imam, the thought of the Imam, the spirit of the Imam, the lessons of the Imam, and the school of the Imam remain among our nation and within the Islamic Ummah. This good tree, as recited in this noble verse, has spread its branches and leaves throughout the life of the Islamic Ummah; it has become more rooted day by day; it has become stronger day by day. This good word and good tree of the "Islamic Republic" is that which has yielded the awakening in the Islamic world and the glory, greatness, and progress in our country and among our people. Our nation has harvested sweet fruits from this good tree, which are vital for a nation.

The first point is that we were an unknown nation, following the policies of foreign powers; a passive nation in the face of the decisions of influential governments; one day America, before that England, one day Russia; but this good tree has transformed us into one of the most influential nations in the world and the most influential country and nation in this region. This is the confession of our enemies. We were a nation that had lost its identity, unfamiliar with our internal forces, and had become captivated by the glitter of foreigners; but this good tree has turned us into a nation of initiative, self-confidence, and new and fresh ideas in various fields. The sweet fruits of this good tree today are thousands of researchers, scholars, thinkers, and effective hands in various fields and arenas; whether in the humanities, in experimental sciences, in social issues, in politics, or in religion. Today we are a country with a predominantly young population, motivated, faithful, and possessing all the conditions for progress.

The fruits of this good tree are also observable everywhere in the Islamic world; Muslims around the world have awakened and regained their Islamic identity; they feel dignity in their Islam. In Islamic countries, the youth, academics, intellectuals, and elites are captivated by Islamic goals and value them; they strive for them. In the Islamic world, nations have regained their true identity and national and Islamic identity through the blessings of this good tree, and despite being under the grip of the superpowers for many years, they have felt empowered. Today, Palestine is one example, Iraq is another, North Africa has multiple examples, and Lebanon is one example. The ideals of Islam and independence are among these nations, and they strive with hope and motivation. These are the fruits of the same good tree that this great man, this righteous servant, was able to plant with his uprising and unique characteristics.

The second point is that the main factor behind the progress of our dear Imam and his success was that he believed wholeheartedly in a Quranic principle, a Quranic truth, and worked with all his strength towards it. That Quranic principle is what is mentioned in this noble verse: "If you support God, He will support you and make your feet firm" and in many other verses that emphasize this: If you support God, He will support you; if you take a step in the way of God, the Almighty will take you dozens and hundreds of steps forward. This is a Quranic principle and a divine truth; a divine law. Supporting God means supporting His religion. The religion of God is not just about purity and impurity; it is not merely about outward religious acts; the religion of God means the program for human happiness in this world and the Hereafter. This program, as it guarantees the spiritual growth and elevation of human societies, also guarantees the awakening of intellectual potentials and the development of their personalities and capabilities. The religion of God, while considering spirituality, also considers human worldly life and has a program for human happiness. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) defines the purpose of the Prophet's mission in Nahj al-Balagha as: "To awaken the treasures of intellect within the people"; to extract and actualize the treasures of wisdom within people. In the Ziyarat Arba'in of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), we also read: "To rescue His servants from ignorance and the bewilderment of misguidance"; the uprising of Husayn is to remove the clouds of ignorance and negligence from the horizon of human life and to guide them to true guidance. The support of the Almighty God essentially means that we take steps towards reviving divine traditions; we make an impact in nature and society; we awaken the innate dispositions; we strive for the salvation of humanity from the factors of misfortune and adversity. This is our support for the religion of God. The Imam employed this Quranic truth for the salvation and liberation of his country and nation; he supported God; he rose and acted. The Almighty God supported him and blessed his movement; for one of his steps, He responded with a hundred steps. The support we provide for the religion of God, if we want to measure it against the support that God provides, is more than a ratio of one to a hundred or one to a thousand. We take one step; however, when the Almighty God includes His support for us, He truly moves us forward by hundreds and thousands of steps. Therefore, the distance between our support and God's support is very great.

To save a country, millions of factors and actions are necessary: natural factors, human factors, international factors, political and economic factors. All these factors must come into play for a nation to create a transformation in its life. These factors are not in our hands and do not have a direct connection with our will; however, when we act "for the sake of God," the Almighty God creates thousands and millions of movements and actions in the social life space with one of our movements, and transformation occurs; just like in nature. You plant a small sapling in the soil - that is all you can do. This is a small task - but this sapling, through millions of actions and interactions in the soil and in the plant's structure, in the atmosphere, transforms into a large tree; it branches out; it bears fruit and changes hundreds and thousands of times compared to its initial state. Your work is nothing compared to all those actions and interactions; however, if you do not perform that small task of planting this sapling in the ground, all those actions and interactions will not take place. The Imam acted "for the sake of God" and entered the field with all his being. With his voice, with his efforts, with his acceptance of hardships, he brought the nation to action. With this movement and this resolute determination, the Almighty God arranged millions of factors and actions to follow this movement, and what happened was akin to a miracle; that is, the establishment of a system based on Islam in a sensitive point; because of this movement of the Imam, which, of course, is the target of enmity and hatred from all the owners of power and wealth throughout the world; but contrary to their views, this truth came to fruition.

The third point is that there is a remarkable reality in our revolution that gives it an exceptional state, and that is that in the laws of social sciences regarding revolutions, it is said that revolutions, just as they have an ascent, a peak, also have a descent; like a stone that you throw; as long as the power of your arm is behind this stone, it moves against the force of gravity; but when this power becomes less than the force of gravity, this stone returns towards the natural pull of the earth. Those laws say that as long as there is revolutionary enthusiasm and motivation among the people, revolutions move forward, they ascend, and then gradually this enthusiasm and excitement and this factor of movement diminishes and in some cases turns against itself; revolutions fall and return down. The great revolutions of the world that we recognize in the last two hundred years all conform to this analysis; however, the Islamic Revolution is completely exempt from this sociological analysis. In the Islamic Revolution, the antidote to the descent of the revolution has been embedded within this revolution itself. We have repeatedly stated that the embodiment of the revolution is in the "Islamic Republic" and in the "Constitution of the Islamic Republic." The authors of the Constitution, who learned from the Imam and the school of the Imam, have embedded the continuity factor of the revolution within this law: adherence to Islamic regulations and legitimizing the law, provided that it is in accordance with Islam; and the issue of leadership.

A few years ago, in comparing the Islamic Republic system with the former Soviet system - which the Americans and the West were able to dismantle and were coveting to do the same with the Islamic Revolution - I said that the differences between these two systems are differences that cannot be condemned by a law. In the Islamic Republic system, the basis of movement is adherence to the foundations. What is considered the basis of legitimacy of this system, that is, divine authority which is transferred to the jurist, is conditional upon adherence to divine commandments. The one who sits in the position of leadership, if he becomes indifferent to Islamic ideals, to Islamic laws in theory or practice, loses legitimacy, and obedience to him is no longer obligatory, rather it is impermissible. This is recorded in the Constitution itself, that is, in the original document of the revolution. Therefore, if you look today at the waves of enmity and hostility of the enemies of the Islamic Revolution, you will see that the most important target of their enmity is with these two or three principles that relate to this guaranteeing and preserving factor of the revolution. Hence, this revolution is not one that can be defeated; this revolution is not one that can descend; this revolution does not stop its course and movement; because our society is a believing and religious society, and Islamic faith and belief penetrate the depths of the hearts of the people, from all strata; the people truly believe in religion. Therefore, what is among the religious values is valid for the people, and safeguarding what is stated in the law is considered a duty by the people. Now you observe that sixteen years after the passing of the Imam and twenty-six years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a government comes to power whose main slogan is adherence to the ideals of Islam and the revolution and justice, and the people’s votes, hearts, and desires are aligned with this.

Although the enemies, opponents, and international haters of this nation and this revolution and the Islamic Republic think differently about this nation; however, we know our people, and this people clearly show their true selves, their hearts, and their direction, which is the deeply Islamic direction, in their choices and in their movements and slogans.

The fourth point is that the capital that the Imam has stored for our country and nation is a historical and vital capital. This valuable capital and reserve is our political independence; our national self-confidence; our cultural self-confidence; the deep faith of our people; the courage of the nation and its officials in the face of enemy threats and not being deceived by their praises and temptations; these are the lessons that our dear Imam taught our nation over ten years with his warm breath, with his method, with his conduct, and the atmosphere of our country is filled with this valuable lesson. We must not destroy this reserve; we must not sell this reserve; we must not leave this valuable reserve and capital stagnant, nor should we use it for our daily political consumption; rather, we must preserve this reserve with utmost care and vigilance and build the future of our country and our history from the profit of this valuable reserve and capital.

My dear ones! Our country is on the path of growth and progress and has emerged from the state of drowsiness and lethargy that had been imposed on it for decades, with our great revolution and our Islamic Republic. We have both abundant natural resources and very valuable human resources in our country.

Today, any scientific and research movement that wants to take place in various sciences in this country can find dozens, hundreds, thousands of ready minds to engage in this work. Today, in the very issue of nuclear technology - which is the current issue of our nation and the world - although we had no prior experience and borrowed nothing from others, we have managed to gather hundreds of faithful, thoughtful, and effective young people, with active minds and skilled hands, to carry this heavy burden for our nation and advance it. And it is the same in all sectors. Natural resources and human resources are abundant in our country. Previous governments have provided many grounds; today, thanks be to God, a government of work, effort, and struggle is in power and must make maximum use of the previously prepared grounds; previous deficiencies must be compensated, and the maximum benefit must be taken from the coordination and solidarity of this great and appreciative nation, so that our country, which is on the path of growth and progress, can continue to advance and overcome various obstacles and bring itself closer to the peak of life - which is the right of the Iranian nation. However, what is necessary for the construction of our future is:

First, strengthening religious faith, which is the main pillar of work. Without religious faith - which is deeply rooted in this nation - no work will progress, and after this, no work will progress. Religious faith must be strengthened.

Second, justice, which is the greatest need of humanity. Justice must be raised as a flag in the hands of the officials of the three branches and the officials of the country, and they must pursue justice.

Third, science, which is the source of national power, must be taken seriously and pursued by all. A country whose people are deprived of knowledge will never attain its rights. Knowledge cannot be begged from others. Knowledge is innate; it is born from within. The talents of a nation must be activated for a nation to become truly knowledgeable.

Fourth - in addition to these - what provides the ground and context for employing faith, justice, and science is national unity and tranquility at the national level. If there is no tranquility in the country, neither can knowledge be utilized, nor faith, nor can justice be established in society.

Today, the enemies of this nation offer the greatest reward to anyone who can destabilize these foundations and fight against the faith of the people; faith in God, faith in the people, faith in the path, and faith in the certain success of the final outcome. The Imam possessed these four faiths: faith in God, faith in the people, faith in this path, and faith in the certain success of the final outcome. These faiths compel the people to move, to think, to advance. Those who weaken faith in God, faith in the people, faith in this path, and faith in success among the people are working for the enemy. The enemy offers the greatest reward to these individuals. Likewise, those who oppose the scientific movement of the country; those who want to distance universities, research centers, and scientific institutions from knowledge and research are working for the enemy. The enemy is willing to offer the greatest reward to these individuals. Those who work against the security of the nation, disrupt national unity, and under the guise of supporting ethnicities want to undermine Iranian unity - these ethnicities are all Iranians; they are all loyal to Iran and all consider themselves Iranian and take pride in it - are working for the enemy.

It is the duty of the responsible institutions to correctly identify the enemies of the nation; to recognize the agents of the enemy among the people; to understand the orientations of the enemies and defend the rights of the nation; to defend the security of the nation; to defend scholarly pursuits and scientific progress in the country; this is the duty of the responsible institutions.

The last point: This good tree that the great Imam planted and that the Almighty God blessed and spread its branches in this way must be preserved by all; both the officials, and all the people, and the political elites, and the scientific elites, and the clergy, and the university scholars, and the workers, and all other strata. This is the duty of everyone; everyone must consider the revolution and the country as their own; everyone must consider the Islamic Republic as their own; everyone is part of the Islamic Republic community. We consider those who work for the enemy as strangers; we see them as outside this circle. Whoever accepts the Imam, the path of the Imam, and the will of the Imam is "one of us"; whoever considers the independence of Iran important and adheres to it is "one of us"; whoever pursues the dignity of this nation and the scientific progress of this nation is "one of us". Strangers are those who yearn for American domination; they are those who, at home, work for the lurking thief and act in his favor. A stranger is one who is the mouthpiece for the thoughts and goals of the enemies of this nation. Whoever speaks the words of the nation, whoever speaks on behalf of this nation, whoever opposes the enemies of this nation, whoever takes steps in the interests of this nation in any field is among the soldiers of the Islamic Republic. Those who deliberately break unity in word and action and act in accordance with the wishes of the enemy are arraying themselves against the Islamic Republic. Of course, "the ones of us" must be vigilant; they must not be negligent. Sometimes it is seen that some of "the ones of us", out of negligence and ignorance - sometimes even rarely, some dishonorably - do the work of strangers! These individuals must be alert.

This nation has moved; this nation has risen; this nation has advanced a significant part of this path; this nation has shown its power to its enemies; this nation is the same nation that for twenty-seven years, all the apparatus of global arrogance have banded against it, have decided, have sworn, and have not been able to defeat it and bring it to its knees.

This nation deserves that one strives for it; that one works; that one makes an effort. This country has the potential for glory and greatness; this country can reach its historical position, which is to spread its light to the entire world. We have moved on this path, and this nation has traversed difficult paths and can still complete this journey with effort. A few sentences about the propaganda of the enemies:

These propaganda games against the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic system in the world, mainly by the Americans and the Zionist media and the news empire affiliated with Zionism, emphasize a few points and constantly repeat their nonsense, hoping to perhaps stir the world’s atmosphere against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. Those few points: First, there is a global consensus against Iran! Second, Iran is a global threat! Third, Iran is seeking to build a bomb and nuclear weapons! Fourth, Iran is a violator of human rights! All the enemy's propaganda movement relies on these few sentences and repeats them in various languages, with various tricks, around the world. Of course, the truth is clear to our nation and to many of the world’s wise people; however, I will briefly state a sentence:

There is no global consensus against Iran. This is a lie of the Americans and a few of America’s allies in the world. In the brave movement of nuclear technology in Iran, one hundred and sixteen non-aligned countries supported Iran; the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has supported Iran; independent governments all support Iran. Those who, under pressure from America and out of obligation, sometimes act as intermediaries to repeat their words to us, quietly tell us that the Americans have asked us to say this; our own view is not this! Countries of the world, countries that want to secure their own future, all oppose the monopoly of nuclear technology in a few countries of the world. That no country has the right to access nuclear technology means that for the next twenty years, all various countries must extend their hands in begging to a few Western and European countries for energy to manage their lives. Who, which country, which honest official of a country would accept this?! Today, our nation has taken the lead in this path and stands bravely in this way. The nations of the world have no motivation against this action to form a consensus; the consensus among a few political monopolists has no value. The nations and countries of the world, all in word and heart, support the Iranian nation and the movement of the Islamic Republic in this path and appreciate it.

The American and Zionist propagandists say Iran is a global threat! Iran is not a threat to any country; everyone knows that the reality regarding Iran is this. We have not threatened any neighbor; we have friendly and brotherly relations with all the countries of this region. Our relations with European countries are healthy and good, and in the future, as gas plays a greater role in energy supply, these relations with Europe will improve even more; because they need our gas. Our relations with the Arab world are friendly and good, and our most important issue in the Arab community is Palestine. In this matter, we express what is in their hearts and state it clearly. We have a very clear and transparent position regarding Palestine, which the Arab nations love with all their being, and they feel dignity in our expression of it. All the officials of the Arab countries also desire the same; although due to some necessities, they may not be able to express it as clearly as we do. Our relations with various countries in this region and Asia and other parts of the world are friendly relations. They recognize Iran's rights, Iran's role, and Iran's influence and value it. Our relations with Russia are also good. The Russians know well what would happen to them if a pro-American government were in power in Iran. We have common interests with them; in Central Asia, in the Middle East, and in this region, we have common interests. We have no problems with the world. We are not a threat to the world, and everyone knows this. The Americans, with their propaganda games, want to confuse the public opinion of the world. Of course, they have not succeeded, and they will not succeed.

Their next claim is that Iran is pursuing a nuclear bomb! This is an irrelevant, false, and outright lie. We do not need a nuclear bomb. We have no target or goal where we could use a nuclear bomb. We consider the use of nuclear weapons to be against Islamic rulings; we have stated this explicitly. We consider the imposition of the costs of building and maintaining a nuclear weapon on our nation to be an unjust and unnecessary burden. Building such a weapon and maintaining it incurs high costs, and we do not see it permissible to impose this cost on the people; we have no need for it. We do not claim to dominate the world, like the Americans, that we need a nuclear bomb; our nuclear bomb and explosive power is our faith; and our youth and people stand with full power and all their faith in the most difficult fields and will continue to stand. Behind this false propaganda and the fabric of these lies are the political and propaganda apparatuses of the Americans, and the Zionists also assist them and stand alongside them. What exists is related to them. I want to say a few things to the American officials, to this team and group that today holds the administration of America and claims to lead the world. I wish they would listen; I wish they would think; I wish they would understand! I say to them:

Compare yourselves with our government; compare your president with our president. Your government today is the most despised government in history within America; this has been announced to the whole world in their own polls. Today, the government in America is the most despised of all governments in the history of the United States, according to the people of America. You compare this with our government, which today is one of the most popular governments since the Constitutional Revolution until now; throughout this hundred years.

Your president - Mr. Bush - wherever he goes in the world, he faces protests from the people and hatred from the people; this is the case in Europe, this is the case in Asia, this is the case in Africa. In Latin America, governments come to power with the slogan of opposition to America. Today, look: in Peru, in Ecuador, in Venezuela, in many Latin American countries, presidential candidates who give anti-American slogans are elected by the people. Is there a greater level of being despised than this?! The people of America do not have security in their ordinary telephone conversations; that is, they do not trust their own people enough to allow them to make phone calls freely; they have legally enacted laws to control phone calls! - they control the calls. This is your situation.

You compare your situation with our situation inside the country; compare it with the travels of our officials; compare it with the trip of our president to Indonesia and with the trips of our previous presidents to Lebanon, Sudan, Pakistan, and other places and see what enthusiasm the people in these countries show towards the Islamic Republic of Iran's presidents. Why do you not understand these things?! Why do you not admit? You have spent three hundred billion dollars in Iraq, by your own admission, to bring a government to power that is subservient and obedient to your orders - the Iraqi nation has opposed them - and you have not been able to do it. (This three hundred billion is their own admission; but they have probably spent more than this.) In Palestine, you have exerted all your efforts to prevent the Hamas government from coming to power; you have not succeeded. The Palestinian people, despite you, elected the Hamas government. You exerted various pressures from around to the Palestinian government; but the Palestinian people have increased their solidarity with this government out of spite against you. In Lebanon, high-ranking officials of the U.S. State Department went to Beirut and stayed there for months, hoping to take Lebanon into their grasp and weaken the resistance in Lebanon and create a Lebanon that follows Israel; they could not do it. The people of Lebanon opposed you. It is the same everywhere else. Why does Mr. Bush not admit that he has made America and the American people despised in the world with his behavior; why do you not admit that you have become weak? Why do you not admit that your sword has become dull in the world? Yet you continue to threaten.

Compare the message of our president to the message of the American president; compare it with the impolite and silly message of the Americans - this message was published in the world a few days ago - which is out of diplomatic norms and filled with arrogant foolishness, full of threats and empty words. If you could harm the Islamic Republic, you would not waste a minute in these twenty-seven years. The former U.S. Secretary of State explicitly said I must uproot the Iranian nation; he is now in his grave; but the Iranian nation has grown day by day.

You speak of human rights! You speak of opposing terrorism! A government that has Guantanamo prison and Abu Ghraib prison and crimes such as the Haditha massacre and the recent Kabul massacre, has no right to speak about human rights.

To threaten Iran, you say we can do something to ensure energy movement in this region; you are mistaken. If you make a mistake regarding Iran, the energy movement in this region will definitely be in serious jeopardy; know this. And you will never be able to ensure energy security in this region.

We are not the initiators of war; we have no conflict with any government; we have a lofty ideal that we want to devote all our power to achieve, which is to build an Iran that ensures the material and spiritual happiness of this nation and can serve as a model for other nations. (Other nations know this; they strive for it themselves.) We want to utilize this great country and these vast human and natural resources - which the Almighty God has entrusted to this nation and its officials - in the right way, to lift this nation from the humiliation it has endured for several hundred years. This nation feels dignity; it feels power; it has the right to do so; this nation has dignity; it has power; but they have kept us back; both the apparatuses of tyranny and corrupt dictatorial governments and their wicked and malicious foreign supporters. Today, our nation is a nation of freedom. We want to walk this path with strength, with open eyes, with national solidarity, and we have no business with anyone; we are not a threat to anyone; but we are committed to our ideals; we are committed to our national interests, and whoever threatens our interests will see the sharpness of this nation's wrath.

O Lord! Make what we have said, what we have heard, for You and in Your way; accept it from us; keep us steadfast in Your path; make us among Your worthy and righteous servants; purify our intentions and hearts; grant our dear Imam a high rank among Your saints and righteous servants; unite our dear martyrs with the martyrs of early Islam; relieve the Muslim nations from hardships, misfortunes, and humiliation; support the Iranian nation on the blessed path it has taken, day by day; make the heart of the holy Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us; grant success and support to the officials who serve the people; crush the enemies of this nation; return their evil upon themselves.

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