Statements at the Grand Gathering of Pilgrims and Residents of Imam Reza (peace be upon him)

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 among the worlds.

We express our heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty God for granting us the opportunity to once again experience the blessedness of visiting this sacred shrine and meeting the dear people of Mashhad and the pilgrims of this exalted sanctuary. We ask the Almighty God to bless this joyous occasion and the new year for the entire dear nation of Iran.

This year marks the first year of the fourth decade of the Revolution, which has been named "the decade of progress and justice." On this occasion, I would like to present some remarks regarding some of the most important issues facing our country domestically, as well as a reference to some significant international matters. We have named this decade the decade of progress and justice for the country and the Islamic Republic system; since the beginning of the Revolution, the Iranian nation has moved towards progress and justice through its great movement and the establishment of the Islamic Republic system. What characterizes the next decade that we have designated as the decade of progress and justice? In our view, the distinction of the next decade from the past three decades lies in the vast and significant preparations that have been made in our dear country for progress and justice, which allow our great and determined nation to demonstrate a leap and a significant step in this regard. The nation is ready for a rapid and great movement towards progress and justice; something that was not possible for the nation in previous decades with such breadth.

If we want to identify the main factors and elements of this readiness, I would say that several elements have a significant impact: one is the presence of our educated youth. Today, millions of energetic and educated young people are present in the fields of science, research, and social and political activities. The presence of so many knowledgeable and educated young people in our country is a very significant and noteworthy phenomenon.

Another element is experience. The elites and officials of the country have gained very valuable experiences over the past years in facing various challenges. These experiences are now at the disposal of the people. If we want to provide examples of these experiences, one of the outcomes is the implementation of the policies of Article 44 of the Constitution. Attention to these policies stems from the long-standing experiences of the past decades that have brought the country's elites to this point.

Another example is the issue of targeted subsidies, which is a result of the long-term experience of the country's elites who have reached the conclusion that the subsidies drawn from the public treasury—meaning from the pockets of the general public—should be directed more towards those segments that are in greater need; that is, the deprived classes and the lower-middle classes of society should benefit more from the public treasury than the very affluent classes who, in reality, do not need these subsidies. Reaching this truth and the firm decision to implement it is the result of a long accumulation of experience that has been built up over the years and has reached the stage of implementation.

Another element is the country's infrastructure. Today, our country is not like the first or second decade of the Revolution, which lacked the necessary scientific infrastructure. Today, our youth, specialists, and scientists can accomplish great tasks in any field they enter; thus, today in the country, the things needed for broad progress in the fields of communications, transportation, scientific research, and construction are, thanks be to God, ready. We do not need others in terms of important international roads, airport construction, wireless and wired communications, communication networks, and dam construction. There was a time when no one would dare to think that internal elements and domestic specialists could build dams, silos, highways, airports, or steel factories; in all these matters, our nation looked to foreigners. Then, when the foreigners' hands were cut off, we were poor in this regard; but today we have great capabilities in this area. Our youth build complex factories, carry out complex scientific and technological tasks, meet the needs of the country, and also assist other countries as consultants and as those who trade in science and technology. In this regard, the country has achieved a remarkable status; this progress is not insignificant. There was a time when our youth could not even throw an RPG round; today, those same youths launch satellites that attract the attention of scientists around the world.

Once, we needed specialists to utilize the power plants we had in the country; today, our youth have advanced so much in industry that they build and produce refineries, power plants, and various facilities themselves. Once, in the field of biological sciences, the country was in absolute poverty; today, we have made progress in biological sciences, including in the field of stem cells, which is very significant in the world. Today, these facilities exist in the country. All of these are infrastructures that will facilitate future advancements based on these foundations. In addition to these, as I mentioned, the experience of managers is very deep and extensive. Today, the country is before the eyes of the managers and elites, like a scene that they can plan for its progress. The visits of officials to various corners of this country, to deprived areas, to remote provinces, visiting different cities, contacting the people, seeing the situation up close, observing the problems with their own eyes, has created a tremendous and valuable experience for our officials and managers; these are the grounds for a leap so that the country can, God willing, move towards progress and justice; and this necessitates that the next decade—meaning the ten years that begin this year—be a decade of progress and justice for our country and for the Islamic Republic system; everyone must strive and work in this regard.

A brief statement regarding the concept of progress, and a brief statement regarding the concept of justice: the details of this summary should be elaborated by the officials, speakers, and those who deal with the thoughts of the people; they should both research and inform the people. What do we mean by progress? Progress is not merely in one direction. The meaning of progress is comprehensive progress. In all dimensions in the country, this nation deserves and is worthy of progress: progress in the production of national wealth, progress in knowledge and technology, progress in national power and international dignity, progress in ethics and spirituality, progress in the security of the country—both social security and moral security for the people—progress in enhancing productivity. Enhancing productivity means that we should be able to make the best use of what we have. From the existing oil, from the existing gas, from the existing factories, from the existing roads, and from what is at our disposal, we should make the most and best use of it. Also, progress in lawfulness and social discipline; if a nation falls into lawlessness, if lawbreaking dominates the minds and actions of the people, no reasonable and correct progress will be achieved for that nation and country. Progress in national unity and cohesion; something that the enemies have tried to disrupt since the beginning of the Revolution; but fortunately, our nation has preserved its unity and cohesion despite all the grounds that could have been exploited for division; we must enhance and elevate this.

Progress in public welfare; all classes should be able to enjoy welfare. Progress in political growth; political understanding, political growth, and the ability to analyze politically for a large population like our nation is like a steel barrier against the malice of the enemies; thus, we must elevate our political growth. Our people, in terms of political growth, are still ahead of many nations today; but we must also progress in this regard. Responsibility, national determination, and will; progress must be made in all these areas. Of course, words alone are not enough; actions cannot be accomplished with mere words; writing these things on paper has no effect; it requires movement and planning, which I will refer to later.

But justice. Progress that is not accompanied by justice is not the progress desired by Islam. It is not what Islam wants for us to raise the gross national product, to increase the public income of the country to a high figure, but within the country, there is discrimination, inequality, some have wealth while others live in poverty and deprivation; this is not what Islam wants; this is not the progress that Islam envisions. Justice must be established. Justice is also a very profound and broad term that its main lines must be sought and identified. In our view, justice means reducing class distances, reducing geographical distances. It should not be the case that if a center, a province, a city, or a village is far from the center, it suffers from deprivation; while those that are close benefit; this is not justice. Both class distances must be eliminated, geographical distances must be eliminated, and equality in the use of resources and opportunities must be created. All individuals in the country, those who have talent, those who have the ability, should be able to utilize the public resources of the country. It should not be the case that the favored ones are prioritized and the deceitful and fraudulent individuals advance. We must ensure that various individuals in the country can all utilize equal opportunities in front of the resources of the country. Of course, these are great aspirations, but they are attainable; they are not unattainable. If we strive and work, we can achieve them. It is hard, but it is possible.

One of the manifestations of justice is the fight against financial and economic corruption, which must be taken seriously. I have said this years ago, I have emphasized it many times, good efforts have been made and are being made; but fighting corruption is a difficult task; it is a task that one faces opposition. They create rumors, they lie, and the one who moves ahead of others in this field is the one who faces the most attacks. This fight is necessary and must be carried out. Well, those who want to carry out these great tasks, whether in the field of progress or in the field of justice, must be managers who believe in these matters; they must truly believe that justice must be established, that corruption must be fought. Committed and faithful managers who possess courage, sincerity, wisdom, and determination can certainly realize these lofty divine objectives. This is the first point I wanted to make.

A fundamental action in the field of progress and justice is the issue that I mentioned in my Nowruz message to the dear nation of Iran; and that is the issue of fighting waste, moving towards reforming consumption patterns, preventing extravagance and the squandering of public wealth; this is a very important issue. Of course, this is not the first time we have raised this matter. In this first meeting of the year, in multiple instances here, I have addressed our dear people regarding waste, regarding extravagance and the squandering of wealth, and the necessity of thrift; but this issue has not been fully addressed; this goal has not been fulfilled as it should be. It is necessary that we incorporate the issue of thrift as a policy in the fundamental lines of our planning at various levels. Our dear people should understand that thrift does not mean not consuming; thrift means consuming correctly, consuming appropriately, not wasting wealth, and making consumption effective and fruitful. Waste in wealth and in the economy means that one consumes wealth without this consumption having an effect and efficiency. Useless consumption and wasteful consumption, in fact, is the squandering of wealth. Our society must keep this matter as a constant slogan; because the state of our society in terms of consumption is not good. I say this; we must acknowledge this issue. Our habits, our traditions, the wrong methods we have learned from here and there have led us to excess in consumption in a wasteful manner. There should be a ratio in society between production and consumption; a ratio that favors production; that is, the production of society should always exceed the consumption of society. Society should utilize the existing production of the country; what is in excess should be used for the elevation of the country. Today, this is not the case in our country. Our consumption is, in proportion, greater than our production; this brings the country backward; this inflicts significant economic damages on us; society faces economic problems. In the noble verses of the Quran, there are numerous emphases on avoiding waste in economic matters; this is because of this. Waste harms the economy and also harms culture. When a society suffers from the disease of waste, it also has negative cultural impacts on it. Therefore, the issue of thrift and avoiding waste is not just an economic issue; it is also social and cultural; it threatens the future of the country.

I would like to present one or two of these shocking statistics; waste in important consumption categories in the country, including waste in bread. According to field studies conducted in Tehran and some provincial centers, it is reported that 33 percent of bread is wasted. One-third of all the bread produced in these cities is thrown away. Just think about it; one-third! At the same time, our farmer produces wheat with great effort, and if there is a year of low rainfall—like last year when wheat production in the country decreased—the government imports wheat from public funds, from the people's budget, mills it into flour, makes it into bread, and then one-third of all this wealth is thrown away. How regrettable it is! Unfortunately, this is a reality.

Regarding water, studies conducted indicate that water losses in household consumption are up to about 22 percent. Our country is not a water-rich country. We, the people of Iran, must practice maximum thrift in water. At the same time, this water, which is produced with great effort, is brought from far away, at a high cost; all this knowledge, experience, and effort is expended to bring this water to our homes; then, in our homes, 22 percent of this water is wasted! This is just household consumption; agricultural and industrial consumption has its own wastefulness. According to the statistics available to us, we consume more than twice the global average in energy—whether electricity or energy carriers; that is, oil, gas, diesel, gasoline. The consumption of these things in our country is more than twice the global average. Well, this is waste. Is it not waste?

There is an index called the energy intensity index; that is, the ratio between the energy consumed and the goods produced; the less energy consumed, the more beneficial it is for the country. In this regard, sometimes our energy intensity ratio is eight times higher than that of some advanced countries! These are the wastes that are occurring in society.

In various personal and household consumptions, individual waste occurs. Extravagance, envy, and the desires of family members—the man of the family, the woman of the family, the youth of the family—buying unnecessary things; these are instances of waste. Luxury items, cosmetics, home furnishings, decorations inside the house; these are things for which we spend money. Money that could be used for production, invested, advanced the country, helped the poor, increased the public wealth of the country, we spend on these things born of desire, envy, and imaginary prestige. They go on trips, they come back, they throw parties—sometimes the cost of that party exceeds the cost of the trip to Mecca they took!—they hold weddings, they hold mourning ceremonies; the expenses for these parties are exorbitant; various foods! Why? What is going on? In our country, there are still those who are deprived of the basics. We must help the country to advance. We do not say take the money and go spend it all on charity—of course, if one gives charity, it is the best act—but even if they do not give charity, the money spent on these luxuries could be used for production for themselves, participating in factories, and producing, which would still be beneficial for the country. Instead of doing these things, we throw parties, we hold mourning ceremonies, we constantly create new appearances for ourselves; why? What necessity is there? The wise of the world do not do this; this is not just a religious matter. The Quran says: "And do not waste, for God does not love the wasteful," "Eat and drink, but do not waste." In another noble verse: "Eat from its fruits when it ripens and give its due on the day of harvest, and do not waste, for He does not love the wasteful." God does not love the wasteful. We are servants of God. These are the words of religion, and there are numerous narrations in this regard. In a narration, it is stated that someone ate a fruit and threw away half of it. Imam (peace be upon him) admonished him that he had wasted; why did you throw it away? In our narrations, it is said to make use of the date seed. To this extent! Use the crumbs of bread. Then, they throw parties in hotels and give a feast to a group; then whatever food remains, for the excuse that it is not hygienic, they throw it in the trash! Is this suitable for an Islamic society? Can justice be achieved this way?

We must reform ourselves. We must reform the consumption pattern of society and the country. Our consumption pattern is wrong. How should we eat? What should we eat? What should we wear? We have put a mobile phone in our pockets; as soon as a newer model enters the market, we seem to throw it away and must buy the new model; why?! What kind of desire is this that we have fallen into?

Officials are obliged. Waste is not only in the personal sphere; it also occurs at the national level. The same electricity and energy that we mentioned is wasted; a significant portion of this waste is not in the hands of the people; it is in the hands of the officials of the country. These communication networks, electricity transmission networks, electrical wires, when they become worn out, electricity is wasted. We produce electricity, then waste it with this worn-out network, a significant portion of it is wasted. Or if the water transmission networks are worn out, water is wasted. These are national wastes; at the national level; the responsibility for these lies with the officials of the country. Waste also occurs at the organizational level. The heads of various organizations do not consume personally, but wasteful consumption occurs regarding their organizations; the luxuries of the office, the office decor, unnecessary trips, various furnishings; this must be prevented with care and oversight. Both at the government level and at the level of individuals, and at the organizational level, there must be a critical view of waste. As we mentioned, it cannot be resolved with words; planning must be done. The legislative and executive branches are obliged to pursue this. They must plan, legislate, and implement the law with full determination. This progress that we will have in these ten years is significantly related to this issue.

This thrift that is necessary, from production to consumption to recycling: we must conserve water; that is, we must protect our dams, reform the water supply networks, and teach efficient irrigation methods in agriculture on how to irrigate. Of course, these works have fortunately been carried out to a large extent in recent years, but this is not enough; it must be expanded. We must create the groundwork for reducing household water consumption. The idea that those who consume excessively should be taxed more, and less subsidy should be given to them, is a very reasonable idea; it is a good idea. Those who consume little should benefit from government assistance, from public assistance. Some consume so little water that if the government does not charge them for water, it would not matter. Some consume ten times, twenty times more water than they do; well, these must pay more.

In the matter of bread, good wheat production, good flour production, proper storage, good baking, and then proper consumption; all of these are necessary. This issue of waste and thrift was what I needed to address.

Another topic regarding domestic issues of the country is the upcoming elections; I will also make a reference to that issue. Of course, there is still time until the elections; if I live long enough, I will share the remarks I deem necessary with our dear people—it is not far off—but I will mention a few points: First, elections in our country are not a mere show. The foundation of our system is these elections. One of the foundations is elections. Religious democracy cannot be achieved with mere words; religious democracy is realized through the participation of the people, the presence of the people, the will of the people, and the intellectual, rational, and emotional connection of the people with the developments of the country; this is only possible with a correct and universal election and the wide participation of the people. This democracy is the factor of the stability of the Iranian nation. The fact that you have been able to withstand the threats of superpowers for thirty years, that the superpowers have not been able to inflict a fundamental blow on you other than threats, that the youth of the country show this courage and sincerity in entering various fields, is due to religious democracy; we must value this greatly. Elections are a massive investment of the Iranian nation; it is like you deposit a heavy and significant capital in a bank, the bank works with it, and you benefit from its profits; elections are something like this. The Iranian nation makes a massive investment, makes a large deposit, and reaps the benefits. Each of your votes is a share of that investment and deposit. Every vote you cast in the ballot box is like securing a part of that deposit. One vote matters. The more enthusiastic the elections are, the greater the dignity of the Iranian nation will be seen in the eyes of its opponents and enemies; they will respect the Iranian nation more; your friends in the world will also be pleased. The presence of the people in elections demonstrates the greatness of the Iranian nation; this is what elections are.

I always strive to emphasize to the people that your presence in these elections is important. This is a confirmation and strengthening of the Islamic Republic system. The issue is not just a purely political, individual, and ethical matter; it is a comprehensive issue. Elections are related to the destiny of the people; especially the presidential elections, which involve entrusting the executive power of the country to one person and a group that will govern the country for several years; this is how important elections are.

One point I would like to make to the esteemed candidates who have either announced their candidacy or will announce it later. Those who nominate themselves for elections should know that elections are a means to enhance the country's capabilities, to dignify the nation; elections are not merely a tool for seeking power. If this election is to be for the empowerment of the Iranian nation, then candidates must give importance to this and observe it in their campaigns, in their statements, and in their presence. Candidates should not behave or speak in a way during their electoral activities that would tempt the enemy. They should conduct their competitions fairly, their statements should be fair, and they should not deviate from the path of fairness. Naturally, every candidate has their own statements and refutes the statements of their opponents; this refutation and criticism in itself is not problematic; but provided that it is not unfair, that the truth is not concealed. The field is open for everyone; they should come and present themselves to the people in the elections. The choice is with the people; the people will act according to their understanding, their discernment, and their awareness, God willing.

The elections, by God's grace and with divine support, will be healthy. I see that some have already started to undermine the elections that will take place in two or three months. What kind of logic is this? What kind of thinking is this? What kind of fairness is this? All these elections have taken place over the past thirty years—about thirty elections—officials at each stage have officially committed to ensuring the integrity of the elections, and the elections have been valid; why do they unnecessarily undermine it, unsettle the people, and create doubt? Of course, these words will not create doubt in the minds of our dear people.

I also advise and emphasize to the election officials; they must certainly conduct the elections in a way that is enthusiastic; all candidates must have a fair opportunity; the people must be able to choose freely, and the elections must be conducted with integrity and trust, God willing, and they will be.

I would also like to address you dear ones and all our dear nation regarding the position of the leadership on elections; speculation and rumors have always existed and will continue to exist. I have one vote, and I will cast it in the ballot box. I will vote for one person, and I will not tell anyone else whom to vote for or not to vote for; this is the people's own judgment. Sometimes I support the government, I defend it; some try to fabricate and create a false meaning for this. No, I always defend governments; however, if a government is attacked more, and I feel that unfair attacks are being made, I defend it more. I advocate for fairness; I say we must be fair. Let us look at the actions; this has nothing to do with elections; it is a matter of fairness and unfairness. Supporting the servants in the country is a duty that I have, and everyone has; this is not related to expressing an electoral position. I welcome every good movement, every good action, every advancement, every service to the people, every concern for the deprived, every stand against oppression and global arrogance, and I thank and appreciate whoever has done this; whoever it may be, whatever government it may be; this is my duty.

Regarding the international issues of our country, I will only refer to one issue, and that is our issue with America. One of the important tests of the Revolution from the very beginning has been this issue. From the very first day the Revolution triumphed, in facing and interacting with the government of the United States of America, a field opened up as a major test for the Iranian nation. Throughout these thirty years, this important and major test has continued. The American government has faced this Revolution from the very beginning with a scowling face and a tone of opposition. Of course, they had their own calculations, and they were right. Iran before the Revolution was in the grip of America; its vital resources were in the hands of America, its political decision-making centers were in the hands of America, the appointments and dismissals of sensitive centers were in the hands of America; it was a pasture for the grazing of Americans and American military personnel and others. Well, this was taken from their hands. They could have expressed their opposition in a less hostile manner; however, from the very beginning of the Revolution, the American government—whether their Republican presidents or their Democratic presidents—has behaved poorly towards the Islamic Republic system; this is not hidden from anyone. The first action taken by the Americans was to incite the scattered opponents of the Islamic Republic and to assist separatist and terrorist movements in the country; they started this from the very beginning. In every part of the country where separatist movements had a foothold, we saw the fingerprints of the Americans; sometimes we saw their money, and even in some cases, we saw American elements there; this caused great harm to our people. Unfortunately, this action continues to this day. The same miscreants in the border areas of Iran and Pakistan, some of whom we have intercepted their communications; they are connected with American elements; that is, they communicate with them via radio, receiving orders. A terrorist miscreant connected with an American officer in a neighboring country! This unfortunately continues to this day. Their actions began from here, then the seizure and detention of Iran's assets and goods. The previous regime had given an unreasonable amount of money to the Americans to buy planes, helicopters, and weapons from them. Some of this equipment had even been prepared there. When the Revolution occurred, they did not return that equipment; they did not return those billions of dollars; and what is more astonishing is that they had collected this equipment in a warehouse, they considered themselves the custodians, and they claimed custodianship from the Algeria agreement! To seize the wealth of a nation, to keep it for themselves, not to return it, and then to claim custodianship! This behavior has been ongoing since that day and continues to this day. The assets of the Iranian nation are still there; both in America and in some European countries; we have referred to them over the years to retrieve our assets, and they have received the money; they said because it is under American license, the Americans do not allow us to return it; they have kept it. Even now, the wealth of the Iranian nation is still there.

They gave the green light to Saddam; this was another action of the American government for Saddam's attack on Iran. If Saddam had not received the green light from America, it is unlikely he would have attacked our borders. They imposed an eight-year war on our country; nearly three hundred thousand of our youth, our people were martyred in this war. Throughout these eight years—especially in the last years—Americans were always behind Saddam, helping him—financially, militarily, and politically; they provided satellite news and had news reporting capabilities. They recorded the movements of our forces on the front lines with their satellites, and then sent that information the same night to Saddam's headquarters to use against our youth and our forces.

They turned a blind eye to Saddam's atrocities. The Halabja tragedy occurred, numerous cities in our country were bombed, homes were destroyed, chemical weapons were used in the front lines, and they turned a blind eye, they did not intervene at all, they helped Saddam. This has been one of the actions of this government over the years against our nation and our country. Then, at the end of the war, an American officer shot down our passenger plane in the sky over the Persian Gulf with a missile fired from a warship. Nearly three hundred passengers were on that plane, all of whom were killed. Then, instead of reprimanding that officer, the then President of the United States rewarded that officer and gave him a medal. Can our nation forget these things? Can it forget? They supported the criminal terrorists who killed men, women, groups, and individuals in our country, assassinated great scholars and even small children, and allowed them to operate in their country; they constantly conducted hostile propaganda against our country. The American presidents over these years—especially during the eight years of the previous president who has now passed—whenever they spoke against the Iranian nation, against our country, against our officials, against the Islamic Republic system, they uttered nonsense and insulted the Iranian nation. Throughout these years, it has always been like this. They have disrupted the security of our region, the security of the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq; to confront the Islamic Republic—and of course, in reality, to fill the pockets of arms companies—they flooded the region with weapons; they provided unconditional support to the Zionist regime; a regime that you witnessed a sample of its oppression in the Gaza incident a few months ago, where they created such a catastrophe; how many children were killed, how many men and women were killed; in twenty-two days, they killed five thousand people in Gaza with bombardments, missiles, and direct fire; meanwhile, the American government supported that regime until the last moment. Whenever the Security Council sought to pass a resolution against the Zionist regime, America shielded itself, came forward, defended it, and did not allow it. On every occasion and without occasion, they threatened our country. They constantly said they would attack, they said a military plan is on our table, we will do this, we will do that. Whenever they spoke against our country, they threatened the Iranian nation. Of course, these threats did not affect our nation, but they showed their enmity in this way. They insulted the Iranian nation, the Iranian government, and the Iranian president many times. One of the Americans said a few years ago that the roots of the Iranian nation must be uprooted! In recent years, one of the American officials said that a good and moderate Iranian is one who is dead! To this great nation, to this honorable nation, to this nation whose only sin is defending its identity and independence, they have made such insults. They have sanctioned our country for thirty years, which, of course, has turned out to be beneficial for us. We must thank the Americans for this part. If they had not sanctioned us, we would not have reached the point of knowledge and progress we have today. Sanctions have always forced us to awaken, to think, to rise from within ourselves. But their intention was not this service; they wanted to be hostile. For thirty years, they have behaved this way towards the Iranian nation. Now the new American government says we are willing to negotiate with Iran, come let us forget the past. They say we have extended a hand towards Iran. Well, what kind of hand is this? If a hand is extended that has a velvet glove on it, but underneath it is an iron hand, this has no good meaning. They congratulate the Iranian nation on the holiday, but in the same congratulation, they accuse the Iranian nation of supporting terrorism, pursuing nuclear weapons, and similar things!

I do not know who the decision-maker in America is; is it the president? Is it Congress? Are there elements behind the scenes? However, I want to say that we have a logic. The Iranian nation has acted with logic from the very beginning until today. We are not emotional regarding our important issues; we do not make decisions based on emotions; we make decisions based on calculations. They say come let us negotiate, let us establish relations. They chant slogans of change; well, where is this change? What has changed? Clarify this for us; what has changed? Has your enmity with the Iranian nation changed? Where is the sign of it? Have you released the assets of the Iranian nation? Have you lifted the oppressive sanctions? Have you stopped the slander and accusations against this great nation and its popular officials? Have you abandoned your unconditional support for the Zionist regime? What has changed? They chant slogans of change, but no change is observed in practice. We have seen no change. Even the rhetoric has not changed. The new president of the United States, from the very first moment he officially took office and spoke, insulted Iran and the Islamic Republic; why? If you are telling the truth that a change has occurred, where is this change? Why is nothing observed? I say this to everyone; the American officials should know, and others should know; the Iranian nation cannot be deceived, nor can it be frightened.

First of all, a change in words is not enough—which we have not seen much change in words either—change must be real change. This should also be conveyed to the American officials; this change that you speak of is a necessity for you; you have no choice, you must change; if you do not change, divine traditions will change you; the world will change you. You must change; but this change should not be mere rhetoric, it should not be with ill intentions. At one point, they say we want to change our policy, but we do not change our goals; we change our tactics; this change is not change; this is deception. At another point, change is real change; then it must be observed in practice. I advise the American officials, to whoever is making decisions in America—whether the president, Congress, or others—this situation that the American government has had in the past is detrimental to the Iranian nation and to the American government itself. Today, you are despised in the world; if you do not know, know it. Nations burn your flag, Muslim nations in all parts of the world chant "Death to America." What is the reason for this hatred? Have you ever investigated this? Have you analyzed it? Have you learned from it? The reason is that you deal with the world in a patronizing manner, you speak arrogantly, you want to impose your will on the world, you interfere in the affairs of countries, you apply double standards in the world; in one place, you pour a flood of propaganda on a Palestinian youth who, under severe pressure, is forced to carry out a martyrdom-seeking act; but on the other hand, you ignore the crimes of the Zionist regime that created that catastrophe in Gaza in twenty-two days; you call that youth a terrorist, and you say we are committed to the security of this regime; this is what has made you despised in the world. This is my advice to you; for your own good, for your own interests, for the future of your country, abandon your arrogant tone, your patronizing methods, and your patronizing actions; do not interfere in the affairs of nations; be content with your own rights; do not define interests for yourself everywhere in the world; you will see that the face of America in the world will gradually transform from that hatred into another form. Listen to these words. My advice to the American officials—whether the president or others—is to think carefully about these words, have them translated for you—of course, do not let the Zionists translate them!—seek advice from healthy individuals, ask for opinions. As long as the American government continues its methods, actions, orientations, and policies against us, like these thirty years, we are still the same people we were thirty years ago. Our nation has become more seasoned, more resilient, stronger, and more experienced day by day.

I would like to make two or three prayers: O Lord! Do not withhold Your grace and mercy from this nation, through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. I would also like to convey to our dear nation; we have unfortunately learned that the esteemed wife and long-time companion of our late Imam has passed away today and bid farewell to this world. For the Iranian nation, this esteemed lady was a very valuable figure. She had stood alongside our dear Imam—who is the qibla of the hearts of this nation—through all the difficult tests, demonstrating patience and perseverance, accompanying the Imam; she was a distinguished lady and a personality in her own right. I extend my condolences to the Iranian nation on her passing, I express my condolences to her survivors, and we hope that divine mercy and forgiveness will encompass her. O Lord! Unite this esteemed lady with Your saints. O Lord! Place our great Imam, his dear children, and his wife beside Your saints. O Lord! Always make us grateful for our dear Imam. O Lord! Grant guidance, assistance, and Your grace to all our people, especially our dear youth. O Lord! Send down Your merciful rain upon this entire country, upon our thirsty lands, our crops, and our people.

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