Statements on the 27th Anniversary of Imam Khomeini's Passing

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 people of the earth.

It is a very great and magnificent gathering that has been formed here to honor the memory of our dear Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); similar gatherings have been held in many other regions of the country in remembrance of the Imam and out of love for the great Imam.

These are the final days of the blessed month of Sha'ban. It is highly likely that the great Imam derived abundant spiritual benefits from this month. Evidence suggests that his luminous heart was further illuminated by the blessings of this month. The famous phrase from the Sha'ban supplication: "O God, grant me the perfection of severance to You and illuminate the eyes of our hearts with the light of Your gaze upon us," was one of the phrases that the Imam frequently recited in his statements; he would often read this phrase from the supplication during various speeches. This indicates that this great man had a deep connection with this supplication, its themes, and these blessed days. I once asked him about prayers, and one of the prayers he emphasized and preferred was this Sha'ban supplication. There are significant phrases in this supplication, including: "O God, grant me a heart that draws near to You with its longing, a tongue that speaks the truth to You, and a gaze that brings me closer to You with its rightfulness;" a heart full of longing that approaches the divine presence; a truthful tongue whose sincerity brings one closer to the Lord; a gaze that enables one to draw nearer to the Almighty God. These qualities have been requested from the Almighty in this noble supplication and in this invocation; they serve as lessons for us. The great Imam was someone who was familiar with these lessons throughout his life, and by virtue of this familiarity and closeness to the ranks of truth and proximity to the Lord, the Almighty granted him the power to carry out this great and lasting movement.

We want to speak about the great Imam. One of the titles and descriptions that has been less frequently used regarding our great Imam is a comprehensive title that I express as: a devout revolutionary believer. We always describe the Imam with various attributes, but this attribute - which we have used less to describe the Imam - is a comprehensive one; he is a believer, a devout person, and a revolutionary.

Believer: meaning he believes in God, believes in the goal, believes in the path that leads him to this goal, and believes in the people. He believes in God and believes in the believers; regarding the Noble Messenger, this expression has also appeared in the Quran: a believer in God, a believer in the goal, a believer in the path, and a believer in the people.

He is a servant, a devout person; meaning he considers himself a servant before the Lord; this is also a very important attribute. You observe that the Almighty God has praised the Noble Prophet in the Quran with various attributes: "And indeed, you are of a great moral character," and "So by mercy from God, you were lenient with them;" and various other attributes that each express a multitude of the Prophet's characteristics; but the attribute that we Muslims have been commanded to repeat every day in our prayers regarding the Prophet is: "I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger;" this indicates the importance of servitude; being a servant is so prominent that the Almighty God teaches this attribute to Muslims to repeat several times in their prayers; the Imam possessed this attribute, the attribute of servitude; he was humble, devoted, and prayerful; a devout believer.

However, the third attribute, that is, a devout revolutionary believer; this is the point I wish to emphasize and speak about. The Imam was the Imam of the revolution.

Revolution is a word, and within it lies countless truths; the Imam of the revolution means the leader of all these characteristics that the word revolution encompasses. The material powers that were always angry and furious with the Imam, and of course feared the great Imam, were primarily due to this attribute: the revolutionary nature of the Imam; they were hostile to him because of this characteristic. Today, the enemies of the Iranian nation harbor animosity and enmity towards his revolutionary nature. Essentially, material powers are terrified of the word revolution; they fear the phrase "Islamic Revolution," they are frightened, they tremble. The pressures they exert are due to revolutionary nature; I will explain what concepts, meanings, and policies are encompassed by revolutionary nature; they have the right to be afraid. The pressures, of course, come under various pretexts; sometimes under the pretext of nuclear issues, sometimes under the pretext of human rights, and similar excuses, but the truth of the matter is that the enemies of the Iranian nation and the enemies of Islamic Iran are concerned about the revolutionary nature.

Recently, a few months ago, an American politician said: Iran is under sanctions because of the Islamic Revolution; the essence of the sanctions relates to the 1979 Revolution - that is, the Revolution of 57! This is a fact.

What is the reason? Why are they opposed to the revolution? The reason is that this large and vast country, this blessed and wealthy country - which has both natural wealth and human wealth - was entirely under their control, in the hands of America; the revolution came and expelled them from this country; enmity towards the revolution is due to this; the revolution drove them away. In addition, it became an inspiration for others. The Islamic Revolution of Iran, which was brought about by the people of this country and continued, became an inspiration for other nations; this is a topic that deserves extensive discussion and has numerous reasons.

Our revolutionary Imam pulled the country out of the quagmires; through the revolution, he extricated the country from multiple quagmires. Our dear youth who did not experience the pre-revolution era, who have not felt it, must pay close attention and realize that this is the issue, this is the fundamental matter. If a nation does not recognize its fundamental issue, it becomes misguided. The issue is that the Islamic Revolution came and saved this country from the quagmires; from the quagmire of dependency, from the quagmire of backwardness, from the quagmire of political corruption, from the quagmire of moral corruption, from the quagmire of international humiliation. We were caught in these things; we were both dependent and humiliated, and we were backward and held back; in science, in economy, in technology, in international presence, in everything we were held back. Instead of all this, we had American and British overlords. In those days, we exported four times more oil than today; the population of the country was less than half of today, yet most parts of this country were deprived of the public services that governments are responsible for; the country was struggling in poverty and backwardness; it was grappling with moral corruption. In all the infrastructures of the country - roads, water, electricity, gas, schools, universities, urban services - the country was afflicted, suffering from backwardness and poverty; the natural wealth of the country was handed over to foreigners, and the ruling apparatus benefited while keeping the people silent either through deception or through force and intimidation; however, the hearts of the people were full, they saw the realities; and the result was the following of that divine and heavenly cry of the great Imam that initiated the revolution.

Our great Imam changed the course and a great transformation took place; [the Imam] changed the path of the Iranian nation, altered the rails; he directed us towards great goals. These goals, which the revolution and the Imam of the revolution directed us towards, are extraordinarily significant. These goals can be summarized in the governance of God's religion. The governance of God's religion means true social justice, it means the eradication of poverty, it means the eradication of ignorance, it means the eradication of oppression; the governance of God's religion means establishing a system of Islamic values, it means eradicating social harms, it means ensuring physical, moral, and spiritual health and scientific advancement of the country, it means ensuring national dignity and Iranian identity and ensuring international power, it means activating the capacities that God has placed in this land; all of these are encompassed in the governance of God's religion, and the Imam directed us towards this; precisely the opposite of the path that the tyrannical regime was leading us towards.

Well, these goals that the train of the Islamic society moved towards, thanks to the revolution, are goals that are out of reach, they take time, they require effort, but access to all of these is possible on one condition; that condition is that the train continues on this track; on the track of the revolution. The Imam showed us the way, he showed us the criteria and indicators, he specified the goals for us, and he himself initiated the movement. To this day, thanks to the movement in the direction of the revolution, we have achieved many accomplishments, but we are still very far from those goals. We can reach those goals, provided that this train moves on this track; on the track that the Imam set in motion for the Islamic society. After the passing of the Imam, wherever we acted revolutionarily, we progressed, and wherever we neglected revolutionary action and jihadist movement, we fell behind and failed; this is a reality. I have been responsible during these years; if there is any fault in this matter, it pertains to this humble one as well; wherever we were revolutionary, we moved jihadistically, we progressed on that track; wherever we fell short and neglected, we fell behind. We can reach, provided that we move revolutionarily and advance revolutionarily.

The audience of this speech is today's generation, tomorrow's generation, and generations to come; the audience of this speech is all of us; the officials are the audience; political activists, cultural activists, social activists, all are the audience of this speech; the youth, university students, seminary students, craftsmen, villagers, urban dwellers, all are the audience of this speech; everyone must know that this path can be traversed with a revolutionary approach, and then progress is certain; and one can move in another way, and then the fate will be one of regret. The Imam had a common expression, he often said: "Islam will be slapped." If we change the path, the Iranian nation will be slapped, Islam will also be slapped. There is more to say; there are many words to be said in this regard.

Please pay attention that I take this opportunity to tell you and the Iranian nation that my dear ones! The revolution is the unique and exceptional asset of our nation and our country. We have paid a price to achieve the revolution; heavy costs have been incurred, but there are hundreds of times more benefits than those costs; this is a profitable trade for the nation. Yes, the eight years of war were a cost, the uprisings were a cost, the sanctions were a cost - all of these are the costs of the revolution - but there are hundreds of times more profits in this path; costs and benefits have always been accompanied by each other; we have incurred costs and we have also gained profits. In the war, our youth went and became martyrs, but the nation and the youth of the country achieved great accomplishments from that costly war. From the beginning, these costs and benefits have been together, but as we progressed, the costs became lighter and more bearable, while the benefits became larger and greater. Today is a day when we can, the Iranian nation can, without incurring significant costs, gain great benefits from the revolution; today this capability exists. The revolution has taken root, the tree of the Islamic system has become solid, many truths have become clear, and solutions have emerged; today the situation for the Iranian nation is clearer and the ground is more prepared and the path is more open than in the past; there are costs, there are still costs, but the costs are lighter and more manageable and more avoidable than in the past.

This is an important point: this revolution did not come about through a coup, it did not come about through a military movement; like some revolutions where a group of military officers overthrew one government and placed another in its place; no, this revolution was brought about by the people; it came into being through the determination of the people, through the revolutionary force of the people, through the faith of the people; it defended itself with this very force, it remained and took root with this very force. It was the people who were not afraid; it was the dear people of Iran who stood firm and became the embodiment of this noble verse: "Those who were told by the people: 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.' But it increased them in faith, and they said: 'Sufficient for us is God, and He is the best disposer of affairs.'" We were constantly threatened, we were constantly told that we would be attacked, we were constantly told that we would be sanctioned; the people were not afraid of military threats, nor were they paralyzed by sanctions; they were brave, dignified, and continued the movement; and it must remain so from now on. Our people, our various classes, our youth, our clergy, our craftsmen, our university students, our researchers, our officials, our government officials, our parliamentarians must remain revolutionary and move revolutionarily - I will present the indicators - and everyone must be revolutionary so that we can successfully continue this path.

It is a mistake to think that a revolutionary is only someone who was present during the time of the Imam, or who was alongside the Imam during the struggles; no, some seem to think that revolutionaries are those who were present during the time of the Imam or during the struggles or during the government of the great Imam; no, if we take the meaning of revolutionary in this way, we will only have a few of us as revolutionaries. The revolution belongs to everyone; the youth are revolutionary and can be revolutionary, with the criteria and indicators that I will present. A young person today can be more revolutionary than someone with a long history in the revolution, just as we saw during the Sacred Defense when there were those who took their lives in their hands and went to the front lines to carry out the Imam's command, sacrificing their lives; they are the true revolutionaries, the complete revolutionaries; those who are ready for sacrifice; thus, we should not confine the concept of revolutionary to a few who were present during the struggles with the Imam or knew the Imam or were alongside him; no, the revolution is a flowing river, and all those who throughout history have made efforts with these distinctions are revolutionaries, even if they have not seen the Imam; like most of you young people.

It is also a mistake to think that if we say someone is revolutionary, it means that person is extremist; or when we want to refer to revolutionaries, we use the term extremist; no, this is a mistake. Revolutionary action does not mean being extremist. These dichotomies that are the gifts of foreigners and the words of the enemies of Iran should not find a place in our political culture; they divide people into hardliners and moderates. We do not have a discussion of hardliners and moderates. They label revolutionaries as hardliners and non-revolutionaries as moderates! This is a foreign dichotomy; they repeat these in their radios, in their propaganda, in their statements; we should not repeat this. A revolutionary is a revolutionary.

It is also a mistake to expect a uniform type of revolutionary action from all those who are revolutionary; or to expect a certain degree of revolutionary action; no. As we say in our theological circles, revolutionary action is a matter of gradation. One person may act better regarding the concepts of revolution and revolutionary action, while another may not act as well, but is still moving in that direction. That we accuse anyone who does not act well or does not act completely of being non-revolutionary or anti-revolutionary is also a mistake; no, it is possible that one person's degree of movement is valuable, another's less so, and another's even less, but all are moving in this direction. What matters is that the indicators match. What matters is that the one who does not move with that intensity and seriousness also possesses the indicators of revolutionary action. If these indicators exist, then that person is revolutionary, that individual is revolutionary, that organization is revolutionary, that government is revolutionary; the main thing is to recognize the indicators.

There are indicators for being revolutionary. I will mention five indicators here. Of course, more characteristics can be mentioned, but for now I will mention five indicators of revolutionary action that we must strive to cultivate and maintain within ourselves, wherever we are; one in the field of art, one in the field of industry, one in political activity, one in scientific activity, one in economic and commercial activity; it does not matter; these indicators can exist in all of our Iranian people. The five indicators are: the first indicator is adherence to the fundamental and essential principles and values of the revolution; the second indicator is targeting the ideals of the revolution and having high aspirations to achieve them, which means we should consider the ideals and high goals of the revolution and have the determination to reach them; the third indicator is adherence to the comprehensive independence of the country, political independence, economic independence, cultural independence - which is the most important - and security independence; the fourth indicator is sensitivity towards the enemy and the enemy's actions and plans and not submitting to them, which of course requires knowing the enemy, understanding their plans, and refusing to submit to the enemy - we have stated that the Quran has named this refusal to submit as "the great jihad"; I have spoken about this a few times recently - the fifth indicator is religious and political piety, which is very important. If these five indicators exist in someone, they are undoubtedly revolutionary; now the degrees of being revolutionary, as we mentioned, vary. I will provide a brief explanation for each of these.

We mentioned that the first indicator is adherence to the fundamental and essential values of Islam. Last year, I spoke about the foundations of the Imam in this very session; these are our fundamental foundations. The first foundation is adherence to pure Islam in contrast to American Islam. Pure Islam is in contrast to American Islam, and American Islam has two branches: one branch is reactionary Islam, and one branch is secular Islam; this is American Islam. Global arrogance and material powers have supported both branches and continue to do so; in some places, they create them, in others, they guide them, and in others, they assist them; pure Islam stands in opposition to them; pure Islam is all-encompassing; it includes everything from individual life and personal privacy to the establishment of an Islamic system. Pure Islam is the one that defines our duties in the family, in our personal solitude, in society, and in relation to the Islamic system and the establishment of the Islamic system; this is pure Islam. This is one of the foundations that we must adhere to.

Another of the foundations is the centrality of the people; when we combine the concept of being people-centered with Islam, it becomes the Islamic Republic; the Islamic Republic means this; the people are central, the objectives belong to the people, the goals pertain to the people, the ownership of property and wealth belongs to the people, and the authority is in the hands of the people; these are the characteristics of being people-centered: the vote of the people, the will of the people, the movement of the people, the actions of the people, the presence of the people, and the dignity of the people in the Islamic Republic. This is one of those foundations and must be genuinely believed in.

One of the essential foundations and values is the belief in progress, the belief in transformation, in evolution, and interaction with the environment, of course while avoiding the deviations and errors that may exist along the way. Transformation and evolution; both our jurisprudence and our sociology, our humanities, our politics, and our various methods must improve day by day, but this must be done by knowledgeable individuals, by experienced individuals, by those who have the competence to create new paths; semi-educated and unqualified individuals cannot accomplish anything. This must be taken into account; all of these are a path that has left and right; one must move along the middle of the road.

Support for the underprivileged; one of the essential foundations and values of the Islamic system is support for the underprivileged. Another is support for the oppressed anywhere in the world. These are the essential values of the revolution; we cannot disregard them. If someone, some people, or some movement is indifferent to the underprivileged or indifferent to the oppressed of the world, this indicator does not exist in them.

Well, if this adherence to essential values exists - which was the first indicator - the movement will be a continuous and direct one, and in the whirlwind of events, this movement will not change. [However] if this adherence does not exist, the opposite of this adherence is extreme pragmatism; that is, going in one direction every day and being pulled in one direction by every event: It pulls me from every side, like a straw in the wind The whispers of this and that, the breezes of my own self

This becomes pragmatism; every day flexibility in one direction and one side; this contradicts that adherence. In Quranic expression, this adherence to values is called "steadfastness": "So be steadfast as you have been commanded, and whoever repents with you" - a verse from the Quran in Surah Hud - or "Indeed, those who said, 'Our Lord is Allah,' and then remained steadfast, the angels descend upon them, [saying], 'Fear not and grieve not, and receive good tidings of Paradise which you were promised.'" In Quranic expression, this adherence to the principles and values is called steadfastness.

The second indicator is high aspirations to achieve the ideals, not giving up on the ideals and not being diverted from the great goals. The opposite of this is laziness, conservatism, and hopelessness. Some try to instill hopelessness in society and our youth, saying, "There is no benefit, we cannot do it; how can we achieve it with all this opposition and enmity?" This is the opposite of the second indicator. The second indicator is that we should never be diverted from reaching those high goals and ideals; we should not submit to pressures. Of course, when you are on a path that has enmity against it, it creates obstacles for you; [however] this obstacle should not prevent your movement, your continued progress; we should not submit to pressures, we should not be satisfied with the current situation, because if we are satisfied with the current situation, the result will be regression. I have repeated many times; the youth must move towards progress; they must move towards positive transformation; that we should be content with what we have - suppose we have made some scientific advancements that are accepted by the whole world; they acknowledge that we have progressed - if we are satisfied with this level, we will fall behind; we will regress; no, the path of progress is endless; we must continue until we reach the high ideals.

The third indicator we mentioned is adherence to independence. This independence is very important; internal independence, regional independence, global and international independence; in all these matters, preserving the independence of the country and the independence of the system.

This means that we should not be deceived politically; the enemy whose goal is to lead governments and nations after itself resorts to various methods. It is not always the case that they speak with threats; no, sometimes they speak with flattery; sometimes they write to a person saying, "You come - we are America - let us solve global issues together;" in this framework, they speak to a person; a person may be tempted to cooperate with a superpower in solving international issues; in the formal diplomatic correspondence, this is how they speak; but the essence of the matter is not this; the essence of the matter is that they have a plan; they say, "You come into my plan, come into the field that I have drawn;" they also determine the type of game. You come and do this work so that the goal they have drawn is realized. The reason we did not agree to enter the so-called American coalition in the regional issues, in the case of Syria, and similar cases is this. They have a plan, they have goals drawn, they want to achieve those goals, and of course, they want to use the power and influence of every country, including the Islamic Republic; if the Islamic Republic becomes naive here and enters their game, it means that it has filled their agenda; it means that it has completed their plan. This is against independence; this is not something that a government or someone comes and rules over the country to say that the independence of the country has been lost, but it is against political independence.

Economic independence is important, but first, I will mention cultural independence; in my opinion, cultural independence is more important than all of these. Cultural independence is that we choose a lifestyle, an Islamic-Iranian lifestyle. I spoke extensively about lifestyle two or three years ago; lifestyle encompasses everything from architecture, urban living, human existence, social ties to all various issues. Imitating the West and foreigners in lifestyle is the exact opposite of cultural independence. Today, the system of domination is working on this issue; this issue of information engineering, these new tools that have entered the field, all of these are tools for dominating the culture of a country. I do not mean to say that we should eliminate these tools from our lives; no, these are tools that can be useful, but the enemy's dominance over these tools must be removed. You cannot, for example, to have a radio and television, hand over your radio and television to the enemy; the internet is the same, the virtual space is the same, the information devices and tools are the same; these cannot be handed over to the enemy; today they are in the hands of the enemy; they are tools for cultural infiltration; they are tools for the enemy's cultural domination.

And economic independence - in brief - is not being digested in the digestive system of the global community's economy. You see, they themselves - the Americans - in the aftermath of the nuclear negotiations said that the nuclear deal should lead to the integration of Iran's economy into the global economy; integration! What does integration mean? What is the global economy? Is the global economy a just, logical, and rational order? Absolutely not. The economy that the global community has drawn up and its various manifestations are spread all over the world is a plan and a system that primarily Zionist capitalists and sometimes non-Zionists have designed to seize the financial resources of the entire world. This is the order of the global community and the global economy. That a country integrates its economy into the global economy is not an honor; this is a loss, this is a damage, this is a defeat. In the sanctions, their goal was an economic one; the Americans explicitly stated that this sanction was to cripple the Iranian economy. Now, the nuclear negotiations that have taken place have also led to certain results, and here too their goal is economic; that is, among their goals is the economy; that is, swallowing the Iranian economy by the digestive system of the international and global economy, of which America is the leader.

Economic independence can only be achieved through resilient economy; which this year we said: "Resilient economy, action and practice." Fortunately, the respected government has started action and practice, and according to the report I received, good work has been done. If this continues with the same strength and in this manner and progresses seriously, the people will certainly see its effects; resilient economy. All major economic decisions must be defined within the framework of resilient economy. Suppose we sign a trade or industrial agreement with a certain country; it must be clarified where this fits within the resilient economy. That we think the prosperity of the country's economy is solely secured by foreign investment is a mistake. Foreign investment is certainly a good thing, but it fills one of the boxes of the resilient economy. More important than foreign investment is activating the internal and domestic capacities. We have many unactivated capacities that must be activated; this is more important. That is also necessary to exist alongside this, but that we postpone everything to the idea that foreigners should come and invest here, no. Sometimes it is said that they bring new technologies; very well, that is fine; we agree that they should bring new technologies; [of course] if they bring them! If they do not bring them, I said that our youth who have made progress in nanotechnology, in nuclear technology, in complex technological constructions, in many areas are among the top five, six, or ten countries in the world; can they not improve our oil wells for better production? Or fix our refineries? Or, for example, create other sectors that we need that require new foreign technology? Of course, if this technology is transferred in our dealings with foreigners, we agree with this and have no objection.

Pay attention! Today, sensitive analysts of economic and political issues are betting on the resilient economy of our country; it is that important, it is that sensitive. They are discussing whether this resilient economy that Iran has proposed will succeed or not; it is that significant. Therefore, "independence" means this. This was the third indicator we mentioned.

The fourth indicator: sensitivity towards the enemy. We must know the enemy, we must be sensitive to the enemy's movements. Those who were on the front lines during the Sacred Defense know that there were those in the headquarters who closely monitored every small movement of the enemy through their own agents, becoming sensitive to it: for example, today the enemy has made this maneuver; why has it been done? They would analyze the reasons. Sensitivity to the enemy's movements. We must know the enemy, recognize their plans, be sensitive to their actions, words, and statements; and prepare antidotes for the poison they may pour and be ready to neutralize their movements. This is sensitivity towards the enemy.

Well, what is the opposite of this sensitivity? One opposite is that some deny the very existence of the enemy. When we say we have an enemy, they say, "You are deluded; it is a delusion of conspiracy." The very mention of conspiracy delusion, in our view, is a conspiracy; to diminish sensitivities [they say]: "What enemy? Which enmity?" They deny the clearest things. We say America is the enemy of the revolution; the nature of the system of domination necessitates that it be hostile to a system like the Islamic Republic; their interests are 180 degrees opposed to each other. The system of domination is treacherous, it is war-mongering, it organizes terrorist groups, it suppresses freedom-seeking groups, it pressures the oppressed - like Palestine and similar cases - this is the nature of the system of domination. You see, America and Britain have been pressuring the Palestinian people for nearly a hundred years - both before the establishment of the Zionist regime in 1948 and after that until today - they have been pressuring the Palestinians. Well, this is the movement of the system of domination; Islam cannot remain silent in the face of this; the Islamic system cannot see this and remain indifferent. The system of domination directly assists the country that bombs the people of Yemen - America explicitly and directly assists in the bombing of Yemen - bombing where? Bombing the battlefront? No, bombing hospitals, bombing markets, bombing schools, bombing public squares; America assists. Well, the Islamic system cannot remain indifferent. These are enemies; they are inherently opposed to each other. How can one deny this enmity? America initiated the 28th of Mordad and overthrew the national government; America has been hostile to us from the beginning of the revolution until today; America organized the SAVAK during the time of the tyrant, which was a source of torture for the people and the activists; America provided maximum assistance to our enemy during the eight-year war; America shot down our passenger plane; America attacked our oil platform; America imposed sanctions on us; is this not enmity?

Any individual or group that works for Islam and in the name of Islam, if they trust America, they have committed a grave error and will suffer the consequences; just as they have suffered. In recent years, Islamic movements, due to political expediency, due to what they call political wisdom - they call it wisdom - due to tactics that they say this is a tactical movement, befriended the Americans, trusted them, and they paid the price, they suffered the consequences, and now they are enduring the calamities of it. Anyone who moves in the direction of Islam, if they trust America, has committed a grave error. Of course, we have many small and large enemies; we have minor enemies, we have insignificant enemies, but the main enmity comes from America and the wicked Britain - truly wicked Britain; both in the past, from the early days of the tyrant's regime to the revolution, [and] after the beginning of the revolution and the victory of the revolution until today, Britain has always been hostile to us; now, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Imam, the propaganda apparatus of the British government publishes documents against the Imam, the so-called pure and sanctified Imam! Where did they get the documents? From American sources! Well, an America that shoots down a passenger plane with nearly three hundred people has no qualms about fabricating documents? The enmity of the British is like this - and [from] the accursed and cancerous Zionist regime; these are the main enemies. This enemy must be recognized, and we must show sensitivity towards their actions; even if they provide us with an economic prescription, we must approach it with caution; it is like an enemy coming to offer you a medicine and saying, "Take this medicine for such and such illness;" you would be cautious; there is a possibility that they have put poison in this medicine. The political and economic prescriptions of the enemy must also be approached with caution; sensitivity towards the enemy means this. Naturally, when this sensitivity exists, there will be no submission, and we have stated that this refusal to submit is the great jihad. This was the fourth indicator.

The fifth and final indicator is religious and political piety; which is different from individual piety [which is also necessary]. There is individual piety, which means that you and I should avoid sin, preserve ourselves; "Protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones;" this is individual piety. Social piety - Islamic piety related to society - is that we strive to realize those things that Islam has demanded from us. All those ideals we mentioned are Islamic ideals; that is, the issue is not merely a matter of rational calculation; that we have stated we must adhere to those ideals, we must pursue social justice, we must support the underprivileged, we must support the oppressed, we must confront the oppressor and the arrogant, we must not submit to them; these are all Islamic demands; Islam has asked for these from us; it is not merely a rational and human calculation; it is a religious obligation. Anyone who separates these matters from Islam has not understood Islam; anyone who separates the epistemological and practical domains of Islam from the social and political life of the people has undoubtedly not understood Islam. The Quran tells us: "Worship Allah and avoid the tyrant;" worshiping God - that is, being submissive to God - and avoiding the tyrant, and in another verse [it says]: "Those who believe fight in the way of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the way of the tyrant; so fight against the allies of Satan; indeed, the plot of Satan is weak." These are the commands of the Quran. That we call upon ourselves, our people, our youth, and our officials to feel a sense of responsibility towards these words is not merely a rational recommendation; it is not merely a political recommendation; it is a religious demand; observing it is religious piety. This is religious piety; political piety is also included in this; if this religious piety is realized, political piety will also accompany it. Political piety means that one avoids the pitfalls that the enemy can exploit.

I would like to offer a few recommendations at the end of the path. In this roadmap that I have presented, the Imam is the model; the Imam is the model and truly a complete model. In all these indicators, the Imam stands at the highest level. We have been associated with the Imam in various forms for years; both when he was teaching in Qom, and when he was in exile in Najaf, and when he was at the head of the government and at the peak of international political credibility; we have seen the Imam in all these states; truly, in all the indicators we mentioned, the Imam stands at the highest rank. Pay attention to the words of the Imam and the actions of the Imam. Our dear youth should read the Imam's writings and become familiar with them; read the Imam's will, become familiar with it, and reflect on it. This is my first recommendation.

My second recommendation; we have gained an experience in the nuclear negotiations; we must not forget this experience. This experience is that even if we make concessions, America will not abandon its destructive role; we experienced this in the nuclear negotiations. We sat down with the 1+5 group, and even negotiated separately with the Americans regarding the nuclear issue; our hardworking brothers reached some common points, reached some results; the other side - which is America - made some commitments; the Islamic Republic fulfilled its commitments, [but] the other side, the treacherous, untrustworthy, and unreliable side has been backtracking; until now, they have been backtracking. Very well, this is an experience; this has become an experience. Now many knew this before this experience, but some who did not know, now know: in any other area where you discuss and argue with America, if you make concessions, if you compromise, they will still maintain their destructive role; in all areas: human rights, missiles, terrorism, Lebanon, Palestine; in any issue where you hypothetically - which is impossible - compromise on your principles, on your foundations, know that they will not back down; they will first enter the field with words and smiles, and then in practice, they will backtrack and not fulfill their commitments; this has become an experience for the Iranian nation; cherish this experience; this is my second recommendation.

Pay attention, pay attention! Pay attention to my third recommendation, and then you may reconsider some of these slogans. My third recommendation is: do not disrupt the unity of the government and the nation. You may like one government, and dislike another; another may like that other government and dislike this one; it is possible, and there is no problem. - Electoral competitions are one thing, differences of opinion are another, even criticism is another - but the government and the nation must stand together; that is, if an incident occurs in this country that poses a threat to the country, the government and the nation must move together. Do not create discord, do not create bitterness, preserve the unity of the government and the nation; this is one of my recommendations in all governments. In all the governments I have been responsible for after the passing of the Imam, this has been my recommendation; although the governments have had different policies and orientations, the nation must accompany the government, preserve unity; this does not contradict criticizing or speaking out or demanding; these are not problematic; electoral competitions are one thing. The three branches of government must also be united - the government, the parliament, the judiciary - this does not contradict the parliament fulfilling its duties towards the government; fulfilling constitutional duties; asking questions, demanding, legislating, impeaching, and so on; but the branches must accompany each other, in the fundamental issues of the country, they must come under one umbrella; all; the armed forces must be the same, and all people must be the same. So this is our third recommendation: do not let personal feelings or factional feelings or absolutely feelings dominate over logic. The logic is that when the enemy looks from afar, they should feel that this place is united, they should feel a sense of unity. That statements are made that utilize those statements to create duality and conflict within the nation or within the system is detrimental to the country.

My fourth recommendation; confrontation with America is a confrontation with a front. There is a front whose center is America, but it extends to various places; sometimes it even extends to within the country; do not be negligent. That we must be vigilant against the hostile movements of America means that we must be vigilant against all this front. Know that enmity does not only come from the American security apparatus; sometimes this security apparatus has fingers that manifest themselves in the form of regional governments or in other ways.

My fifth recommendation; the lines of demarcation with the enemy must be kept in mind and highlighted. Do not let the lines of demarcation with the enemy, who is hostile to the revolution, hostile to the system, hostile to the Imam, become blurred. Some currents within our country have neglected this point, they have not maintained their borders with the enemy, [their borders] have weakened, become blurred; like the borders of a country, if there is no border, someone may mistakenly come from that side to this side, and from this side, someone may mistakenly go to that side; maintain the borders.

My sixth and final recommendation; trust and have confidence in the promise of "If you support Allah, He will support you." Dear nation, dear youth! Know this: to the dismay of the enemy, you are victorious.

O Lord! Unite our dear Imam with Your saints. O Lord! Unite our dear martyrs with the martyrs of the early Islam. O Lord! Guide and support the servants of the country, wherever they are, in whatever clothing and form they are, with Your guidance and protection. O Lord! Make the sacred heart of the Awaited One pleased and satisfied with us; make us among those who are included in the prayers of that great one. O Lord! Make our words and actions for You and in Your way; by Your grace, accept them from us. O Lord! By Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, keep us alive on this path and let us die on this path.

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