Statements in Meeting with the President and Members of the Assembly of Experts

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

I welcome the esteemed gentlemen, the distinguished scholars and religious figures from across the country who, thanks be to God, are gathered in this session. Although the duty of the Assembly of Experts is defined within the constitutional framework, the very formation of this meeting and the gathering of the gentlemen has led to various discussions regarding different aspects and fields of the country. The officials are also present in the session; fortunately, the esteemed President and some other respected officials are members of this assembly, and this increases the hope that the opinions of the gentlemen will receive more attention. We hope, God willing, that this will be the case; we will assist in whatever is desired by the gentlemen, to the extent of our ability, possibility, and the breadth of responsibility and power.

I must also mention that the funeral procession for the martyrs, which took place at the beginning of this session, was a very beneficial and constructive act. The fact that the esteemed and great personalities, the respected President of the Assembly, and others show respect to the bodies and coffins of the martyrs—martyrs whom they do not know, simply because they are martyrs of the path of the revolution and the path of truth—by carrying their coffins and participating in the funeral, is a lesson for our society. I must say that our country and society will need for a long time to keep the memory of the martyrs alive and to keep the path of the martyrs visible.

The point that came to my mind to express is that we have a duty at various levels of decision-making and policy-making within the system to look at the various issues of the country with a comprehensive and overarching perspective. It is evident that various events occur beyond our control—whether at the regional level, the global level, or even within the country. The Islamic system and its officials, as well as the pillars that uphold this system alongside the people, have responsibilities; these responsibilities cannot be defined in relation to events. That is, when an event occurs, we cannot react passively to it by taking a position or making a move; this would mean that the Islamic Republic is being dragged this way and that way. It is necessary to maintain a comprehensive and overarching view of issues—thankfully, this comprehensive view has been prevalent in the country; it has not been the case that officials have neglected this since the beginning of the revolution until today—and to take a stance in response to events with this comprehensive perspective, recognizing the event.

The Islamic Republic was formed amidst the whirlwind of various events; this statement has been repeated many times, but we must not forget that a system whose slogan is the realization of God's religion in the lives of the people and in the popular society and country, whose slogan is the shaping of our social life in accordance with divine law and values, such a system in a world that has rapidly advanced towards materialism for two or three centuries is something akin to a miracle, and this miracle occurred.

From the very beginning of the formation of the Islamic system, opposition to "relying on Islam" began; let us not say that the independence of the country or the policy of fighting against global arrogance caused their enmity—this is a truth, it is indeed so—however, the struggle against global arrogance arose from the heart of Islam, our democracy emerged from the heart of Islam. It has been stated many times that it is not the case that when we say religious democracy, it means a mere combination of democracy with one concept and religion with another; it is not so. Our democracy stems from religion; Islam has shown us this path, and it is with the guidance of Islam that we have reached the Islamic Republic; after this, with God's grace, it will continue to be so. These hostilities are concentrated and directed at Islam; if they were to remove Islam from this system and eliminate it, everything that arises from Islam will naturally be eliminated, weakened, or diminished. This perspective must be used to analyze issues. There are alignments in the world, and in many of these alignments, we are on one side of the issue; we must see who our opponent is, what they are, and why they are hostile. Why do we resist against them? These must be viewed with a comprehensive perspective. It is stated: "Is he who walks headlong on his face more guided than he who walks upright on a straight path?" (Quran, Surah Al-Mulk, 22); the meaning of "walking upright on a straight path" is to see with open eyes, with insight, with awareness of all aspects, to understand what the goal is and what the path to reach this goal is, and what realities exist in our way. Based on these, we must make decisions and take action.

Today, you observe that various events are taking place in our region. For several years now, the arrogant powers have made West Asia their area of aggression; despite the presence of global arrogance in the region and the activities they have undertaken, Islamic awakening has emerged. And I must say that Islamic awakening is not over; it is not the case that we think that now, with the events that have occurred in some countries, Islamic awakening has disappeared. Islamic awakening was not merely a political event that came and went like a coup or a transition; it was a state of awareness and self-belief based on Islam that emerged in Islamic societies. In North Africa, according to certain circumstances, events occurred in Egypt, for example, or in Tunisia, or before that in Sudan; in other places, this latent potential exists completely. It is not the case that we think Islamic awakening has disappeared; no, this is a reality beneath the surface of societies. Therefore, you see in a country that claims to lean towards Islam, people vote for that government which has an inclination towards Islam; this is a sign of the people's inclination towards Islam and attention to Islam. Thus, the event of Islamic awakening is a very significant event that occurred; despite global arrogance, this event emerged, contrary to the wishes of global arrogance. And naturally, there is a reaction from the other side; today we observe the reaction of the enemy front, both in the eastern part of our region, namely in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and in the far west of Asia, namely in Syria and Lebanon, events are occurring. The arrogant front—of which the United States of America is the prominent representative—has defined interests for itself in the region with an arrogant perspective—that is, the same colonial perspective of the nineteenth century in a new form—and they seek to resolve all regional issues based on these interests they have defined for themselves; the issue of Syria is one of these, and the issue of Bahrain is also one of these. The presence of global arrogance in this region is an aggressive, domineering, and greedy presence that seeks to eliminate any resistance against itself; however, so far, thanks be to God, they have not been able to and will not be able to.

This region is rich in resources and has a very important geographical and natural position; naturally, they pay attention to this region, they have their sights set on it. If one looks at their statements and what they have done so far, their goal is to make this region revolve around the Zionist regime, to establish their own dominance there; they are pursuing this. In the recent events in Syria, you also observe that the pretext they have recently raised is the issue of chemical weapons. Now, of course, with rhetoric and verbal gymnastics, they try to pretend that they want to intervene in this matter for humanitarian reasons; who in the world does not know the falsehood of this claim? What is certainly not on the agenda of American politicians is this humanitarian aspect. These are the people who, in Guantanamo prison and previously in Abu Ghraib, held thousands of prisoners without trial solely on suspicion for several years; some of them are still there; well, is this humane? These are the people who witnessed the extensive chemical bombardment by Saddam in this region—whether what happened in Halabja, Iraq, or what happened in our cities, Sardasht, and so on—and did not utter a word, rather they even helped; now let us assume that helping does not mean that the Americans provided them with chemical weapons—certainly the Westerners did, there is no doubt about that, and we have the information—but at least it is that the Americans saw it, were informed, and did not make the slightest protest; this is their humanitarian issue. In Afghanistan, in Pakistan, they opened fire on popular wedding caravans, killed individuals, and killed hundreds of thousands in Iraq through force and oppression; their agents are still doing the same things; they do not utter a word. The issue of humanity is not something that anyone in the world believes that the Americans are pursuing; now they engage in rhetoric and verbal gymnastics to justify their actions. And of course, we believe that they are making mistakes, they are erring, and they will feel the repercussions of the blows they have inflicted upon themselves in this regard, and they will certainly suffer losses in this matter; there is no doubt about that. Well, this is the situation in the region.

The Islamic Republic, with its miraculous history—which emerged amidst this whirlwind of events, and then over the years stood firm against opposition—not only did not weaken, and its slogans did not fade, but rather it became stronger in reality day by day; today’s Islamic Republic is vastly different from the Islamic Republic of thirty years ago and twenty-five years ago in terms of power, influence, and internal capabilities; and its slogans are also strong slogans—and with regard to the enemy's map in this region, it must know what it must do; what we perceive as our duty, the duty of the entire body of officials in the country, the duty of the Islamic Republic government, is to consider these three major components in all decision-making and actions:

The first component is the ideals and goals of the Islamic Republic; these goals and ideals must absolutely not be overlooked; the ideal of the Islamic Republic can be summarized in the short phrase "establishing an Islamic civilization." Islamic civilization means that space in which a person can grow spiritually and materially and reach the desired goals for which God Almighty created him; to have a good life, to have a life of dignity, to be a respected human being, to have power, will, creativity, and to construct the world of nature; this is Islamic civilization; this is the goal of the Islamic Republic and the ideal of the Islamic Republic.

The second component is the pathways that lead us to these goals; the general and overarching strategies; these strategies must be recognized, relying on Islam, considering not being oppressive and not being oppressed in various interactions; that is, it was stated: "Be an adversary to the oppressor and a helper to the oppressed" (Nahj al-Balagha, Letter 47), this is a duty, this is a general strategy. The strategy of relying on the people's votes and what constitutes democracy, and strategies of this kind; these are the fundamental policies and main strategies of the Islamic Republic for achieving those ideals; public work, public effort, public initiative, national unity, and such things that exist.

[And third] realities must also be seen; I mentioned to the officials of the system and the workers of the system during the blessed month of Ramadan that what we need is idealism with a view to realities. Realities must be understood correctly; what from the realities leads to power must be recognized; what from the realities is a deficiency or shortcoming must also be recognized; what hinders movement must be recognized; realities must be understood correctly. I named some of the realities in that place, which are our existing sweet realities; we should not only see the deficiencies or weaknesses. The existence of prominent thinkers, the presence of active and innovative elements, the spread of religious knowledge and spirituality among a wide segment of the youth, the persistence of religious and Islamic slogans, the increasing influence of the Islamic Republic in the region and in the world; these are realities that exist; these realities must also be seen. Of course, there are also bitter realities alongside these, like all human life, which is a mixture of sweetness and bitterness; relying on those sweet realities and strengthening them, we must strive to eliminate or reduce the bitter and undesirable realities.

These three elements must be considered; that is, ideals must not be overlooked, strategies must not be overlooked, and of course, realities must also be seen. If we do not see the realities, we will not go the right way; however, the existence of realities must not deter us from our paths. If the existence of a rock in the way causes us to turn back, we have made a mistake; if the existence of this rock is ignored and a person goes recklessly, that is also a mistake; but if we look and see what paths can be created around this rock, or how this rock can be removed, or how a passage can be created in it, or how a parallel path can be found, then this is the correct view of realities; this is the same work that our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) did in the first phase of this revolution, that is, in that decisive and very sensitive decade. The great Imam did not close his eyes to realities, but he also did not yield; he did not forget the strategy. Look at the situation of the Imam, the life of the Imam, the slogans of the Imam; the great Imam is the one who did not shy away from anyone regarding the issue of the Zionist regime; that the Zionist regime is a cancerous tumor and must be eliminated, this is the Imam's statement. In the face of the wickedness of the arrogant and intervening power of America, he did not shy away or show any consideration; that America is the Great Satan, this is the Imam's statement. That the attack of Muslim youth and Muslim students on the American embassy and the seizure of their espionage tools and documents was considered by the Imam as the second revolution, which may be more important than the first revolution, this is the Imam's statement; these are the Imam's words, these are the Imam's methods. In the issue of war, that he said: "War until the removal of sedition," this is the Imam's statement; others said: "War until victory," the Imam said: "War until the removal of sedition." These resistances were what solidified the foundation of this system.

Those who did not recognize this path and acted differently in their own countries to win the favor of the arrogant powers, forsaking their principles and forgetting their fundamental slogans, you see what state they have fallen into; they are the ones who, if in Egypt the slogan of fighting against Israel existed, if they had not yielded to the promises of America and its agents, it would not have been possible for the thirty-year dictator who humiliated the Egyptian nation to be released from prison, and those who were elected by the people's vote would face the possibility of being sentenced to death; such a thing could not have happened at all. Those who stood in the field against these elected individuals—naively—screamed slogans; if those principled positions had existed, half of them or more would have come towards them; that is, there were not those who would resist or oppose. When one retreats from principled positions, this is what will happen. These are things that must be observed.

What we feel must be done to resolve problems—problems are not just today; problems have always existed, and they exist in all countries; that is, if someone thinks that now in a certain developed country, or a certain European or Western country, or a wealthy or populous or sparsely populated country, there are no problems, they are mistaken; problems exist everywhere; it is the nature of a nation that there are inevitably problems in its work, and its officials must resolve those problems and continue their movement; now some want to solve problems with the help of others, relying on others, by bribing others, by humiliating themselves before others; some, however, want to solve problems with their own strength, with their internal capabilities—our belief is that we must prioritize strengthening the internal structure of the system; this is the foundation of work. From within, we must strengthen ourselves. Internal strengthening with complete thought, with wise and rational perspectives is possible; whether through scientific advancement or through proper economic management and construction; these are tasks that we believe are possible.

Well, today you observe, when they exert pressure on our oil, we encounter problems; what is this due to? It is due to the fact that we have not been able to reduce our reliance on oil since the end of the war until today; if we had reduced our reliance on oil, the pressure on oil would not have been so hard on us. Therefore, we must refer to ourselves; we must demand that we solve the knots with the strength of our will.

Today, thanks be to God, there is a new government; one of the advantages of our current situation is that a new government has entered the scene, with new ideas, new initiatives, and a group of capable individuals who want to engage in work and advance, God willing, towards the same goals they have announced. The esteemed President is also an active cleric with experience in various revolutionary fields of the country; this is another advantage that exists. The nature of work is that everyone must help; I see it as my duty; we have supported all governments, we have supported all governments, and we will certainly help and support this government, and the officials will do the same. Of course, my support for the governments does not mean that we accept all their actions; no, there have been various governments in different periods, and we have supported all of them, and we have had criticisms of them in various areas; however, those criticisms should not lead us to consider the government as alien to ourselves and to refrain from extending a helping hand that everyone must extend towards the governments. It is necessary that, God willing, this support and assistance be provided, and we pray and recommend; advice is also necessary; "The advice is for the leaders of the believers," meaning a benevolent word, which sometimes may be harsh and sharp, which is the nature of work; if the officials who are addressed by this sharp word think correctly, I believe they will be pleased; even that sharp word is in their favor. In any case, when I look at the situation of the country and the future of the country, despite some problems that friends have raised and many have not raised, I see the future very well, and I see the path as a clear one; our ideals are specific ideals, we know what we want to do; the path towards these ideals is also a clear and specific path; our strategies are not ambiguous, and it is clear what must be done.

In these years, regional and global alignments have also become clear. Of course, flexibility and maneuvering in all political arenas is a desirable and acceptable task, but this artistic maneuvering must not mean crossing red lines, or retreating from fundamental strategies, or neglecting ideals; these must be observed. Of course, every government, every individual, every personality has their own methods, their own initiatives, and they will carry out these initiatives, and work will progress. I am completely optimistic and believe that the problems that exist, whether economic problems, political problems, security problems, and most importantly, cultural problems, which are deeper and more important than economic problems—although the urgency of some economic tasks may be greater—are all solvable, and the path is traversable. We ask God Almighty for assistance.

I had also noted this sentence to express; one of the fundamental strategies of the enemies of Islam, especially the enemies of the Islamic system in the region, is the strategy of creating sectarian and religious discord and the issue of Shia and Sunni; pay attention to this. And two categories of agents and mercenaries of the enemy have become involved in this regard: one category from the Sunnis, one category from the Shia; one category is the deviant Takfiris from the truth of religion, and another category is those who work for the enemy, under the name of Shia, inciting the feelings of others, justifying hostilities, and igniting the fire of discord. Any group, any organization, any government that falls for this great conspiracy and becomes immersed in this issue, and any group that makes a mistake will certainly strike a blow to the Islamic movement and to the Islamic system, especially to our country. I insist that the great scholars, whether Shia or Sunni, whether in Iran or in other regions, pay attention that the differences between Islamic sects should not lead us to open a new front against ourselves and to remain oblivious to the main enemy, who is the enemy of Islam, the enemy of independence, and the enemy of the prosperity of the people of the region.

We hope, God willing, that God Almighty will assist us all and that the attention of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and the prayers of this great figure will encompass all of you and us.

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