Statements in Meeting with Members of the Assembly of Experts

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

We thank God for the grace that has allowed us to remain alive to attend another session in this magnificent gathering, to hear and present matters. I thank the esteemed Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, who, despite the difficulties, is committed to convening this assembly on time and dedicating time and effort, as well as all the esteemed gentlemen.

The importance of this assembly has been discussed extensively; we have mentioned it, and you gentlemen have repeatedly stated it. In the structure of the Islamic system and the Islamic Republic, this assembly holds a special place. However, sometimes due to occasions that arise—whether in domestic affairs or in global issues—the significance of this assembly and the gathering of so many scholars, dignitaries, and influential religious figures in the lands, and jurists, becomes particularly pronounced. In our view, the current era is one of those times, as significant issues are unfolding around us; some issues are directly related to us, and some, although not directly related, cannot be overlooked easily. There are many such issues in the world and in the region today. The general situation—whether in Asia, Africa, or Europe—is complex and significant; and the Islamic Republic will naturally have a stance regarding this system, and self-reflection and the recovery of responsibilities are part of our duties in this era. We have stated that there are many challenges in the world, and the influence of the Islamic Republic in regional equations, and sometimes in global equations, is greater than ever; therefore, all pillars of the system, including this assembly, must have an innovative and fundamental perspective on issues; both in terms of the personal and inherent duties of scholars—who are the guides of the nation and have responsibilities to enlighten the people; in the Islamic system, the duty of scholars is not merely to speak about prayer and fasting; they awaken the people, make them vigilant, convey truths to them, and enhance their insight—and in terms of the credibility of this assembly as a governmental institution, there are responsibilities to uphold.

I will present two points. One point concerns issues currently surrounding the world, issues that are indeed related to us. Naturally, there are many issues that are not related to us; I will mention a few points regarding what pertains to us in the realm of global issues.

One point is that today the world is engaged in fundamental transformations; this cannot be denied. Look at the region of North Africa and other areas of Africa, in Asia and the powers that have emerged in Asia and are asserting themselves against the traditional powers of the world, or the situation you observe in Europe; the world is undergoing a transformation. Now, global and historical transformations do not occur in a short time; it is not the case that if a transformation is happening, it must be completed within six months, a year, or two years; no, the signs of transformation must be observed, even if this transformation will take place over twenty years. However, we must understand what is happening in the world. Therefore, the first point is that the world is engaged in fundamental transformations; we must comprehend this.

The second point is that the apparent calm of the dominant global front—that is, the traditional powers that have ruled the world, whether the power of America or European powers—who had a semblance of calm in terms of economy, media, and social stability within their countries, has now been disrupted; the signs of this disruption are visible.

They were equipped, and still are, with money, weapons, propaganda tools, and knowledge. Therefore, a power equipped with these few things should be at ease and have a calmness prevailing over them, and it did; this calmness prevailed for many years. Today, however, this calmness has been disrupted.

This calmness has been disrupted in several areas; firstly, in the economic sphere—which was their most significant advantage of economic progress and growth—you see what the situation is: both Europe is experiencing an economic crisis, and America is facing an economic crisis; that stable economy is now showing signs of bankruptcy. Well, suppose a government is more indebted than all of its gross national income; this is the current situation in America; a government in debt that seemingly has no way out of this indebtedness. Therefore, their various grand programs are not being implemented; this is the case in America, and in the large and powerful European countries, it is less publicized and stated, but it is indeed the same there. In America, this current president—from the first term he assumed the presidency—promised universal healthcare to the people, yet today, six years later, he has still not succeeded in fulfilling this promise; that is, a country with all those financial resources and capabilities has a promise made by its president that he has been unable to fulfill. Therefore, in the economic sphere—which is a crucial area for the countries of the front of global arrogance and the traditional powers of the world—they are facing crises and problems; Europe, too, as everyone sees in the news, is experiencing numerous economic difficulties in various countries.

In the moral sphere, they have also failed; well, the current Western civilization was founded on the preservation of humanity; based on humanism and the principle of humanity, all this civilization is built. The meaning of this is that "humanity" is the main element and primary goal and the fundamental qibla for this civilization; today, in the civilizational system of the West, humanity has been trampled upon and has truly and justly suffered defeat. Until recently, they showcased these issues in a scientific guise and in academic literature, concealing their weaknesses, but gradually these weaknesses have become apparent, and the essence of this material civilization—which is against humanity, against divine nature—has begun to reveal itself. One example is the murder, plunder, and violence that have become so rampant that today it is no longer hidden from anyone. There was a time when the British committed atrocities in India, in Burma, but in another place, they presented themselves as polished and well-groomed and polite; today, that era is past; today, everyone is aware of the violence. Those who voice the people's concerns are bringing these acts of violence to the forefront of the global arrogance. Murder, plunder, and violence, and the degrading lusts of humanity: marriage between same-sex individuals! This is far beyond mere homosexuality; it means openly allowing the anti-nature to enter their lives; "And you come to your male companions" (Quran 29:29). Today, they openly and explicitly acknowledge this, and two same-sex individuals marry each other, and churches register this, and the president of America expresses his opinion and states that he agrees with this and is not opposed! This means that the internal and inherent corruption in these lustful matters has been unveiled.

They openly support terrorism. Well, you see in the regional issues, there are those who rip the heart out of their opponents and bite it in front of television cameras; European powers sit in Europe, but they are cautious and do not say we support them; they say we support this opposing front; this is how it is; that is, they explicitly support terrorism, even the most violent, savage terrorism.

They insult the sanctities and easily, under the guise of freedom, defile the sanctities, tarnish the luminous figures; they insult the prophets, the great ones, not only our prophet but all the prophets. I told some cultural officials that unfortunately many of our cultural officials are not engaged with cultural issues in the relevant field [for example] to read books, to see various books; they are often detached. I said that they insult Prophet Moses, they insult Prophet Jesus, they openly insult the great prophets; this exists today. Therefore, in the moral front, this arrogant front that controlled the world's affairs has also suffered defeat, meaning that there are numerous issues against it.

In the realm of identity logic, this civilization and its guardians have also failed, as the scientific foundations of Western material civilization are collapsing one after another; scholars have come and refuted their claims—whether in the field of human sciences or in other sciences—the scientific foundations of this civilization are collapsing one after another.

In the realm of global credibility and reputation, today, honestly, there is no credibility left for the front of global arrogance; the cumulative crimes of Western governments and the oppressive regimes that are their puppets have become clear to the people of the world, and today they are despised globally; now some leaders of dependent and weak governments, who are cautious and fearful, say some things in a friendly manner, but among nations, they are truly despised today. Today, America is more despised than all other governments, both in this region and in other areas; now in the Islamic region, which is significant, in other regions, it is the same. Therefore, they have also suffered defeat in the realm of reputation. This is another issue that has left nothing for that arrogant front, which now, the strongest among them is the American government, which is supposedly stronger and more prepared, but they have no credibility in the world. This is the second point of the points we wanted to present.

The next point regarding global realities and the global situation is the awakening of nations; now we said that the Islamic awakening in the region of North Africa and the Arab region was met with the characterization that no, this is not Islamic awakening, it has nothing to do with Islam; it became clear why it is entirely related to Islam; well, now, apparently, they have silenced it, but it cannot be silenced. When the Islamic duty awareness arises in a nation, when the Islamic identity awareness arises in a nation, it cannot be easily eradicated; even if a government is suppressed or overthrown—whether through a coup or any other incident—however, the spirit that arises in the people, that self-awareness and self-recovery of Islamic identity, will not easily disappear, and it has not disappeared. Today, in the same regions and in the same countries where the Islamic awakening arose, it is still boiling like a bubbling pot; it is not the case that this awakening has vanished. This is one of the realities of the world; Islamic resistance has peaked.

Another reality, which may be one of the most important realities, is the issue of the Iranian nation; the Iranian nation, 35 years after the dawn of the revolution, has not been disillusioned, has not given up, has not abandoned the revolution, has not distanced itself from the revolutionary spirit; you witnessed this on the 22nd of Bahman. This is a phenomenon; we have repeatedly stated this; we have become accustomed to this significant event. [Of course, I will also mention something about] our youth, in light of the realities that must be considered. In any case, this is also a fundamental issue. Therefore, we are in such a world: around us and in the global context, events indicating fundamental transformations are occurring, and in our country, this growth of Islamic thought and Islamic resistance and the flourishing and robust growth of the Islamic government and Islamic system exists. Therefore, with this consideration, we must state that our perspective on our issues and global issues must be serious.

The second matter I present is what tasks we have ahead of us; I have noted several points here, which are not all the points, and the points we present are not new and fresh words; they are words that all of you know, but repeating them and stating them is beneficial; the tasks we have ahead of us are numerous; among them, I will mention the following:

One of them is realism; we must see the existing realities of our society. Generally, in looking at realities, human nature tends to focus on weaknesses. All the things we see, for instance, we see inflation [or] the failure to achieve some Islamic goals, these are indeed realities, and we often see them—some even exaggerate them—but there are other realities in this country; these must be acknowledged. One reality is that we mentioned, the reality of the steadfastness of the Islam-based system; this is a reality. The expectation of the enemies of Islam and the enemies of Iran was that the people would become tired after one year, two years, five years, forget, and abandon the revolution; as has happened in many revolutions around the world, this is what I mean by "many"; in fact, it should be said all; in those revolutions that have occurred in the last two hundred, two hundred and fifty years in the world, as far as I know, it has been the same everywhere; after a while, the revolutionary wave subsides and ends, returning to the previous state.

I visited a country during the presidency, a revolutionary country that had undergone a revolution for seven, eight, or ten years, and the president of that country was among the revolutionary elements when we went there. When I entered [the place] where they took us for a banquet and as guests, I saw that the same situation that the previous colonial ruler—who was Portuguese; it was a Portuguese colony—was living in, the same situation existed, both in terms of outward ceremonies and respect, and in terms of etiquette! Nothing had changed; that is, when they came to power, it was not like this, but gradually they succumbed to the habits of the arrogant and oppressive before them and continued the same situation; the Islamic revolution was not defeated, the Islamic Republic was not defeated; those who wanted to impose previous habits, previous traditions, previous methods on this country and this revolution could not; and the revolution continues to speak the words of Islam, the words of revolution, the words of national independence, the words of endogenous development of the country, the words of justice, and strives and works for these great goals; all of these are revolutionary issues; these are significant matters. This is one reality.

Another reality that should not be overlooked is the religious motivations in the current generation of the revolution. There is a time when we, the old men who have remained since the revolution, are revolutionary, but our youth have been lost; it is not like that. Today, we have many revolutionary youths across the country, from all classes, especially in universities, who are both religious and revolutionary; in my opinion, this youth is of a higher status than the revolutionary youth of the early revolution. Why? Because at that time, first, the revolution with all its grandeur and excitement had occurred; secondly, there was no internet, no satellite, and no diverse propaganda; this youth was not exposed to all these harms, but today this youth is exposed to all these harms; the internet is in front of them, there are all these efforts to divert this youth, but this youth remains religious; they pray, they value prayer, they perform night prayers, they participate in important religious ceremonies, they stand by the revolution, they chant heartfelt slogans; these are significant matters. The current generation of the revolution, in our view, is one of the great honors. This is a reality that must be acknowledged.

Another reality that must be considered is the countless national capacities; fortunately, the officials of the country, the government officials—with whom I had the opportunity to meet, especially during these days after the formation of the new government—see, acknowledge, and are aware of the countless internal capacities of the country; this very existence of these capacities has, thanks be to God, guided this humble servant and my colleagues to the issue of resilient economy; otherwise, if a country is deprived of internal capacity, it cannot create a resilient economy. A resilient economy is when we have capacity internally. With each of these economic officials and those related to these matters, one sits down and sees that they enumerate numerous internal capacities; this is also a very important reality.

Another reality that should not be overlooked is the enmity of our enemies. We should not overlook the enmity of the enemy. As Saadi said: "When the enemy runs out of all tricks, he will shake the chain of friendship," this should not be forgotten; this is a reality; they are our enemies, they are enemies of Islam, they are enemies of our national independence, and they are enemies of our nation because of these characteristics; yes, if this nation were to abandon the revolution, abandon Islam, submit to the aggressor and the transgressor, they would be very pleased with our nation, they would praise us a lot, but they are hostile to our nation because of this. "Indeed, enmity has appeared from their mouths"; their words show how deep this enmity is. "And what their hearts conceal is greater"; the amount they express is only a part of the enmity they harbor, while what is in their hearts is far greater; this is another reality that should not be forgotten and should not be overlooked.

Another reality is that this enemy is incapable of confronting the Iranian nation and the Islamic system. If you want the reason for their incapacity, it is that since they cannot confront us, they have resorted to sanctions; otherwise, if they could confront us, why sanctions? The reason that sanctions are ineffective and have not worked and will not work is that they repeatedly threaten military action. Well, if they could eliminate this revolution and bring this nation to its knees through conventional and normal means, then this threat and pressure would not be necessary. And these sanctions are not new and have shown their effects. Fortunately, today, with the consensus of the esteemed officials of the government, both the esteemed president and the relevant ministers, as well as the heads of the other two branches, regarding the issue of resilient economy—which deserves appreciation and thanks from them; they have truly welcomed this idea; they themselves were also involved in discussions regarding this issue in the Expediency Council—this consensus indicates that this unjust and maliciously imposed sanction on the Iranian nation will have no effect, and God willing, this resilient economy will prevail over their tricks. This is also a reality.

And let me mention another reality. There are many good realities, that wherever we relied on God, relied on the power of the people, and were ready for jihad, we succeeded; look from the beginning of the revolution until now, wherever we brought the people into the work, began in the name of God, and our movement was a jihad movement, we succeeded there. In the very essence of the revolution, this happened; the people came, filled the streets, various classes of people came into the field, and the movement was a jihad movement. In the eight-year defense—eight years of war is no joke; they imposed eight years of war on this country—the people came into the work. Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)—may the pure spirit of this great man be blessed and may he be joined with the prophets and saints—understood the secret of the matter that he had to do; God inspired him, guided him, brought the people into the field, and raised the name of God high and moved forward. In the eight-year war, we succeeded; in all other instances where the people came and God Almighty was dominant over the hearts and tongues of the people, and the work was a jihad work, we succeeded; this is also a reality.

The last point I want to make regarding these realities is: where were we, and where have we reached; "And remember when you were few and oppressed"; let us not forget that day when we were oppressed, few, and under the yoke; both the Iranian nation was like this, and the religious community was like this, and the clergy were like this, and the interested youth were like this; they were few and oppressed; today, thanks be to God, God Almighty has strengthened their hands. In my opinion, one of our duties is to see and not forget these realities; we must keep these realities in mind; this is one duty.

Another duty that I have noted here that must always be considered, especially today, is the duty of clear and explicit demarcation with the enemy front; demarcation. The noble verse states: "Indeed, there has been for you a good example in Abraham and those with him when they said to their people, 'Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship besides Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone.'" (Quran 60:4). The Quran does not merely recount history; it explicitly states that this is a good example for you—"Indeed, there has been for you a good example in Abraham"—meaning you should be like this; demarcation must be made. Demarcation does not mean that we cut off our relations; pay attention, do not fall into the fallacy that you say we are enemies with the whole world; no, demarcate, let the borders not mix. Like geographical borders; in geographical borders, you define a border between your country and the surrounding countries; the meaning of this border is not that you do not go there, and they do not come here; the meaning of this border is that every movement will be organized. It should be clear when we go, who goes, how they go; who comes, when they come, how they come, why they come; demarcation in geographical borders is like this; in ideological borders, it is the same. In this noble verse, after God Almighty describes this good example and the action of Abraham, He then states: "Except for the saying of Abraham to his father, 'I will ask forgiveness for you'" (Quran 60:4); this means that this demarcation does not prevent Abraham from saying to his father that I have mercy on you, I will seek forgiveness for you; all of this exists. Therefore, the meaning of demarcation is that it should be clear who we are and who you are. I believe that the blessed Surah "Say, O disbelievers" expresses this demarcation: "I do not worship what you worship, nor are you worshippers of what I worship" (Quran 109:2-3); that is, the border should be clear, the border should not mix. Those who try to blur or erase this border do not serve the people, they do not serve the country; whether it is religious and ideological borders or political borders. Independence is a border for the country; those who try to diminish the importance of a nation's independence—under the pretext of globalization and merging with the global community—by writing articles, speaking, do not serve this country at all. You say we should have relations with the world, very well, have relations, but it should be clear with whom you have relations, why you have relations, what kind of relations you have; this should be specified; demarcation means this. In internal alignments, it is the same. This is also something we must pay attention to; it is part of our duties to clarify the demarcations.

Some, as soon as a problem arises for the country, immediately start blaming those who have remained steadfast: "See, when a person stands firm on their word, these problems arise!" This was also the case in the early Islam: "If they had obeyed us, they would not have been killed. Say, 'Ward off death from yourselves'" (Quran 3:168). If God Almighty has decreed that we do not act according to divine tradition, we will face problems. It is not the case that in the Battle of Badr they say: "They say, 'If we had any say in the matter, we would not have been killed here'" (Quran 3:154); it is not the case that if we submit to the enemy, then our problems will be resolved; no. I truly must thank the officials of the country who speak plainly in confronting the enemy; they express the non-passivity of the Iranian nation and the non-passivity of the revolution in clear terms; this is very necessary. We must bring this to the forefront as a discourse—which I will discuss shortly—and this is also one of our issues.

Another issue that is among our duties is that we should not be afraid of the enmity of the wicked. Enmity exists after all. No nation that has a voice and an idea and takes action is immune from the enmity of enemies. Today, in my opinion, the fortune of the Iranian nation is that the enemies of the Iranian nation and the enemies of the Iranian nation are among the most infamous in the world. You see, today the American government is introduced internationally as a violent and crime-ridden actor, and the reality of the matter is just that. On the international stage, today the American government is: a violent actor, stained with crime, and unashamed of its vile actions and violations of the rights of nations and human rights; within their own country, they are also introduced as a lying and deceitful regime that makes promises but does not fulfill them. Hence, the people's belief in these governments—both in the current president of America and the previous president of America—in surveys conducted among the people, was at a very low level; this shows that the people do not accept them. Well, these are our enemies; our enemy is not a reputable government, a government with a sound argument; these are the ones. Therefore, one should not allow fear to enter oneself from them. And reliance on divine support is a very important matter; now, Mr. Mahdavi read the noble verse related to the people of Moses, let me read another part: when the Children of Israel moved and left Egypt, and Moses brought them, after a while, Pharaoh's army approached from behind; "And when the two companies saw each other, the companions of Moses said, 'Indeed, we are to be overtaken'" (Quran 26:61). When these two groups reached a point where they could see each other, they saw that they were coming; they said, 'Indeed, we are to be overtaken'; their father was lost, we are finished; he said, 'No! Indeed, my Lord is with me; He will guide me'" (Quran 26:62). See, this is a lesson: if we are with God, God Almighty will not abandon a servant who is with Him. "Do not fear, indeed I am with you; I hear and see" (Quran 20:46); in another part of the story of Moses. When we are with God, for God, God Almighty helps. This is also another duty, not to be afraid.

And the issue of unity, national unity, preserving unity; this is among our duties. The presence of Takfiri forces, which unfortunately are active in some regions today, their great danger is not that they kill innocents, that is a crime, a great one; but the greater danger is that they create distrust between the Shia and Sunni groups; this is a very great danger; we must prevent this distrust. Neither should the Shia think that a group that behaves like this with the Shia is the Sunni front that confronts them, nor should the Sunni front be influenced by what they say about the Shia and the accusations they make and the fires they ignite. They must be vigilant; both Shia and Sunni must be vigilant. This must be known by everyone in all regions of the country; both Sunnis and Shias must know; they must not allow this unity that exists today among the country to be lost; one of the sections is the unity of Shia and Sunni sects and the unity of ethnicities. Highlighting ethnic characteristics and fanning the flames of ethnicism are dangerous actions; they are playing with fire; this must also be paid attention to.

One issue is the issue of culture; the gentlemen have now shown that you are concerned, and I am concerned too. The issue of culture is a significant one. The foundation of this steadfastness, this movement, and ultimately, God willing, victory, is based on preserving Islamic and revolutionary culture and strengthening the cultural front of the faithful, nurturing these saplings that have grown in the cultural arena; thanks be to God, we have good, faithful youth in the cultural and artistic fields; they have worked and made efforts; some are young, some have passed their youth; we do not lack cultural agents. We must certainly pay attention to cultural issues; the esteemed government must pay attention, and others must pay attention. I share this concern with you and hope that cultural officials will be mindful of what they are doing. Cultural issues cannot be taken lightly; negligence cannot be tolerated; if a cultural breach occurs, it is not like economic breaches that can be remedied by gathering money or providing a basket of goods or cash subsidies; it is not that easy, it will not be easily repairable, it has many problems. And we must truly appreciate the faithful and revolutionary youth; everyone must recognize these faithful and revolutionary youth who stand firm in times of danger, who went into the field during the eight years of imposed war; they are the ones. Those who look at these youth with suspicion or make the people suspicious do not serve the country; they do not serve the independence of the country, the progress of the country, or the Islamic revolution. These youths must be preserved, appreciated; today, thanks be to God, they are not few, they are many. [We must not] try to expel and isolate these faithful youths with various titles; of course, they will not be isolated; these motivated faithful youths will not be isolated by these words; however, we must appreciate them.

And the last point is the issue of discourse creation. The points we have presented are not merely advice and heartfelt expressions between us that you say I hear, I say you hear; these must come to the forefront as discourse. Discourse means public belief; it means that what is perceived as an accepted speech by the public should be attended to; this is achieved through speaking; with necessary clarification—logical clarification, scholarly clarification, and free from various exaggerations—it must be conveyed with correct language, scientific and logical language, and pleasant language.

We hope that God Almighty grants all the esteemed gentlemen His blessings, helps us, guides us, and supports us so that we may recognize our duties and be given serious determination to fulfill these duties. "O God, strengthen my limbs for Your service, and strengthen my resolve in my intentions, and grant me diligence in fearing You, and continuity in connection with Your service."

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