Statements in Meeting with a Group of Ahl al-Bayt (Peace Be Upon Them) Reciters on the Occasion of the Birth of Fatimah al-Zahra (Peace Be Upon Her)

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 Muhammad and his pure family, and God's curse upon all their enemies. O God, send blessings upon Fatimah and her father, her husband, and her children, in number equal to what Your knowledge encompasses.

I congratulate this blessed birth to all lovers of the Guardianship, lovers of Prophethood, lovers of the Prophet's family, and those devoted to true virtue. I welcome you dear ones; each of you holds a rank and status that I will refer to and express. Before I begin my remarks, I honor the memory of the late Mr. Ahi (may God have mercy on him), a committed and devoted reciter who was well-meaning and diligent.

I have known the late Ahi since the early 1960s. A group of reciters of Ahl al-Bayt had come to Mashhad, and he was active; although we did not become acquainted, I recognized him and saw him; for many years we knew him from afar; later, we had the honor of being in his presence. May God elevate his ranks, in the true sense of the word; he was committed, devoted, and particularly felt a sense of responsibility towards the reciter community. Every year we would visit him here. May God's mercy be upon him; may God forgive him; may He forgive us too!

I will discuss three points: one regarding you, about reciting and this very noble profession; one about the nuclear issue, which has become a prevalent matter in our country today; and one regarding the issue of Yemen. I will briefly present these three matters to you dear ones, and in fact to the Iranian nation.

Regarding the first matter; the profession of reciting is a very honorable profession; why? Because throughout history, there have been those who praised oppressors, tyrants, and bullies; there are still such people today. Today, there are those in the world who open their mouths to praise the most vile people on earth, or use their pens for filthy and vile wages in this regard; you, on the contrary, use your tongues, your breath, your vocal cords, and your artistic abilities in the service of praising virtue. The family of the Prophet is the family of virtue; they are entirely virtuous. The reciter is the sun's reciter; by praising the virtues of the Prophet's family, you also praise yourselves and, in fact, demonstrate the nobility of this profession. A few years ago, in this very gathering related to Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), I recited this poem by the late Saghir Isfahani:

In the narration, it came that on the Night of Ascension, the Prophet Saw camels; I myself am one of those camels of that caravan. If you do not believe and seek proof, look at the book of praise in my hand, for this is my burden.

God's mercy be upon Saghir Isfahani. Therefore, you hold the book of praise for virtue; this is a great honor; fortunate are you; appreciate this profession, these qualities, and consider this opportunity valuable. This is the first point regarding reciting.

The second point; today, the reciter community of the country has a very great opportunity; you hold gatherings; large crowds, sometimes thousands of people, often young people gather at your sermons and your recitations and elegies; what better opportunity is there? All these audiences, all these hearts ready to listen and absorb, all these souls ready to be educated are at your disposal; this is an opportunity; "Seize the opportunities, for they pass like clouds." Appreciate this opportunity; make the best use of it.

The third point; what is the best use of this opportunity? Promoting the teachings of the religion; promoting that which these great figures, these signs of greatness and virtue, sacrificed their lives for; they endured so much hardship; they suffered so many calamities; the event of Ashura occurred; the mournful events of the early Islamic period occurred. [These were] for what purpose? For the promotion of the teachings of the religion. Use this opportunity to promote the teachings of the religion, to guide the youth towards acting according to the religion, to act according to the Shari'ah, to fulfill the great responsibilities of this era. Today, our country, our nation, and the Islamic world are in need of understanding correctly, acting correctly, and standing firm. The Iranian nation is a model; among the nation, the youth are the engine of movement. These youths are at your disposal; that is, you will see that in a sense, the engine of the movement of the Islamic world is under your control. Promote the teachings of the religion.

Teach them what people need and what these youths need for purity, for living pure lives, for an Islamic lifestyle, for becoming Muslims in the true sense of the word, for a good end; this is in your hands. When have we had so many gatherings in which so many youths gather and offer their hearts to you? In our time and during our youth in Mashhad, if all the reciters were counted, they would not exceed five or six; in Tehran, it was a little more than that. So many gatherings, so many speakers, so many reciters, so much art, so many beautiful voices, poets also get involved and they compose poetry; take advantage of this opportunity; this is the next point.

And the last point; avoid deviation, avoid superstition, avoid complicating the beliefs of the youth; sometimes we say a word that creates a knot in the mind of the young audience; who will untie this knot? This knot that we create with our incomplete or incorrect statements or our negligence and irresponsibility in the minds of these youths complicates their beliefs; how will this knot be untied? These are responsibilities. That we turn the mourning and praise gatherings of Sayyid al-Shuhada — whose greatness is due to martyrdom, whose greatness is due to sacrifice for God, whose greatness is due to selflessness; selflessness from everything, from all desires, from all aspirations — into a light-hearted point, into a place where a number of youths become undressed, jump in the air, jump down, and do not know what they are saying, is this the gratitude for this blessing that God has given you? This beautiful voice is a blessing; this ability to manage the gathering is a blessing; these are things that God has not given to everyone, He has given to you; you must express gratitude for these blessings. Therefore, I sincerely love the reciter community; I pray for you; may God, God willing, grant you success and assist you; but I also say that the expectations from the reciter community today in Iranian society and in the overall regional perspective are high. I cannot express anything about Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her); you have expressed matters in your statements, and my tongue is insufficient to express anything; therefore, we will pass over this topic.

The second topic is the nuclear issue; some have asked and are asking why someone has not taken a position on the nuclear issue? The answer is that there has been no place for positioning. Our officials, the nuclear officials, the executors of the work tell us that no action has yet been taken, nothing obligatory has passed between the two sides; what position is there to take? If they ask me whether I agree or disagree, I say I neither agree nor disagree; because nothing has happened yet; no action has been taken. All the problem lies in the details that they are supposed to sit down and discuss one by one; this has been said by the officials themselves; they have told us, and they have told the people in their interviews; all the problem is after this. It is possible that the opposing side, which is a stubborn, treacherous, and deceitful party, will try to confine our country, our nation, and our negotiators within a circle regarding the details; we still have nothing at our disposal, no obligation has arisen. The fact that they now congratulate me, congratulate others, is meaningless; what congratulations? What has been done so far guarantees neither the original agreement nor the negotiations leading to an agreement; none of them; it does not even guarantee that these negotiations will reach the end and result in an agreement; what has been done so far is like this; everything relates to after this.

I will present a few points regarding the nuclear issue. Of course, I have never been optimistic about negotiating with America. Not out of delusion but out of experience; we have experienced it. Not out of a now if one day — we will not be there on that day — you will, God willing, be aware of the events and details and notes and writings of these days, you will see where this experience of ours has come from; we have experienced it. However, despite my lack of optimism regarding negotiations with America, I did not oppose these specific negotiations; I agreed; I supported the negotiators with all my being, and I still support them. I fully support and welcome reaching an agreement that secures the interests of the Iranian nation and preserves the dignity of the Iranian nation; everyone should know this. If someone says that we are opposed to an agreement or reaching a point, they are speaking contrary to the truth and reality. If an agreement is reached that secures the interests of the nation, the interests of the country, I will completely agree with it. Of course, we also said that not reaching an agreement is better than a bad agreement — which the Americans also say — this formula is a correct formula; not reaching an agreement is better than an agreement that tramples the interests of the nation, that undermines the dignity of the nation, that humiliates the great Iranian nation [is better]; not reaching an agreement is more honorable than such an agreement. This is the first point.

The next point is that I have not interfered in the details of the negotiations, nor will I; I have always told the officials of the country the major issues, the main lines, the important frameworks, and the red lines; mainly to the respected President with whom we have regular meetings, and occasionally to the respected Foreign Minister; the main and general lines. The details of the work, the small specifics that do not affect securing those major lines, are not of concern; these are in their hands, they can go and work. The fact that it is now said that the details of these negotiations are under the supervision of the Leader is not an accurate statement; of course, I feel a sense of responsibility, I am by no means indifferent to this issue; there are generalities that I will now refer to some of them; we have previously mentioned them in public speeches to the people; we have told the officials in more detail.

The third point; as I mentioned, I trust the executors of the matter; you should know this; these gentlemen who are working are individuals we trust, I have no doubt about them; in what they have done so far, God willing, there will be no doubt in the future; I have no doubt about them. However, at the same time, I have serious concerns; this concern arises from the fact that the opposing side is extremely deceitful, dishonest, and treacherous; the opposing side is like this. One example occurred in this matter; after our negotiators finished their negotiations, a few hours later, the White House issued a statement regarding the negotiations. This statement they published — which they call a "fact sheet" — is in most cases false; that is, the narrative they have regarding the negotiations and the agreements that have been made is a distorted and incorrect narrative. I saw this statement; it is four or five pages; this four or five pages was not prepared in the span of these two or three hours; while they were negotiating, they also prepared this statement. See, the opposing side is like this; they are talking to you, an understanding is being reached on certain issues, while they are talking to you, they are preparing a statement that contradicts what is happening between you and them, and as soon as your negotiations are over, they publish that statement! The opposing side is like this; they are treacherous, they are deceitful. They talk, and then privately say that these are for saving face; so that they do not lose face against their opponents in their own country, they write some things. Well, this does not concern us. If these are to be the basis for action, what they wrote will certainly not be the basis for action. They, of course, say the same about us. They said that after these negotiations, the Leader might express some opposition for saving face; the infidel thinks everyone is like himself. Our words with the people are based on mutual trust; the people have trusted this weak servant, and I trust each and every one of this nation; I trust this public movement; I believe "God's hand is with the group"; I believe it is God's hand that is working. Look at the twenty-second of Bahman, in that cold, in those problems; look at the Day of Quds, in that heat with those fasting mouths; who brings the people into these streets? What do they gain from coming into these streets? This is God's hand; we see God, we trust this popular movement, this popular feeling, this popular sincerity and insight; we speak with each other; they [the opposing side] act differently, they compare us with themselves. Therefore, this concern of mine exists; I am also concerned about what they will do and how they will act.

The next point; some have agreed, some have disagreed; in our press, in our writings [in the country], in social media, some praise, some oppose; in my opinion, exaggeration should not be done, haste should not be made, we should see what will happen; of course, I have told the officials this just a few days ago; the officials should come and inform the people, especially the elites, about the details and realities; we have nothing secret, nothing hidden. This is an example of solidarity with the people; solidarity and common language that we have mentioned, solidarity is not something forced, it is not something ordered that someone orders the people to be united, and the people say yes, this solidarity will not happen; solidarity is like a flower, like a seedling and a flower bush, it must be planted in the ground, then it must be cared for, watered, and protected from harm so that this solidarity grows; without this, solidarity will not happen. Solidarity is better than common language, common language is good.

There are many Hindus and Turks who speak the same language There are many Turks who are like strangers So the language of intimacy is different Solidarity is better than common language

Solidarity is necessary; it must be created; it must be nurtured. This is my advice to everyone. Now is a good opportunity for solidarity; some oppose, some have objections; very well, our officials who are honest people, who care about national interests, very well, they should invite a group of opponents — those who are prominent — listen to their words; perhaps in their words, there is a point that if they observe this point, their work will proceed better; if there is no point, they should convince them; this is solidarity; this is unifying hearts and feelings, and consequently actions. In my opinion, they should sit down, listen, and discuss. Now they may say, "Sir, we have no more than three months"; well, let it be four months, the sky will not fall to the ground; what is the problem? Just as they postponed the time by seven months in another period. Very well, our friends, if at some point in these solidarities and common languages and exchanges of ideas, a time is taken, what is the problem? If a little time is taken for those final decisions to be postponed, it will not be a problem. This is the next point.

The next point is that these negotiations that are taking place — part of which is negotiations with the American side — are only about the nuclear issue; only. We are not negotiating with America on any other issue at the moment; none; everyone should know this; neither on regional issues, nor on various domestic issues, nor on international issues; today, the only topic under discussion and negotiation is the nuclear issues. Now, this will be an experience; if the opposing side refrains from its usual deviations, this will be an experience for us that very well, then it is possible to negotiate with them on another issue; but if we see that these usual deviations still exist and they are going down the wrong path, then naturally our past experience will be reinforced. Our opposing side is not the whole world, this should also be noted. Sometimes in expressions, one hears — I have also complained — from some friends who say the international community! The international community is what they say; the international community that is against us is just one America and three European countries; that’s it. Those who are engaging in obstinacy, deviation, treachery, and malice against the Iranian nation are one America and three European countries; no one else is against us. Just two or two and a half years ago, in this very city of Tehran, senior representatives from more than 150 countries came, about fifty heads of state gathered in Tehran during the Non-Aligned Movement that was held in Tehran; this is from two or three years ago [it is] not from a hundred years ago; it is very recent; the international community is these. That we keep saying, "The international community must trust," where was the international community? The international community completely trusts us; in these countries, many of their nations do not accept their governments. This is the next point.

The last point is my demands from the officials. I have had some demands from the officials that I have expressed to them, I have said, and I insist on them. One is that they should know that the current nuclear achievements are of great value; they should know this; they should not look at it as something of little value or trivial; it is of great value. The nuclear industry is a necessity for a country. That some pseudo-intellectuals pick up their pens and write, "What do we need the nuclear industry for?" is deception; this is similar to the statement made during the Qajar era when oil was discovered and the British came to take the oil away, and the Qajar statesman said, "What do we need this foul-smelling substance for? Let them take it away!" This is similar to that. The nuclear industry is a necessity for a country; both for energy, for nuclear medicines which are very important, for converting seawater into fresh water, and for many other needs in agriculture and non-agriculture. The nuclear industry in the world is an advanced and important industry; our children have achieved this; this explosion of internal capacities and talents of our children. Now, some backward country says that if Iran has enrichment, I also want to have enrichment; very well, go ahead and enrich; if you know how, go ahead and do it. We did not take enrichment from anyone; it is our internal talent; [if] you also have internal talent in your nation, go enrich; these are childish excuses that some countries make. Enrichment and what has happened in the nuclear field so far is a very important achievement; this is not a trivial matter. And this is our initial steps in this industry. Work must be done in this industry, movement must continue, progress must be made. Now, several criminal countries that have either used nuclear bombs against nations like America, or tested them like France — France conducted three nuclear tests in the ocean just twelve years ago, which are destructive and destroy the marine environment; three very dangerous nuclear tests; they also made a little fuss in the world, then they silenced everyone, and it was over — these are the ones telling us! We are not seeking nuclear explosions, we are not seeking nuclear tests, we are not seeking nuclear weapons; not because they say so, but for ourselves, for our religion, and for our intellect. Both our religious fatwa and our rational fatwa are that we do not need nuclear weapons today, tomorrow, or ever; nuclear weapons for a country like ours are a source of trouble, and the details of this will remain. Therefore, the nuclear achievement is very important, and pursuing this industry and industrializing the country is very necessary; this must be taken into account.

My next demand from the officials has been that we said do not trust the opposing side. Fortunately, recently one of the respected officials explicitly said that we have no trust in the opposing side, and this is very good. We said do not trust the opposing side, do not be deceived by their smiles, do not trust the promises they give — promises, not actions — because when their donkey crosses the bridge, they will turn back and laugh in your face! They are so shameless. Today, when a preliminary agreement has been published in the form of a note and a statement, and nothing has been done yet, and both sides say that there is no obligation, right now that they have managed to make this amount of movement, you saw how the President of America appeared on television with what demeanor, with what appearance!

The next matter that we have told the officials and also express to the people is that in these details of the negotiations — which are very important in the coming months — the event that must happen is that the sanctions must be completely and simultaneously lifted. The fact that one of them says the sanctions will be lifted in six months, one says it may take a year, another says it may take more than a year, these are the usual games of these people; these are not worthy of attention and acceptance; the sanctions must — if God Almighty has decreed and they can reach an agreement — be completely lifted on the day of the agreement; this must happen. If the lifting of the sanctions is to be contingent upon another process, then why did we negotiate at all? What was the point of negotiating, sitting at the negotiation table, discussing, and arguing? It was for the sanctions to be lifted; if they want to make this contingent upon something else, it is absolutely unacceptable.

The next point that we reminded the respected officials and express to you is that under no circumstances should it be allowed that under the pretext of oversight, they infiltrate the security and defense sanctuaries of the country; absolutely not. The military officials of the country are not authorized under any circumstances to allow foreigners into the security and defense sanctuaries of the country under the pretext of oversight and inspection and such statements, nor should the defense capabilities of the country be halted; the development of the country's defense, the military capabilities of the nation, must remain strong and be strengthened; or our support for our resistant brothers in various regions; these must absolutely not be compromised in the negotiations.

The next reminder is that no unconventional oversight method that turns the Islamic Republic into a country subject to oversight should be accepted at all. The same conventional oversight methods that are common in the world should be applied here as well, and nothing more.

The last point in this regard; scientific and technical development in the nuclear field in various dimensions must not be halted at all. Development must continue, technical development must definitely proceed with strength and power. These are our remarks, these are our words to our brothers. We have said these words in private meetings as well; mainly over the past year and a half with the respected President, and occasionally in rare cases to the negotiating officials, who are our respected Foreign Minister. These are my words; but now how these demands can be met with what negotiation methods is up to them; they should go and find the correct negotiation methods, benefit from knowledgeable and trustworthy people, be informed of the opinions of critics, and do what is necessary. This also pertains to the nuclear issue.

The issue of Yemen. The Saudis have set a bad precedent in this region and, of course, they have made a mistake. What the Saudi government is doing in Yemen today is exactly what the Zionists did in Gaza. It has two aspects: one is that it is a crime, it is genocide, it is subject to international prosecution; they kill children, destroy homes, devastate infrastructure, and obliterate national wealth in a country; well, this is a great crime; this is one side of the issue; the other side of the issue is that the Saudis will incur losses in this matter, they will suffer, and they will not succeed at all. There is a very clear reason for this; the reason is that the military capabilities of the Zionists are several times greater than the military capabilities of these Saudis; several times greater than them, they had military capabilities; their opponent was also a tiny Gaza. Here, the opponent is a country, a country of tens of millions; a nation, a vast and extensive country. If they were able to succeed in Gaza, they will also be able to succeed here; of course, if they had succeeded, the probability of their victory would have been zero; now the probability is below zero. They will certainly be hit; the noses of the Saudis will certainly be rubbed in the dirt. We have multiple disagreements with the Saudis on various political issues; however, we have always said that the Saudis show a certain dignity and composure in their foreign policy; they have lost this dignity and composure. A few inexperienced youths have taken over the affairs of that country and are allowing the aspect of savagery to dominate over the aspect of composure and facade; this will backfire on them. I warn the Saudis, they must cease this criminal act they are committing in Yemen; this is unacceptable in this region.

America, of course, supports them, backs them; this is the nature of America, in all matters, they side with the oppressor; they side with that ugly face instead of siding with the oppressed; this is their nature, and they are acting the same way here; but they will be hit, they will be defeated. Now they will create a fuss that "Iran intervened in Yemen"; yes, this is intervention; that we are sitting here and speaking two words, this is intervention; [but that] their criminal airplanes have made the sky of Yemen unsafe, that is not intervention! They create foolish excuses for such interventions; these excuses are not acceptable from the perspective of international logic, nor do nations accept them, and neither does God accept them. Therefore, what is necessary is that they must cease this crime and catastrophe as soon as possible. The Yemeni nation is a great nation, an ancient nation, a nation with a long history; it has thousands of years of history. This nation has the capacity, it has the ability to determine its own government. Of course, some have tried to create a power vacuum, create turmoil, and bring about the situation that has unfortunately arisen in Libya — which is a very bad and pitiful situation today in Libya — they wanted to create the same situation in Yemen; fortunately, they could not. The faithful youths, the interested youths, and those who believe in the path of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) have been able to stand against them; Shia and Sunni, Shafi'i and Zaidi and Hanafi, all kinds of them have stood against the enemy's onslaught, and God willing, they will be victorious, and victory belongs to the nations.

O Lord! Grant victory to our brothers wherever they are in the world; O Lord! Defeat and humiliate the enemies of Islam and the enemies of Muslim nations wherever they are; O Lord! Familiarize us with our duties; make us act upon our duties; unite the pure soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) with his saints; unite the pure souls of the martyrs with the pure soul of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).

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