Message to the Noble Nation of Iran on the Occasion of the New Year

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

O Transformer of hearts and eyes, O Director of day and night, O Changer of conditions, change our condition to the best of conditions.

I extend my congratulations on the blessed Nowruz, which this year coincides with the advent of the blessed month of Ramadan, to all my dear compatriots, especially to the esteemed families of our dear martyrs, as well as to our dear veterans and their families, and to our dear freed captives. Thanks be to God, the Almighty has bestowed a favor upon us by returning the freed captives to the embrace of their families, granting a gift to the great nation of Iran. We earnestly pray to the Almighty God to return the rest of these dear ones, who are still in Iraqi prisons, safely to the homeland and to bring joy to the remaining families with good news of their loved ones and to grant health and well-being to our dear veterans.

Let us take a brief look at the past year, which was a very eventful year for the Islamic Ummah; both in the Persian Gulf and our region, and in some other areas, especially for the Iraqi nation, it was a difficult year. The sum of these events leads to the conclusion that Muslim nations, like all weak nations of the Third World, need independence and freedom, and that their fate should not be in the grip of the ambitious and materialistic powers who think only of their own interests. Of course, these events were bitter; however, they also left great experiences for our nation and other Islamic nations, which should always be utilized, and we should not forget these lessons.

By the grace of the Lord, during the past year, the righteousness of the Iranian nation in many of the statements and issues it has had over the past ten years became clear to the public opinion of the world, and the Iranian nation achieved the dignity and honor it deserves in the eyes of the people of the world.

The past year was also an eventful year for our dear country and nation; among them, the very tragic earthquake in the north of the country, and the flood incident in areas like Sistan, and other such events. Of course, these incidents were bitter and heavy; however, these instances also served as a field of experience and trial for the nation to know how much their efforts are helpful, and how much their cooperation with the government is healing and soothing.

In these incidents, you, our dear nation, were able to do something with your help to the government and the affected people of the country that was unprecedented in our past history. We have seen many earthquakes; we have witnessed many natural disasters closely in the past; incidents as great as the earthquake that occurred in the north have happened before; however, it has never happened that the effects and consequences of those bitter incidents have moved towards improvement as quickly as they did this time. Of course, there are many shortages in those areas; however, what happened in terms of progress in matters and assistance to the earthquake victims and the provision of housing and other such things was due to the cooperation and solidarity of the people with the government and the great efforts of the nation and the government in this regard.

Thanks be to God, in the past year, the government made great efforts in its programs and policies, which certainly had and will have positive effects on people's lives; although we have long roads ahead and we need a lot of effort and struggle. Again, the government and the nation must move forward hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder towards the high goals of the revolution and the country and solve the problems.

Let us also look at the year 1370 - this year that we are now at the beginning of. We hope that this year will be a blessed and prosperous year. From the fact that at the beginning of this year, the blessed month of Ramadan began and the Almighty God bestowed His grace at the beginning and prelude of this year by sending down the blessing of rain in a desirable manner almost everywhere in the country, we can take it as a good omen. We hope that it will be a green and fruitful year and a year of dignity and greatness for our nation and a year of happiness for families and all people wherever they are.

We see a bright morning. We feel that the Iranian nation, God willing, is moving towards progress. The independence, freedom, and manliness of this nation, the courage it has shown and continues to show in all arenas, its possession of good and sincere, caring, revolutionary, and interested officials, all stem from the depth of growth and flourishing of this dear nation - which is the result of its rich history. Of course, divine piety, godliness, and the people's movement towards divine goals will help them to traverse this path quickly and easily and, God willing, achieve the high objectives.

The month of Ramadan is the month of prayer and the month of storing piety; it is a month in which we must, by the blessing of worship and attention to the Lord, gain spiritual and mental strength and with that spiritual and mental strength, traverse the rough paths quickly and easily and travel the roads well.

I hope that the Iranian nation, by gaining experience from the past, will appreciate brotherhood, cooperation, and unity among each other and increase it as much as possible. People should be kind to each other and rush to help each other; especially in these days, rush to help the needy. Those who have and can, must certainly help those who are needy and destitute. This spirit of cooperation and assistance among our nation - which is an ancient tradition and a high command of Islam - is something very valuable; preserve it and especially give it more importance during the days of Eid and the days of the blessed month of Ramadan. The spirit of philanthropy, the spirit of sacrifice and selflessness, thinking and working for others, is a spirit that will lead our nation to the results and goals of this movement.

Be in harmony with the government and the officials, as you have been so far, and help. You are all in one trench and the enemy is in front of you. In the year 70, God willing, this general struggle for the construction of the country should gain more growth and speed, so that at the end of this year we witness many advancements, and God willing, divine success and help will be granted to everyone.

Once again, I sincerely congratulate the entire Iranian nation, the dear families, the esteemed officials, the families of the martyrs, the veterans, the freed captives, the expatriates far from home, and Iranians abroad, and I ask the Almighty God for the success of all of you.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings