Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Students and Pupils on the Occasion of Commemorating the Anniversary of 13 Aban

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

I welcome all dear youth and esteemed attendees. Of course, the thirteenth of Aban is not recognized as a holiday; however, it is recognized as a national day. The memorials and memories that nations commemorate throughout the year as a national day or great national celebration must have a profound meaning embedded within them. The deeper this meaning, the more symbolically significant that day becomes for that nation. In this regard, the thirteenth of Aban is truly an important day. This day has been designated as "National Day of Struggle Against Global Arrogance." The issue at hand is global arrogance; it is not about a specific government or regime. Today, the embodiment of global arrogance — with all its ugly and hateful connotations — is America; however, the issue is not one of enmity against a race, a nation, or a country. The matter is that every nation has its own dignity and identity and does not wish for external powers to toy with that dignity through force or deception. Every nation possesses wealth and does not wish for that wealth to be plundered.

Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution, our country was considered part of the American empire in this region and was very loyal to America. American policies in Iran and through this country were implemented wherever it had a hand. National wealth was freely at the disposal of America. Political elements, the government, the puppet and show parliament, and the dependent judiciary of that day were all at the mercy of American will. Our neighboring countries were often more or less the same. Of course, at that time, America's great rival in the world was the Soviet Union, which was also neighboring us, and for this reason, the Americans had plunged their claws of domination into our country more bloodily and recklessly. The situation in this country was dire!

Our country, which was under American domination — with all the plundering that America did to this country — did not take a single step towards progress. During that period, we made no scientific progress, no economic progress, and did not undertake any industrial work. We were a completely dependent country, a consumer of American and non-American manufactured goods. Not only were we consumers of industrial products, but we were also consumers of agricultural and cultural products, and so on! A wealthy region like Iran was the outright property of American policies and was under the control of companies that, in fact, were run by the same people who managed the American government.

When the Islamic movement began in 1961, the intelligence and espionage agencies of America felt the danger of this movement before anyone else. Therefore, in 1963, they exiled Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) from Iran — of course, the Iranian government exiled him; however, behind the scenes, it was the will of the Americans — and took him to our neighboring country, which was also under the control of military and American-dependent governments.

The first meaning of the thirteenth of Aban is the confrontation of the American regime with the Islamic movement and Islamic awakening. The reason was that they suspected that if Islam were revived in the hearts of Muslims and manifested in their actions, this issue would not be confined to Iran and would encompass the Islamic world; just as after the victory of the revolution, this meaning was experienced in Palestine, Lebanon, and many Islamic and Arab countries. After a few years, the Islamic movement in Iran reached its peak. On the thirteenth of Aban in 1978 — before the victory of the revolution — a massacre of students occurred; that is, the brutal face of the regime, which was backed by American intelligence agencies, was revealed. This was also a confrontation with the Islamic movement; of course, with animalistic violence. During those days, the President of the United States and American media officials referred to Iran as an ideal point and an island of stability and security, boasting about it, and there was no news of the human rights rhetoric and things that you now hear Americans constantly repeating!

However, the thirteenth of Aban in 1979 was the other side of the coin, and the tide had turned; that is, this movement had triumphed with the perseverance of the Muslim nation and the leadership of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). Therefore, American malice and conspiracy against the country took a different form. Here, they had turned their embassy into a center for sabotage; whether political sabotage, espionage, or buying individuals and personalities involved in the revolution. One of the tools is to buy influential and effective personalities. There are always unfaithful and unscrupulous people or weak-minded individuals who can be bought by a wealthy and powerful hand. The prices of people also vary; some are bought cheaply, while others are bought a bit more expensively! If you refer to the documents of the den of espionage — which apparently sixty or seventy volumes of books or more have been published — you will see the traces of these betrayals. These actions provoked the reaction of the Iranian nation. The embodiment of the courage and swift action of the Iranian nation was the students; those students who followed the line of Imam, not students affiliated with a particular political party or various unfaithful organizations; no, the students who accepted the line of Imam and were faithful to it. They found the necessary courage and went to seize the embassy and extracted these documents. The meaning of the thirteenth of Aban is this; that is, confrontation with tyranny, conspiracy, and global arrogance.

Global arrogance means the spirit of arrogance and indifference to the values of other nations and interference in the affairs of nations while claiming rights for oneself; the very thing that you currently observe in the words of American leaders. Regarding their interference in Iraq or anywhere else, they speak as if they are the owners of the world! Truly, one can hardly find a government that speaks in the tone that they use when discussing Middle Eastern countries! They consider these countries their own. That is what global arrogance is.

They exerted a lot of pressure against the Islamic Republic system; however, they could not achieve anything. The bluster you observe today, the displays of power by the Americans, are the nature of arrogant powers; they must shout and threaten; a significant part of their power stems from these threats! They aim to intimidate the nation and the officials of a country and impose their demands on them under the shadow of that intimidation; that is the issue. Otherwise, it is not the case that America has the power to attack a country without incurring unbearable costs; no, whenever necessary, they resort to military action; however, the first condition for that is that they must know they will not fail in that military attack and will not be hit in the face. Where they suspect that a resistance power exists, they will never take such a risk. Secondly, they carry out military attacks when they cannot impose their demands on that country through other means. They try to impose their demands on that country through threats, shouting, uproar, and political maneuvering and media power.

Regarding our dear country and our brave and resilient yet oppressed nation, the Americans have experienced everything. This is also an experience that they shout, threaten, intimidate, and carry out their actions under the shadow of intimidation. What they wish for our dear country and you, the brave and faithful nation of Iran — especially you, the youth — is a collection of several things that they pursue together: one is to create discord, discouragement, and hopelessness, and God forbid, by buying some individuals, to destabilize the resolve of the statesmen for fundamental and constructive actions in the country and not allow the Iranian government — which is an Islamic government and has raised the banner of Islam — to address the legitimate and rightful demands of the people. A regime that wants to re-establish its dominance in our country as in the past and sink its claws into the body of this nation, this is one of the necessary tasks for it. If they succeed in this endeavor, the result will be to dishearten the people from the Islamic system. Therefore, you see in their extensive media propaganda, they constantly promote that the people have not achieved their demands and are dissatisfied and disheartened.

The second thing they want to achieve is to weaken the fundamental attachments and motivations that can keep this nation resilient and unified against them; to reverse beliefs, change faiths, extinguish hopes, and present the future and horizon as dark and ambiguous. Their tool for this work is the media. The media have great power in the world and can accomplish significant tasks for their owners. Know and realize that the most important media in the world — whether news agencies, radio and television stations, or major newspapers — belong to capitalists; that is, the very foundations of global arrogance. In the news they disseminate worldwide, everything is arranged according to their interests and benefits. Therefore, this is another demand: to deprive the people and youth of the essence of hope and the ability and effort that keeps them standing against the aggressive and intrusive enemy.

Another of their actions and aspirations is to destroy national unity and unity among officials; to separate the masses and groups of people under various names and build walls between them; to erect tall walls of ethnicity, religion, party, political disputes among the vast population of the Iranian nation and obliterate unity and integrity. The Islamic Revolution came to tear down the walls and unify the nation; however, they are pursuing the exact opposite. By raising deviant issues, they aim to undermine the unity of the country's officials; to constantly sow discord among them; to weaken one and strengthen another. They pursue these goals. I want to say this: what they are doing are actions that they themselves are hopeless about achieving results and know that they will not succeed. If we are vigilant and know our duty and act upon it, all the enemy's schemes will fail.

Another of their actions is to portray the nation as intimidated; while our nation and youth are not intimidated. The distinction of our nation is that it has the highest ratio of youth among the nations of the world. Youth is full of hope and vitality and is eager to be entrusted with tasks and to carry them out with courage and risk-taking. They try to intimidate the nation; if they cannot intimidate them, they create an atmosphere and false narratives to suggest that the nation has been intimidated. With the narratives that their agents create through some headlines in newspapers and some writings of submissive and intimidated individuals, they themselves fall into error and think there is indeed hope for them; while there is no hope, and their keen observers know that there is no hope here; thus, they try to find a foothold for their purposes.

The nation must maintain its unity. Two major mobilizations are necessary in this country: first, the mobilization of the people, especially the youth. They must mobilize to prepare themselves and revive the dignity of the country and nation and keep the banner of Islam raised; because all the problems of this country will be resolved under the shadow of Islam and adherence to Islamic laws. The youth should engage in self-cultivation — both scientific self-cultivation and moral, spiritual, and religious self-cultivation, as well as physical self-cultivation — and maintain their spirit and hope for defending this country, which is a very great asset; the opposite of what the enemy wishes to happen in Iran. In various gatherings and in encounters that, thanks be to God, I have with the youth and the young generation, and what is reflected from the issues of the youth, I see that in our youth, thanks be to God, this talent and readiness exist. Contrary to the enemy's wishes, the majority of our youth are ready to defend their country, system, religion, honor, and national dignity whenever and however necessary. Public gatherings demonstrate this.

At the end of the blessed month of Ramadan — which we are approaching, and God willing, we should all benefit from its blessings and enter the divine banquet — is the Day of Quds; the defense of the people for the oppressed and resilient Palestinian nation will be evident on that day. Now, the Palestinians, alone and without weapons and resources, have rendered the most equipped regime in the region, which is supported by America — that is, the Zionist regime — helpless and frustrated within their own homes. They have not been able to do anything against this resilient nation; this is how the resistance of nations is. Global arrogance and America know this. They know that if nations stand firm, no military force can dominate a nation that is not intimidated and is ready to defend its identity, dignity, and future. The situation of the Zionist regime is constantly in turmoil; however, the Palestinian nation stands firm and resists and is full of hope and gives hope to other nations. They exemplify courage.

Of course, the great nation and vast country of Iran and the political power that is currently in the hands of the nation cannot be compared to any country or any nation; the greatness of this nation is far beyond this. The nation and the youth must be prepared and not harbor fear of the enemy; because the enemy wants to impose its petty demands and impositions on this nation under the shadow of this terror; without incurring the costs of a major action and military intervention. This pertains to the nation.

Officials must also mobilize for the second mobilization; mobilization for service. The executive officials of the country must demonstrate their ability to resolve the people's issues. The issue of employment, which has been mentioned repeatedly since last year — and has been reiterated this year and has been pursued, and activities have, thank God, begun — must be brought to fruition. They must seriously pursue the fight against the plundering of economic corruptors — wherever they may be entrenched — and dismantle the tables of economic corruption. They must demonstrate their ability in this regard; the people expect this, and this is a rightful expectation. All officials of the country — including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches — have the most important responsibilities in these areas; they must not allow the enemy to remain hopeful.

We can do it. There are sufficient resources available to the officials of the country to accomplish these tasks. The condition is that they must prioritize the work. Political distractions, raising unnecessary and imaginary issues, magnifying small matters, and covering up the main issues of the country under the guise of magnifying them is detrimental. The main issues of the country are the economy and the issue of science and the elevation of the scientific base of universities and the same soft movement that we have repeatedly discussed in universities and in meetings with students and professors; as well as the issue of preserving the spirit and religious culture of the youth. These are what can keep a nation, especially our nation, standing and resilient and thwart the enemy's conspiracies. Therefore, officials must first strive in the cultural, economic, and scientific fields and in the fight against corruptors and destroyers and make work their primary focus. Secondly, they must set aside differences. These differences and dualities are harmful to the interests of the country, the benefits of the people, and the resistance against the enemy.

The Constitution has clearly defined the political structure of the country, and everyone knows their duties in their respective places. Everyone must fulfill their duties; they should not oppose each other; they must maintain unity of word and not be intimidated by the enemy. Of course, thanks be to God, our high-ranking officials are not intimidated by the enemy; they understand well and know; their reliance on national power — which is the power of God and the faith of the people — is very high and strong; they know the enemy cannot do anything; however, some may become intimidated in corners. Being intimidated by the enemy is very harmful; it alters analyses and viewpoints, disrupts decision-making, and causes operational disorder.

Both the nation and the officials should know that the great power that this nation demonstrated in the great Islamic Revolution and was able to astonish and bewilder global arrogance still remains strong in this nation. They should trust in this power, appreciate it, and pursue the affairs of the country under the shadow of this power and with reliance on the Great God. By God's grace, with the efforts and endeavors of our officials and our dear nation, Islam will be able to bring honor to the great Islamic nation in the world.

We ask the Almighty God to grant the pure supplications of the Awaited Savior, may our souls be sacrificed for him, in favor of our dear nation and for you, the youth, and to make us all servants of the path of Islam and the revolution and the glory of this country.

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