The Leader's New Year Message on the Occasion of the Arrival of the Year

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

O Turner of hearts and sights, O Manager of night and day, O Transformer of years and conditions, transform our state to the best state.

The beginning of spring this year is a triple celebration: firstly, the blessed birth of the noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), then the blessed birth of Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), and finally, the national celebration of Nowruz. I extend my greetings to the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and congratulate him on these blessed occasions, as well as to the entire Iranian nation, all Muslims, and all lovers and admirers of the Prophet's household. I also congratulate all nations that honor Nowruz and share in this celebration of the new year with Iranians. We hope that this good year, this beautiful and vibrant spring, will be a fruitful year for all Muslims, especially for the dear nation of Iran. I find it necessary at the outset of my remarks to congratulate the esteemed families of martyrs, the disabled, and the veterans of the path of truth.

Let us take a brief look at the year 1386 (2007) and a short glance at the year 1387 (2008). The year 1386 was a significant and eventful year, bringing honor to the Iranian nation. At the beginning of this year, the incident of the arrest and subsequent pardon and release of foreign trespassing sailors brought pride to the nation and showcased our dear nation's image to the world as powerful, patient, and forgiving. At the end of this year, the magnificent and glorious elections of the people and the selection of representatives for the Islamic Consultative Assembly were a major event for the astonished eyes of the world and were decisive for the Iranian nation for the next four years. In this incident, our dear nation demonstrated its greatness, power, resolute presence, and serious determination to manage the country correctly and participate in the fields of national management.

Throughout the year 1386, valuable work was done by the country's officials—whether the government, the parliament, or officials in various sectors—and significant achievements were made by the people, scientific associations, student groups, and researchers, advancing the Iranian nation in various fields. Scientific advancements, construction progress, and important development projects carried out in the country's development were all very beneficial for the Iranian nation, both in terms of legislation and execution, and God willing, they will lead to progress and prosperity.

Of course, throughout the year, we also faced losses, absences, and failures: both in various programs and in losing dear personalities. Life is like this, and for a nation, joys and sorrows, sweetness and bitterness are always intertwined; what is important is that amidst these various events, a nation can clearly keep its goal in mind and take significant steps toward that goal. The last tragic incident was the loss of dear students in a heartbreaking accident that saddened us all.

As for the year 1387, which is now beginning, our outlook and hopes are very bright and elevated. This year, the sacred Islamic Republic will complete its thirtieth year and will have passed three decades. In these three decades, the Iranian nation and its officials have made very valuable efforts: in defending the country, in defending independence and national dignity, and in advancing toward scientific and practical excellence. Over these many years, the Iranian nation has sought to compensate for the long-standing backwardness of the pre-revolution years and has achieved great successes in this path. What has been accomplished over these years will be remarkable in the history of the Iranian nation and, God willing, will endure.

This year is one in which we have high hopes for movement and effort. Firstly, a fresh parliament is stepping into the field of work and effort, and secondly, a hardworking and tireless government is in power. If the parliament and government, God willing, plan their work with wisdom, insight, and prudence, there is hope that we can achieve great things this year. Both domestically and in the complex international arena, the Iranian nation needs work, innovation, and diligent effort. We must compensate for what we lost in the past—during the reign of tyrants—and the backwardness we experienced; this requires us to increase our efforts as much as we can, more seriously and diligently. In the domestic arena, what is needed is to find shortcut paths accompanied by wisdom and insight; we cannot move calmly and ordinarily; we must proceed with calculated, organized, and disciplined speed. We must be able to accomplish tasks that will be enduring for future generations. In the international arena, we have friends in the world, we have enemies, and there are those who are not enemies but are our rivals; this complex arena also requires us to plan our efforts wisely, courageously, and with dignity. If we succeed in this arena, this success will also impact the achievements within the country and the great progress of the Iranian nation in their lives.

Fortunately, the country's officials fully consider national dignity and know that in the face of the enemies' greed, the way to salvation is not through submission and retreat; if the enemy is bullying and extorting, we must stand firm against the enemy and progress. The remedy for the Iranian nation lies in gaining power; this power is not only military power; we must also achieve scientific power, economic power, and moral and social strength, and above all, spiritual and moral power—which comes from reliance on God Almighty for a nation. If we want to advance in the arena of the Iranian nation's empowerment and achieve our goals, the nation and the government must extend a hand of friendship and cooperation to each other; just as, thanks be to God, the nation has always supported the officials, this support must continue even more, and the nation and government must cooperate with one another. Various segments of the Iranian nation, including scholars, intellectuals, researchers, students, workers, farmers, investors, and those who can advance the nation with their investments, as well as managers of various governmental and non-governmental institutions, must all feel that the heavy burden of the country's progress rests on their shoulders and that it is a divine and popular duty, and the results of fulfilling this duty will benefit everyone, especially those who have performed this duty in the best possible way.

For this year, I expect two things: one is that innovation should emerge in all the sectors we mentioned; government officials need to innovate in economic methods, political and diplomatic approaches, in advancing the country toward science and research, in promoting desirable culture among the nation, in providing services to all segments, especially the deprived and oppressed, in the development of the country, and the people in universities, economic enterprises, and various social and service organizations need to innovate in their work and activities; this is the first point we expect. This year, the spirit of innovation should permeate the country, and everyone should feel obligated to introduce new and innovative works—under the umbrella of proper management and correct planning—into the country's activities. The second expectation is that the activities carried out in previous years, the works done by the government, the significant investments made by various officials and the people in different sectors—whether material or spiritual investments—should bear fruit, and the people should feel the results in their lives. Some works begin today, but their results may not be immediately visible; the works done in recent years, as well as many of the works carried out over the past years, should gradually show their results to the people and sweeten their lives; what we have sown must blossom and yield fruit for the people. Therefore, I name this year "the Year of Innovation and Prosperity" and I hope that, God willing, both in the field of innovation and in the field of prosperity, our nation will witness sweet results and conclude the year, God willing, in the best possible way—with dignity, success, happiness, and greater strength.

I pray for the success of all our dear people and the esteemed officials of the country, and I hope that the prayers of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) encompass all the people, and the pure spirit of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)—who opened this path and initiated this new chapter in the life of the Iranian nation—be gathered with the saints of the Lord.

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