Statements at the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza on the First Day of the Year 1395

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 and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure, chosen, and infallible progeny, especially the Awaited Savior, the Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance).

O God, send blessings upon Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad. O God, send blessings upon Fatimah, the daughter of Your Messenger and the pure, chaste, and pious wife of Your Guardian, the Lady of all women in Paradise.

O God, send continuous blessings upon Your Guardian, Ali ibn Musa, as long as Your kingdom and sovereignty endure. O God, grant him eternal peace in accordance with Your glory, greatness, and majesty.

We thank the Almighty God for granting us once again the opportunity to meet with you, dear people of Mashhad and esteemed pilgrims who have traveled from all corners of the country to this sacred threshold at the beginning of the solar Hijri year. First of all, I extend my congratulations to all brothers and sisters on the arrival of the new year.

This year has the characteristic that at its beginning, we celebrate the blessed birth of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) according to the lunar months, and once again at the end of this year, it coincides with this honored and revered birth. We ask the Almighty God that by the grace of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), the Lady of both worlds and the Mistress of all women, this year be blessed for the Iranian nation and for all Muslims around the world, and that everyone benefits from the blessings of this honored birth, God willing.

The only shortcoming we feel this year in this visit and in this gathering is the absence of our dear brother, Mr. Tabasi, a learned, devoted, and sincere servant of this sacred shrine. His presence was invaluable; he was among the early revolutionaries, and his absence is a great loss for all who knew him. We ask the Almighty God to place his purified soul under the shade of the blessings of Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) and to grant him His mercy and forgiveness.

I will begin today’s discussion with this year’s slogan, and I will provide explanations for you, dear brothers and sisters who are present, and for those who will hear these words later, God willing. I hope that the discussion we engage in will be a sound and logical one; today, slogan-based discussions do not hold much place in the minds of our people; our people, our youth, and all members of our society are discerning and view issues through the lens of logic and reasoning. What we present should be offered to the thoughts of our dear people as a sound and logical discussion. The reason we chose this year’s slogan as an economic slogan is an analysis and a perspective on the collection of issues facing the country. Some may have thought that it would be preferable for this year’s slogan to be a cultural or ethical one, but given the collection of issues facing the country, it seemed that this year, like several years before, the slogan that should be propagated among the people and in public opinion should be an economic one. I present this analysis, and I hope our dear youth will analyze and reflect on what they hear.

At this point in time, the policies of global arrogance, particularly the policies of the United States, necessitate that a specific thought be injected into our nation; first among the elites of society and then gradually transferred to public opinion; a specific thought is to be injected into public opinion. The policy they intend is to make it appear that the Iranian nation is at a crossroads and has no choice but to select one of two paths. This crossroads is that they must either come to terms with the United States or endure the pressures of the United States and the problems arising from it permanently; the Iranian nation must choose one of these two options; this is what they want. Of course, coming to terms with the United States does not mean coming to terms with any other government. Because the United States has wealth, extensive propaganda machinery, dangerous weapons, and many resources, coming to terms with the United States inevitably means accepting its impositions. The nature of an agreement with the United States is just that; it is the same everywhere; other countries that reach agreements with the United States find that it means retreating from their positions to the benefit of the other side without the other side making any significant concession in return. In the recent nuclear agreement, although we approved this agreement and acknowledged the organizers of this agreement, we still found that our foreign minister told me in some instances that we could no longer maintain this or that red line. This means that when the other party is a government like the United States, which has propaganda tools, resources, money, and active diplomacy, and has various factors around the world at its disposal, coming to terms with it means giving up some of the things that one stands firm on. This is a crossroads that, according to the policies of the United States, they want to inject into the minds of our nation; it is an unavoidable dichotomy: either we must yield to the United States and its demands in many areas, or we must endure the pressures, threats, and damages arising from opposing the United States. They want to promote this as a discourse among the elites of society and gradually spill it into the public and general opinion. Inside and outside the country, they are promoting this thought in various forms, with different expressions, and through the media around the world; they appoint individuals to spread this thought among our nation. Of course, as we mentioned, there are also those inside who accept this thought and have accepted it and are trying to convince others of it.

Pay close attention so that I can explain; I will state the arguments of the opposing side, and then I will present what is required by truth and reality. The argument of the opposing side, namely that propaganda and thought-manufacturing apparatus, is that they say Iran has abundant economic capacities and that the goal of the nuclear agreement was for Iran to be able to utilize these capacities; well, this agreement was made, but it is not sufficient, and there are other issues that the Iranian nation, the Iranian government, and Iranian officials must decide on and act upon; for example, consider that today in the region of West Asia – that is, the same region that the West refers to as the Middle East – there are many upheavals and disturbances; well, this problem is for the entire region, and if you want your country to escape this problem, you must try to calm these upheavals. What should we do? Collaborate with the United States, think together, hold meetings, sit down, talk, and choose a model according to American desires or according to American agreements; that is another option.

Or we have other problems; we have many disagreements with the United States, and these disagreements must be resolved; these disagreements must come to an end; now, in resolving these disagreements, suppose that the Iranian nation must give up its principles, give up its red lines; the opposing side does not retreat from its principles and values, but if necessary, we must retreat to resolve the problems; so that the country can utilize its capacities and, for example, become a prominent economy. This is their argument. Therefore, in the nuclear issue, an agreement was reached, and we named it the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA); another JCPOA in regional issues, another JCPOA in constitutional matters; JCPOA 2, 3, and 4 must come into existence so that we can live comfortably. This is the logic they are trying to promote among the elites of society and through the elites to public opinion. What does this argument mean? It means that the Islamic Republic must abandon the fundamental issues that it is committed to by virtue of Islam and the prominence of the Islamic Republic system: it must abandon the issue of Palestine, abandon support for resistance in the region, abandon political support for the oppressed in the region – such as the Palestinian nation, the people of Gaza, the people of Yemen, the people of Bahrain – and the Islamic Republic must moderate its demands to align itself with what the opposing side, namely the United States, seeks to achieve. This argument means that just as today some countries in the region and regional governments, despite the dictates of Islam and the wishes of their nations, have come to terms with the Zionist regime and have overshadowed the issue of Palestine with other matters, the Islamic Republic should act in the same way; this means that just as today some Arab governments, with utter audacity, extend a hand of friendship to the Zionist enemy, the Islamic Republic should also come to terms and reconcile with the Zionist enemy.

Of course, the issue does not end here; the meaning of what is claimed in the enemy's political analysis is that if it is the desire of the United States, the Islamic Republic should even give up its defensive tools. You see how much uproar has been raised in the world over the issue of missiles: why does the Islamic Republic have missiles, why does it have long-range missiles, why do the missiles of the Islamic Republic hit their targets accurately, why did you test them, why do you conduct military exercises, and why, and why, and why. Now, the Americans, thousands of kilometers away from their country in the Persian Gulf, hold military exercises with one of the regional countries every so often – while they have no responsibility here – but when the Islamic Republic conducts exercises in its own home, in its own environment, and in its own security perimeter, they raise an uproar asking why you conducted exercises, why you acted, why your navy or air force took these actions. The meaning of the enemy's analysis is that we must give up all of these. The issue goes even further; gradually, they will lead the discussion to the point where they will ask why the Quds Force was formed, why the IRGC was formed, why the internal policies of the Islamic Republic must conform to Islam according to the constitution; the matter reaches this point. When you retreat in the face of the enemy, while you can stand firm – which I will elaborate on later – the enemy advances – the enemy does not stop – and gradually they will bring the situation to the point where what you say about the Islamic Republic government, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the judiciary must be in accordance with Islamic laws and Sharia is contrary to freedom, and liberalism does not accept these; gradually, it reaches this point. If we retreat, the retreat will lead to the point where they will ask what role the Guardian Council has in society and why the Guardian Council should remove laws that contradict Sharia. This is the point. This is what I have repeatedly stated: this is the transformation of the Islamic Republic's character. The form of the Islamic Republic may remain intact, but it will be completely devoid of its content; this is what the enemy wants. Therefore, according to the enemy's desired analysis and the analysis they are injecting into the minds of the elites and public opinion of the nation, if the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation want to rid themselves of the evil of the United States, they must abandon the content of the Islamic Republic, abandon Islam, abandon Islamic concepts, and abandon their security.

What is missing in this analysis and overlooked are several points, one of which I will mention, and that is that in the very agreement we made with the Americans regarding the P5+1 and the nuclear issue, the Americans did not fulfill their promises and did not carry out what they were supposed to do. Yes, as our foreign minister put it, they did some things on paper, but through various diversionary paths, they obstructed the realization of the objectives of the Islamic Republic. Look today at the entire Western countries and those influenced by them; our banking transactions are still problematic, the return of our wealth in their banks is problematic, various commercial transactions that require bank intervention are problematic; when we pursue this, investigate, and ask why this is the case, it becomes clear that they are afraid of the Americans. The Americans said that they would lift the sanctions, and they did so on paper, but through other means, they act in such a way that the effect of lifting the sanctions does not materialize at all. Therefore, those who pin their hopes on sitting down with the United States to negotiate on a particular issue and reaching a point of agreement – that is, we make a commitment, and the other side also makes a commitment – overlook the fact that we must fulfill all our commitments, while the other side, through various means, tricks, and deception, evades and does not fulfill the commitments it has made. This is what we are witnessing today before our eyes; it is pure loss.

However, the issue goes even further. I find it necessary to say a few words to the dear youth who have not experienced the tyrannical regime and have not seen the era of tyranny and do not know what happened with the victory of the revolution in this country. Look; in this region where we live – the West Asia region – your dear country, Iran, is the flower of the region; in terms of strategic position and, in common parlance, its strategic location, it is a unique country; in terms of abundant oil and gas resources, it has an advantage over the entire region; besides oil and gas, there are many other abundant resources. It is a large country, with a capable population and talented people, with a rich history. This is the flower of the region; this flower of the region was once completely under the control of the United States, and the Americans did whatever they wanted regarding this country and in this country: they plundered, took its wealth; all the actions that a colonial and arrogant government does to a weak country were carried out here, and they had this place in their grip and in the claws of their power; the revolution came and pulled this country out of their grasp, so the animosity of the revolution will never leave the heart of American politics. The enmity of these people will end only when they can restore the same domination over this country; that is the goal, and they are pursuing it. Of course, they are politicians, diplomats, they know how to achieve their goals, and they know that every goal has a path, and they must move gradually and enter through that path; they are doing this. We must keep our eyes open; we must be vigilant.

The Islamic Republic not only liberated Iran from their grasp but also, with the resistance spirit it demonstrated and the bravery it showed – which I will elaborate on later – encouraged other countries as well. Today, you see that in many countries in this region and even beyond it, people chant “Death to America,” and burn the American flag. The Iranian nation has shown that it can resist, and other nations have learned from it, and they have taken the reins out of the hands of the Americans. The Americans announced that they wanted to create a Greater Middle East – at one point they called it the New Middle East, at another point the Greater Middle East – the aim was to dominate the region of West Asia and the heart of Islamic countries with the fake government of the Zionist regime over all economic, political, and cultural matters in this region; that was their goal. Now, look at those who were shouting about the Greater Middle East; they are now helpless in the case of Syria, helpless in the case of Yemen, helpless in the case of Iraq, helpless in the case of Palestine, and they see all of this through the lens of Iran, through the lens of the Islamic Republic. Their enmity with the Islamic Republic is like this; their disagreement with the Islamic Republic is not over a trivial matter; it is a fundamental issue; they are moving to come to this point so that they can perhaps restore their old domination.

Our dear youth have not seen the tyrannical regime; I want to tell you dear youth that in our country, over the past fifty or sixty years – that is, during the Pahlavi regime and a little before it – first the British, then the Americans held the reins of power and did whatever they wanted; for example, they brought the Pahlavi regime to power; they brought Reza Khan to power, and then when they became displeased with him, they removed him and brought Mohammad Reza; that is, in such a large and magnificent country, in the face of this nation, the Americans or the British could easily remove the head of this country at their will, bring one in place of him, and among themselves; their situation in Iran was like this. Well, how could they establish this domination? They had created strongholds here that first the British regime, then the American regime in later years or decades used these strongholds to maintain their domination over this country. The revolution came and destroyed these strongholds, and instead, created strongholds to protect the revolution and the Islamic Republic and national interests. They want to come and repair those previously destroyed strongholds and eliminate the strongholds that have been created by the revolution and revolutionaries and youth; that is the goal.

Now I will enumerate some of these strongholds for you. The most important stronghold of the arrogant regimes – that is, first the British, then the Americans – in our country was the very puppet regime of tyranny. The puppet regime of tyranny was their stronghold; through it, they did whatever they wanted in this country; every economic activity, every cultural activity, every political activity, every maneuver, every positioning; they pulled this country and the government of this country in whatever direction they wanted; that is, the tyranny regime was the most important stronghold of the Americans and the British in this country. This is one stronghold. Well, the revolution came, destroyed this stronghold, eradicated it; it uprooted the monarchy in the country and established popular sovereignty instead of personal rule. There was a time in this country when they said, “Sir! The country has an owner; who is the owner of the country? His Majesty;” this was it. They repeatedly uttered this that, “Sir, the country has an owner; who is the owner of the country?” The king was the owner of the country, meaning a corrupt, incompetent, dependent element, often devoid of national zeal, was the owner of the country. Well, the Islamic Republic came and removed this usurping false owner, handing the country over to its rightful owners, the people; they hold elections, participate, want, prove, and negate; this was the first stronghold of the enemy that the Islamic Republic and the Islamic revolution dismantled.

But this was not the only one; there were other strongholds as well; psychological factors and tangible factors were strongholds that I will mention two or three of them. One was fear, the stronghold of fear; fear of the powers. They had created a situation in the country where fear of American power dominated all hearts; I mentioned that in the last decades of the Pahlavi regime, even before that, there was fear of the British; whenever an incident occurred in the country, they would say it was the work of the British; that is, they regarded the British as an absolute power. This fear was not limited to the people; even the leaders of the regime were afraid of the Americans. The memories that regime agents wrote and were later published after the revolution show that in some instances, even Mohammad Reza and his close associates were angry with the Americans for the humiliation they inflicted, for the disregard they showed, but they had no choice and were forced to obey out of fear; they were afraid. The Islamic revolution came and dismantled this stronghold of fear. Today in the Islamic Republic, you cannot find an informed, aware individual who relies on religious values who is afraid of the Americans; the nation has cast off fear. The nation has not only discarded fear of the Americans but also fear of the entire front of global arrogance. During the imposed war that lasted eight years – which unfortunately our youth have not experienced that golden era, that radiant era – the Americans were assisting Saddam, NATO was assisting Saddam, the Soviet Union at that time was assisting Saddam, and the Arab reactionaries, despite all their incompetence and weakness, were assisting Saddam; everyone was helping; that is, East and West formed a united front in favor of Saddam and against the Islamic Republic; the Islamic Republic did not flinch and, by divine grace, prevailed over all of them; after eight years of war, they could not take a single inch of Iranian territory from Iran. This is how they eliminated fear. Yes, I mentioned that today, self-restrained, aware individuals who rely on Islamic values are not afraid of the Americans, but why, today some may still be afraid, but this fear is irrational; if Mohammad Reza's fear of the Americans was rational, the fear of these individuals is irrational; because they do not have support like the people, and today the Islamic Republic has support like this great nation.

One of the enemy's strongholds for dominating our country was the injection of disbelief in oneself, lack of self-confidence; they observed the glitter and glamour of Western countries, their scientific advancements, and the material civilization's allure, and they saw that these things were absent in their own country, there was backwardness, thus they felt a lack of self-confidence, a disbelief in themselves. At that time during the Pahlavi era, one of the pillars of the government said that an Iranian should go make a clay pot! You do not know what a clay pot is; a clay pot is a clay water jug, and not even a metal one. In ancient times, it was common to make water jugs from clay. He said that an Iranian is worthy only to go make a clay pot; what does an Iranian have to do with inventions! At that time, they spoke like this. Another prominent figure of that era said that if an Iranian wants to progress, he must become Westernized from head to toe; he must make everything about himself resemble them, perhaps he can advance; that is, they had no belief in themselves. Well, the revolution came and completely transformed this disbelief into self-belief, national self-confidence; today, an Iranian youth says we can. In many cases of scientific advancements – aside from what is now thankfully available and the advancements that have been achieved – our youth sometimes propose new ideas that the responsible authorities are unable to organize; the Iranian youth has self-confidence. When there is no belief in oneself, there is no progress; when there is belief in oneself, there is the slogan “We can,” and capability comes; the country becomes capable, the nation becomes capable. Today we are witnessing this.

For fifty years in this country during the Pahlavi era, before the revolution, there were universities; in these universities, there were both committed and good professors and talented students – now the number was much less than today; relatively, it was much less than today, but those who were there were Iranian youth, talented youth – but there was no scientific movement, no new scientific phenomenon throughout those fifty years in Iran. Why? Because they did not believe they could, they had no confidence in themselves; this lack of confidence had been injected into the minds of the nation. Today, we have a new innovation every day in the country; scientific innovation, technological innovation. Our enemies become angry when they see these innovations. Today, despite sanctions, our country is among the top ten countries in various advanced fields of knowledge. Now, what is visible to the people are the military tools and the weapons that you see in the possession of the IRGC and the army. The advancements they have made in various fields, in nanotechnology and in the nuclear field, are due to self-belief. One of the enemy's strongholds in Iran was the nation's disbelief in itself, and one of the great strongholds of the victory of the nation and its youth is the belief in oneself and the spirit of “We can.” This was also one of the enemy's strongholds.

Another stronghold of the enemy was the separation of religion from politics. They made everyone believe that religion should not interfere in the political environment, in life, and in the social system; they had ingrained this belief. Now, those who had no dealings with religion, let alone the religiously observant and even some scholars of religion, did not believe that Islam could intervene in political matters; this is while the very birth of Islam was politically oriented. The Prophet Muhammad's first action in Medina was to establish a government, but they had ingrained this belief in minds and were using this stronghold against the system, against the country, and against the people. The Islamic Republic came and dismantled this stronghold as well. Today, regarding the issues of the country from an Islamic and Quranic perspective, our youth and our students in our universities are working and striving, not to mention the scholars and seminaries and such.

Well, when I say “the enemy,” I mean the United States government; I do not mince words. Of course, they say that we are not your enemy; we are your friends. They have sent a New Year message to our people and expressed concern for our youth; or they spread a Haft-Seen table in the White House! Well, these are childish tricks; no one believes these. On the other hand, they maintain the sanctions; on the other hand, the U.S. Treasury Department, with their own methods, which they have admitted, acts in such a way that large companies, large firms, and large banks do not dare to approach and deal with the Islamic Republic; on the other hand, they do these things – impose sanctions and threaten – which is outright enmity, while on the other hand, they spread a Haft-Seen table in the White House or in their New Year message say that we are looking for employment for Iranian youth! Well, no one believes these. They have not yet understood our nation; they have not understood the Iranian nation. The Iranian nation is an insightful nation, it is aware, it knows its enemies, and it knows the methods of enmity. Yes, we have no problem with the American people; we have no problem with any nation or any individuals; we have issues with the policies, we have issues with the politicians; they are the enemies.

Let me summarize the matter so that the essence of what we wanted to convey is not lost. There are realities: one reality is the abundant capacities and resources that exist in our country; we have both natural resources and human resources, and we have international opportunities. Today, our country has extraordinary potential for progress due to these resources. This is one reality. Today, the Islamic Republic has become an influential power at the regional level and, in some cases, at the global level; this is a reality that exists. Let us recognize our worth, let us recognize our value and importance, let us recognize the greatness of this nation.

Secondly, the United States is our enemy for clear reasons; as we mentioned, we mean the American politicians and their policies. In the JCPOA, they acted in bad faith and threatened us with further sanctions. As I said, the U.S. Treasury Secretary is busily working day and night to prevent the Islamic Republic from benefiting from the results of the JCPOA. Well, this is enmity. They constantly threaten and repeatedly threaten with more sanctions. The U.S. presidential election will begin in a few months – in seven or eight months – and in nine months, this current U.S. government will change, and there is no guarantee that the government that will come afterward will fulfill even the few commitments that this current government has made. Now, the presidential candidates in the United States are competing in their election speeches to speak ill of Iran; well, this is enmity, after all; enmity does not have horns and a tail. When we say that America is the enemy, some become upset that why do you say enemy? It is an enemy; this is enmity. This is also a reality.

Be mindful, do not forget that we have said that the nation and the government must be united and of one voice; do not forget this. Everyone must work and help the government. If there are any suggestions, they should be directed to the government. The government must be assisted.

The third reality is that the tools of enmity of this seemingly powerful enemy are not unlimited; it has a few essential tools that are its active tools: one is propaganda – Iranophobia – one is infiltration, and one is sanctions. I have repeatedly spoken about infiltration in recent months; I will not repeat it; there is much discussion about propaganda. I want to talk about sanctions.

One of the three effective tools of the enemy is sanctions. The enemy has felt that our country and our nation suffer from sanctions; unfortunately, we have also reinforced this perception in them. At certain times and during a certain period, we constantly magnified the sanctions, saying that sanctions exist, sanctions exist, we must lift the sanctions; if sanctions are in place, we will suffer like this and so on; on the other hand, we also reinforced the lifting of sanctions, magnified it, and exaggerated that if the sanctions are lifted, this will happen, that will happen; events that did not happen, and if we continue like this, they will not happen. However, the enemy has felt that it can exert pressure on the Iranian nation through the tool of sanctions; the enemy has realized this. So what exists before us today is primarily sanctions.

What should we do to counter the sanctions? At the beginning of my speech, I mentioned that the enemy presents a dichotomy to us; it says either come to terms with America and listen to everything it says, or the pressure and sanctions will continue; this is a false and deceptive dichotomy, but there is another dichotomy: either we must endure the problems of sanctions or we must stand firm through resistant economy. Very well, your readiness is good, but mere readiness is not enough for a resistant economy; we said “action and implementation.” Of course, the respected government has done some work in the area of resistant economy; we said to form a command headquarters for the resistant economy, they formed it and placed the first vice president at its head; they have done some work, and I have received the report that as a result of the activities that have been carried out, the trade balance has become positive, meaning our non-oil exports have exceeded our imports; well, this is very good news; or for example, our imports have decreased compared to last year; these are good news, but they are not sufficient, and the work does not end with these; fundamental work must be done. I have mentioned several tasks here that must be carried out in the area of “action and implementation.”

First, the respected government officials must identify the economic activities and chains of advantages in the country and focus on them; some economic activities in the country are prioritized, are important, like a mother, and from them, multiple economic and production avenues open up; they must focus on these; they must identify them and specify the roadmap and clarify everyone’s responsibilities.

The second issue in this “action and implementation” that we said must be taken into account is reviving domestic production. As I have been informed, today about sixty percent of our production capabilities are idle, are shut down; some operate below capacity, some do not operate; we must revive production, we must restore production. Of course, this has a way; many committed economists know this way. I have repeatedly told the respected government officials to invite these critics, listen to their words; sometimes they have good suggestions; production can be revived and set in motion in the country.

The third task is that we have foreign trade, we have imports, we need to buy certain things from abroad, and we must buy these; there is no problem, but we must ensure that these purchases do not weaken our domestic production capacity. For example, suppose we want to import or purchase airplanes; we are told – the government officials themselves say – that if we invest a certain percentage of this price in domestic aircraft industries, we will benefit more than if we buy from abroad, and domestic production will also grow. It is a mistake to import everything from abroad and not consider what our purchases do to domestic production; therefore, we must ensure that our purchases do not weaken domestic production.

Fourth; we have funds abroad; for example, we have sold oil and have not been paid for it. In the JCPOA, it was agreed that these funds would be returned – of course, most of it has not returned, and much of it is problematic; one can see the hand of the Americans behind this issue; of course, there are other motivations as well, but the malice of some American institutions has caused these funds not to return; however, eventually, these funds will return – when these funds that we have abroad, however many tens of billions they are, return, they should not be spent in ways that waste this money. This is money that enters the country, the country needs it, and primarily, for example, it should be for production; they should ensure that this money that enters does not go to waste, is not spent on unnecessary purchases, on inappropriate actions, on extravagance; that is, managing the financial resources that come from banks and foreign institutions into the country.

The fifth issue; there are sectors in our economy that are important and significant; for example, the oil and gas sector or the motor production sector, which is used for cars, airplanes, trains, and ships, should become knowledge-based. This is what we mean by a knowledge-based economy. Our youth, our scholars have shown that they can innovate, they can elevate us from the level of technology we have. Well, this is a small task to adjust a long-range missile to hit a target two thousand kilometers away with a deviation of two or five meters; well, that brain that can do this can also do it in various other cases; for example, suppose it raises the level of a car engine with an advancement that reduces its consumption, or creates a train engine in a certain way; they can do it. Right now, in our country, there are economic and production enterprises that what they do and produce is either better than their foreign counterparts or equal to them; we have this right now; well, these must be strengthened. Therefore, making important sectors of the domestic economy knowledge-based is one of the conditions of a resistant economy and must be carried out.

Sixth; we have invested in some sectors in the past; they should be utilized and taken advantage of. We have made good investments in power plant construction in the country; we have made good investments in petrochemicals. Today, the country needs power plants, and other countries also need the cheap power plants we build. We should not go buy power plants from abroad or bring people to build power plants for us. The parts that have been invested in, that have been worked on, and that have been labored over should be revived and utilized.

The seventh issue; in all foreign transactions we conduct, we should condition the transfer of technology. Of course, our brothers in the government have told us that we have done this and are doing it; I emphasize and repeat this so that it is not overlooked. Suppose they want to buy a new production item; they should not buy the produced item, but rather procure it with its specific technology and bring it; they must ensure that technology is brought into the country. This must be strictly considered in contracts.

The eighth issue; serious action must be taken against corruption, serious action must be taken against favoritism, serious action must be taken against smuggling; these are harming the economy of the country, and the people are bearing the brunt of it. If we neglect the group that, for example, engages in favoritism in economic matters, benefits from special privileges, or becomes involved in financial and economic corruption, we will certainly harm the country; negligence must not occur. Of course, in terms of expression and in newspapers and especially with political orientations, beautiful words are often spoken, but these are of no use. Now, suppose an economic criminal is arrested, for example; newspapers write about him and publish details and actions like this with partisan and political goals; these are of no use; two hundred words are worth less than half a deed. They must prevent the corruption that may arise today and stop corruption.

The next issue is energy efficiency. I once said here in one of these early year speeches, several years ago, that it is claimed that if we can enhance energy efficiency, we will save one hundred billion dollars; this is not a small amount; it is a large amount; they should take this seriously. There are all kinds of various works being done in this country, some of which are unnecessary, some of which are harmful; well, they should focus on work in these areas. This is what “action and implementation” means; action means these things – of course, I have heard that this is also a resolution of the parliament; enhancing energy efficiency is a resolution of the Islamic Consultative Assembly – they should truly investigate that if such a thing exists, they must focus on it and work on it.

And [the issue] tenth; they should pay special attention to medium and small industries. There are now several thousand medium and small workshops and factories in the country; if the statistics that have been given to me and I mentioned that sixty percent of these are now unemployed and shut down are correct, it is a loss. What creates employment in the community, creates movement, and benefits the lower classes are these small and medium industries; they must be strengthened and advanced.

Well, these ten points of work, if action and implementation are to be carried out for a resistant economy, these ten tasks can be accomplished. Of course, other tasks can also be carried out that the officials will look into and examine. I propose these ten items in this way. This is the revolutionary movement, this is the revolutionary movement in the country, this is the resistant economy that will save the country. If we do these tasks, we can stand against the United States, and its sanctions will not affect us. We do not need to abandon our values, our red lines, our principles for the United States to be able to sanction us; by pursuing the policy of a resistant economy, in the practical sense of the issue and the practical action of the subject, we can create immunity for the country; we can provide immunity for the country so that we do not tremble in the face of sanctions that they will impose on us. Well, let them impose sanctions; if a resistant economy is established, the enemy's sanctions will not have a significant effect. This is the revolutionary movement and the movement of faith. Then, if we do these tasks, the respected government officials can come at the end of the year 1395 and report that we have revived these several thousand workshops, factories, farms, and livestock farms. They can come and say these; they can report to the people, and the people will see and feel. When the people feel this, then they will gain trust and confidence.

And of course, the people must help. I tell you that the people – whether political individuals, economic individuals, or the general public – must help the government, help the officials of the country. This task is of course not only the government's work; all three branches must cooperate with each other for the work to progress; and the people must also help them; this help is necessary, and the seriousness of the officials, especially the executive branch, is also necessary. If we can get this movement started, we have said that this movement is revolutionary and will have both speed and success. Wherever we have engaged in revolutionary work, we have these results. Look! The work that our nuclear martyrs did in the sensitive nuclear field was led by martyrs; the work that martyr Tehrani Moghaddam led, the work that martyr Kazemi did in the field of stem cells was pioneering work. The significant cultural work that martyr Avini led and recently the late Salehshoor – these are the pioneers of revolutionary work in this country – these must be promoted, these must be honored, and their names must be cherished. This is revolutionary work. The reason I repeatedly emphasize that we must honor and preserve the revolutionary and Hezbollah forces is because when work is done with a revolutionary spirit, it will progress.

I have discussed the resistant economy; I just want to say a word about cultural issues. You know that cultural issues are very important to me; I place great importance on cultural issues, and what I want to say today is the same matter I mentioned last year or the year before in this same first session of the year that these grassroots popular organizations that engage in cultural work – which now there are thousands of grassroots popular organizations across the country that are working on their own, thinking for themselves, striving, and engaging in cultural work – must be developed day by day; the government agencies must assist them. The government agencies, those related to culture, should open their arms to the Muslim children, to the faithful youth, to the revolutionary children, to the Hezbollah children, rather than opening their arms to those who do not accept Islam, the revolution, the Islamic system, or Islamic values; these can work and are working; valuable cultural work is being done. In all areas, our revolutionary youth can strive and work. Dear youth! The country belongs to you, the future belongs to you, today also belongs to you; know that if you are in the field, if you move with faith in God and trust in God, if you have self-belief, America and even greater than America cannot do anything.

O Lord! Make what we have said and heard for You and in Your way; accept it from us by Your grace. O Lord! Be pleased with the souls of the dear martyrs; be pleased with the purified soul of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified). O Lord! Grant this nation increasing dignity, increasing glory, increasing power, and increasing capabilities in every aspect. O Lord! Do not let us fall short in serving this nation, Islam, Muslims, and this country. O Lord! Grant us what we have said, what we have desired, and what You know we need, even if we have not spoken it. O Lord! Unite the purified soul of our dear brother, the late Mr. Tabasi (may God be pleased with him) with Your saints.

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