Statements on the Meeting with the People of Qom on the Anniversary of the 19th of Dey Uprising

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

I welcome all brothers, sisters, esteemed scholars, and dear youth, and I congratulate the blessed birth of the great Prophet of Islam and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) to all of you, to the entire nation of Iran, and to the entire Islamic Ummah.

What I must first express on the occasion of the 19th of Dey, which is a historical, great, and decisive day, is my gratitude to the dear people of Qom for not allowing this incident to be forgotten; because there are motivations to forget and to place these great days and events in the shelf of oblivion. They work and strive to ensure that the decisive and generally honorable records of the Revolution and the Sacred Defense era are forgotten. They also want to consign the 9th of Dey to oblivion. The oppressors and tyrants wanted to erase the memory of the Ashura incident of Hussein, but Zainab (peace be upon her) did not allow it. Our aunt Zainab (peace be upon her) undertook two movements: one was the movement of captivity to Kufa and Sham, and the enlightening statements that exposed the truths; the other was the pilgrimage to Karbala on Arbaeen, whether it was the first or second or whatever. This movement signifies that we must not allow the malicious motivations that aim to erase dear and impactful moments from memory to succeed; of course, they will not succeed. As long as nations are alive, as long as truthful tongues are at work, as long as sincere hearts are motivated, they will not be able to consign this to oblivion, just as they have not been able to. These hostile and opposing motivations persisted from the very beginning through long eras; that is, after about 170 or 180 years from the Ashura incident, the Abbasid Mutawakkil sought to destroy the holy grave of Aba Abdullah (peace be upon him); that is, the Iranian nation must remain vigilant, as enemies will continue their plots and malice to ensure that the beauties of the Revolution are forgotten. The enemy does not relent; they either want to distort the Revolution or consign it to oblivion and make the nation forget its movement, its history, and the great work it has done, leading to forgetfulness and negligence. A person who does not know their glorious past cannot create glorious events for themselves in the future; this is the effort the enemies are making.

You kept the 19th of Dey alive, you kept the 29th of Bahman alive, you kept the 22nd of Bahman alive, and you kept the 9th of Dey alive—with specific motivations—this is a struggle against the enemies. They want the truths of the Revolution to be distorted and forgotten; they spend money and work hard. Anyone who is familiar and aware of the world of books, press, and articles sees what the enemies are doing; today they are trying to beautify the face of the wicked and accursed Pahlavi family—the corrupt, dependent, and tyrannical regime that led our country backward for many years and caused the Iranian nation immense problems—through the same front opposing the Islamic system. The supporters are the same people who opposed the very essence of the Revolution, opposed the people who revolted, and vehemently opposed this people's loyalty to the Revolution. They have not succeeded so far; they had hoped they could turn the second and third generations of the Revolution away, but they could not. The third generation of the Revolution could not be turned away from the Revolution. It was these youth, this third generation of the Revolution, who initiated the 9th of Dey; they created that great incident; they delivered a firm slap to the faces of those who sought to divert the Islamic movement through creating discord; who did this? The youth did it, the third generation of the Revolution did it. Today, they are looking at the next generations, at the future youth, because they know that the capital of the Iranian nation is its people. These motivations exist within them; as long as you good youth and faithful people are in the field, motivated, insightful, and aware of what you are doing, they will certainly not succeed.

Well, what was the 19th of Dey? Everyone knows that the 19th of Dey was the beginning of a general movement among the Iranian nation. This fire was smoldering under the ashes, and day by day it was expanding, but its emergence and ignition began on the 19th of Dey, at the hands of the people of Qom; it then led to various movements, and the Iranian nation entered the field united, responding to their dear, brave, divine, and spiritual Imam and clashing with the corrupt regime. What was this regime that the nation clashed with? What was it? This is very important. I will mention two or three characteristics; because I mentioned that today there are motivations to distort, meaning they are trying to present the most wicked, ugly, and black-faced elements of the historical rulers of this nation in a way that the truth does not become clear to the people and they do not understand what they did with this Revolution.

One characteristic of that corrupt regime was its black dictatorship and strange oppression against the people, with the most brutal methods that might exist in other countries as well. Here, we ourselves witnessed closely what they did and how they behaved with the people; both during the era of Reza Khan, which our elders witnessed and narrated to us, and in the recent era, when we ourselves were in the field. The youth, of course, did not see that era. There are many credible accounts of what they did to the people, to the activists, and to those who had even slight criticisms; the behaviors they exhibited, the tortures, the strange and horrific physical and psychological pressures, the terrifying prisons, some of whose signs still exist today, and individuals go and see them and are astonished. One of their actions was that they continued their rule through the power of force and oppression over the people; and those who today speak of human rights and repeat these disgraceful claims were fully supportive of them; it cannot be said they were unaware, no! The hellish SAVAK was created by the Zionists and the Americans, and the methods were taught to them by them; how could they possibly be unaware? Now that it has recently become clear that they too are suffering from such immense problems; the revelations that have occurred recently regarding the behavior of American intelligence agencies with opponents and dissidents, where are they, and where is the talk of freedom of expression, liberalism, and democracy, and paying attention to the people's words? It is indeed a strange world! In our country, that wicked regime had one of its characteristics: extreme cruelty and complete brutality towards anyone who had even the slightest objection to them and they became aware of it.

The second characteristic was the humiliating dependence they had on foreign powers. Now in the books written to exonerate and portray the wicked Pahlavi regime as innocent, they deny this, which of course cannot be denied. Reza Khan came at the behest of the British, and he left at their behest; as soon as the British sent a message that he must go, after seventeen or eighteen years of rule, he was forced to leave; meaning he had no other support; they had brought him in, and now they deemed it necessary for him to leave, and he did; he came at the behest of the British and left at their behest. Then, when Mohammad Reza was brought to power by the British until the end of the 20s, from the early 30s, the Americans entered the scene, seized all affairs, and took control; the policies were those of the United States; whatever the interests of the United States required, whether in domestic behavior, regional behavior, or international behavior; exactly what they deemed necessary; meaning a tremendous humiliation of the Iranian nation. This was one of the characteristics of that wicked regime. The reason you see the Americans with such malice, enmity, and hatred towards the Iranian nation and the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic system is because of this. They have gone through such an era; such a country, such a system has been lost to them; hence their enmity with the Revolution is unending.

The third characteristic of this wicked regime was corruption. Various forms of corruption, from sexual corruption that afflicted almost all those around the court and similar individuals, which today are shameful stories. Many of the people knew about it, although they did not dare to speak about it. Sometimes foreign writers would slip and mention things about sexual corruption, financial corruption, not just at intermediate levels that might occur at any time; no, at the highest levels of the country. From Mohammad Reza himself and his entourage, the highest levels of financial corruption, the largest bribes, the worst encroachments, and the most wicked pressures on the financial resources of the nation were created. They amassed wealth for themselves at the expense of impoverishing and ruining the people. Corruption, sexual corruption, financial corruption, addiction, and the promotion of addiction and industrial drugs were all created and occurred through the main elements of that government in Iran. One of Mohammad Reza's sisters was arrested at the Swiss airport with a suitcase full of heroin! This news spread all over the world, but they quickly covered it up; it was related to them; they resolved the issue and untangled the knot; such a situation existed.

Indifference to the people; among the important characteristics of the tyrannical regime was indifference to the people; the people did not count for anything. In our lifetime, during our youth in the previous regime, we had never participated in an election, nor did we hear from ordinary people in the streets that they participated; there were no elections. At one point, very explicitly, at another point less explicitly, there were their interventions; they would take a bunch of mercenaries, seat them there, and through them, they would carry out their work in the National Assembly and Senate. The people did not even know who was in charge; the relationship between the people and the government was completely severed. The awareness of the people, their knowledge of the country's issues, of political matters that you see today, is the exact opposite of what existed back then; the wicked regime was completely disconnected from the people.

Indifference to scientific progress, promoting national self-deprecation, and magnifying the West; now scientific work was not progressing, and scientific movement in the true sense did not exist at all, in the media, they accustomed the people to imports, a habit that unfortunately remains to this day. Long-standing habits that are formed for the people do not easily disappear. Instead of leading the country towards the revival of domestic production and the true resources of a nation, they accustomed the people to imports with oil money; they changed the people's tastes; they destroyed the country's agriculture, eliminated the real and national industries, and completely made the country dependent on foreign powers and the enemies of this nation. They humiliated the nation, underestimated the capabilities of the nation, expressed them, and magnified Western culture; a wicked regime that was a conglomerate of all evils. Well, the people felt it; the Iranian nation is an intelligent nation, they understand the truths, they feel them, but a hand is needed, a resonant voice is needed, a faithful heart is needed to bring others into the field of struggle; struggles were taking place here and there, for the people to come into the field, this was the work of a divine man whom God Almighty granted to the people; our great Imam became the voice that encompassed all the demands of the people; the people responded, they complied, they sacrificed their lives, they showed selflessness, they entered the field; the nation clashed with such a regime and triumphed.

The reason for the enmity of the enemies with the Islamic system is primarily that in a sensitive point, in a wealthy country, in a country that is extraordinarily important in terms of strategic position—where they had been able to revive and strengthen a corrupt regime that was a puppet connected to them—Islam, the nation, and the people's aspirations have come and replaced it; they pay no attention to the desires of the enemies; they move in exactly the opposite direction of the paths that regime took. The greatest service of the Islamic movement and the Islamic Revolution was that it freed the people from the tyranny of that regime. Everything that has happened since then until today, this national dignity, this massive popular movement, this public awareness and insight, this scientific progress, this prominent position of Iran in the world and in the region, all of these are because that great obstacle was removed from the path of the nation; and this was done by the people; this was done by religion; this was done by beliefs.

Today, the front of global arrogance is in opposition to this system; no one should think that the enemy will overlook their enmity; no, when you are strong, when you are prepared, when you recognize the enemy and the enemy's tricks, the enemy will inevitably retreat from enmity; when you are negligent, when you trust the enemy, then the enemy will find an opportunity to realize their goals and objectives in the country. The pressure that today is being exerted on the Iranian nation by global arrogance stems from that immense and unending enmity; it is an unending enmity. The Iranian nation stands against this enmity, has resisted, has preserved the Islamic Republic, and is advancing its path towards its aspirations; despite the unconsidered and incorrect statements made about the Iranian nation's failures in this path, the Iranian nation has achieved very great successes until today. The Iranian nation has traveled the path well, has been able to resist against the pressures of the enemy, has been able to preserve itself, has been able to grow, and has been able to draw closer to its aspirations.

We always say, we have said many times that we have not been able to fully realize the demands of Islam, this is certain; but we have traveled a long way in this regard. We have not been able to establish social justice completely in this country, but we have made significant progress. These should not be overlooked. One day, all the wealth of this country was spent on a few aristocratic families, and occasionally a surplus reached a few large cities; today, the farthest points of the country benefit from the blessings of this country. This massive movement, the movement towards social justice, the movement towards Islamic ethics exists. Now we sometimes hear about ethics being discussed, criticisms are made; yes, with the desired Islamic ethics, today we are far from it, there is no doubt; but we have made significant progress, the Iranian nation has traveled a long way, these should not be overlooked. Some foolishly deny scientific advancements; why do you deny it? This nation has made scientific progress; this is not our claim, international scientific bases testify to it; then a group comes and denies it, humiliates the nation; this is a mistake, not recognizing that massive movement and great progress that the sacred Islamic system has brought for this country is unfair, it is a mistake. Yes, of course, we have a long way ahead; we have not yet reached our aspirations; the Islamic aspirations are much higher than this. In the early days of Islam, this movement also existed; there too, they were in the middle of the path. Do not think that in the early days of Islam, during the time of the noble Prophet and his successors, the people reached their ultimate aspirations; no, what is important is that a country moves; our nation is in motion. Do not ruin this movement with unconsidered words, with immature and incorrect statements. Do not create doubt in the nation about this massive movement that has begun and is progressing with hope. The nation has advanced; great works have been accomplished; the world testifies to this. Those who come from other countries testify; they have opened their mouths to praise the Iranian nation; it is not only us who have praised it, our opponents have praised it, our enemies have praised it. The Iranian nation is being praised for its power, for its steadfastness, for its talents, for the great successes it has achieved in this path; they praise the Iranian nation.

Today, what is necessary for our nation is, first of all, national unity and solidarity. Dividing the people into two groups, separating the people, giving divisive slogans among the people—under any pretext—is a mistake; this is against the interests of the Iranian nation and against the aspirations of the Iranian nation. Unity and solidarity. The people should help the officials, help the government.

The government officials should also know that what can enable them to fulfill their duties is reliance on internal power; reliance on the power of the people. I have said this many times in public sessions and also in private sessions with government officials; their gaze should not be towards foreign hands. Yes, today the enemies have created problems for the Iranian nation with sanctions; well, if they come and set a condition for lifting the sanctions that your honor does not allow you to accept, what will you do? They set conditions that you abandon Islam, abandon independence, abandon the movement towards science, abandon such an honorable phenomenon so that we lift the sanctions; what will you do? You will certainly not accept. Certainly, no official in the country will accept that the condition for lifting the sanctions is, for example, a fundamental issue or an aspirational issue. Of course, the enemy does not come to openly oppose the aspirations; why? If we retreat, it will become clear; but today it is not the case that the enemy openly opposes the aspirations and sets conditions; however, one must be vigilant; understand that this proposal, this statement, this action from the enemy is being carried out with what goal. Well, it is clear that no official is willing or agrees to yield to the enemies and to abandon the aspirations in order to lift or reduce the sanctions; very well, since this is the case, then you should work to ensure that the country becomes immune to the sanctions; this is what resilient economy means. Assume that the enemy makes the lifting of sanctions contingent upon something you are not willing to accept—consider the issue this way—work to make the sanctions ineffective. We have said many times to work to reduce the financial dependency of the country on oil; well, you observe that within a short period, they reduce the price of oil by half. When we are dependent on oil, problems arise for us; this thought must be considered. Among the greatest responsibilities of the country's officials is to ensure that if the enemy does not want to lift the sanctions, the country's prosperity and progress and the welfare of the people are not harmed; what is the way? The way is to refer to the internal country, to the internal nation, to utilize the internal forces of the country, and there are ways; knowledgeable, expert, and sincere individuals testify that there are ways to be self-reliant. This is the duty of the country's officials and government officials; do not fixate on foreign hands; the enemy at times wishes to exert pressure; the more you retreat, the more they advance; the more you take a step back, the more they come forward; the system of arrogance is not a system of mercy, fairness, humanity, and consideration; the more you retreat, the more they advance. Think fundamentally.

The fundamental thought is to ensure that the country does not suffer from the enemy's claws, that the country is not harmed by the enemy's sanctions; and there are ways, there are actions that can be taken; some have already been done and have been successful and have yielded results; actions can be taken; this weapon can be taken from the enemy; otherwise, if our eyes are on the enemy's hands that "if you do not do this, the sanctions will remain" [it is of no use]; as the Americans shamelessly say, "if Iran makes any concessions in the nuclear issue, the sanctions will not be lifted all at once"; they are saying this explicitly. This indicates that one cannot trust this enemy, one cannot rely on them. I am not opposed to negotiation; let them negotiate; as long as they want to negotiate! I believe that the heart should be entrusted to genuinely hopeful points, not to imaginary points; this is what is necessary. Well, the country's officials, thanks be to God, are busy, they are striving, they are working, and my opinion is that everyone should help the responsible agencies, help the government; because the work is hard, it is difficult. The government officials should also be careful not to create divisions among the people, not to create distractions, and not to raise unnecessary issues; this unity of our people, this high spirit of our people, this faith of our people should be properly utilized, God willing, the path of this country will be opened.

I tell you, just as today we have changed from the beginning of the Revolution from the ground to the sky—we have made significant progress, we have changed a lot from twenty years ago, from ten years ago, we have advanced—certainly, the Iranian nation will continue to advance on this glorious path day by day, and the Iranian nation, you youth, with God's grace and favor, will see the day when the arrogant, oppressive, and shameless arrogant powers will be forced to bow and submit before you.

May God's mercy be upon our great Imam who laid the path of steadfastness, reliance on God, and insight before us; may God's mercy be upon our dear martyrs who moved in this path; and may God's mercy be upon you dear ones, youth, and motivated individuals who have continued this path until today.

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