The Supreme Leader's Gratitude for the People's Presence in the 22nd of Bahman Rally

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

I find it necessary to commemorate this great event that took place through the Iranian people on the thirty-fifth anniversary of the 22nd of Bahman, and to express my gratitude to the Almighty God for the greatness of this great blessing; it is truly a remarkable phenomenon. Look at the countries that have undergone revolutions, see how they celebrate the anniversaries of their revolutions; they often intensify their celebrations, and after two or three years, the anniversary of the revolution is marked by a few standing there, while others parade in front of them; like armed forces and the like. Here, the work is on the shoulders of the people themselves; the people consider themselves the owners of the revolution, which they are; they consider the country to belong to them, which it does. When we thank each and every person - which is my duty and that of others like me to truly express gratitude - it does not mean that our relationship to the revolution is closer than that of the people, hence we thank the people for helping the revolution; no, the revolution belongs to these people, the country belongs to these people, the Islamic Republic system belongs to these people. The beauty of this work and the great and prominent art is that the people know this; with courage, insight, and timeliness, they support this possession of theirs, this great wealth that is the source of their dignity and independence; precisely at the places where they should show their presence, they do so; as you observed yesterday in Tehran, throughout Iran, the people came with all their being into this arena; this is a very remarkable phenomenon, this is a very important event. We have become accustomed to many phenomena; just as we have become accustomed to the sunrise and think it is a certainty, we do not pay attention to its importance. It is very significant that after thirty-four years since the first 22nd of Bahman, the people are present in this manner, coming forth; men, women, old, young, from various places, different classes, all kinds, everywhere, everyone, are present; this is truly the greatest divine blessing that if one could spend their entire life in gratitude for it, they still could not fulfill the expression of divine gratitude. And we must also thank each and every person; they have truly accomplished a great task, timely and appropriately. Precisely at the time when the enemies of this nation, the enemies of the independence of this nation, the enemies of the dignity of this nation expected that the people would not respond to the call of the revolution and the call of the Islamic Republic, the people thwarted the enemy with their presence, they disappointed the enemy. Of course, in their propaganda, the enemies try not to reveal this, but they understand. What you saw yesterday in the grand scenes that the people created, they also see, understand, and analyze; thus they conclude that it is impossible to confront this nation.

We ask the Almighty God to bestow His successes, blessings, mercy, grace, and well-being upon these people more and more each day.

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