Statements in Meeting with the Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

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, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the remainder of God on earth (may our souls be sacrificed for him).

Welcome. Today is a very joyful and pleasant day for me in meeting with you dear ones, you men of the revolution and guardians of truth and reality. I thank the esteemed commander of the IRGC and the respected representative; they delivered very good remarks.

One part of my remarks is a brief overview of the IRGC. I would like to present some points about the IRGC that may have been mentioned many times, but nonetheless, our people, our youth, and the youth of the IRGC need to hear these points. We must not forget our identity. One of the goals of the world's devils is our self-forgetfulness; we must not allow that. I will briefly mention a few points regarding the IRGC and also a sentence about the revolution, which the IRGC considers its mission to safeguard. What characteristics does this revolution, of which you are the guardians, possess? I will say a few sentences in this regard.

Regarding the IRGC, I have noted a few points to present. The first point is that the formation of the IRGC at the beginning of the revolution was a unique phenomenon among the great revolutions of history. In great revolutions like the French Revolution or the Bolshevik Revolution in the Soviet Union, groups emerged early in the revolution claiming to support it, taking actions, but the IRGC was absolutely incomparable to those groups and populations; they were destructive, reckless, undisciplined, and lacked adherence to principles and foundations, whereas the IRGC was formed from the very beginning under the supervision of the centrality of the revolution; its command and organization were centralized; there was a management and command council; from the outset, there was a centralized command. The IRGC command was at the center; it was present throughout the country, but the centrality truly commanded.

From the very beginning of the formation of the IRGC, its members were imbued with the values of religion and revolution, such as self-sacrifice, dedication, constant and round-the-clock jihadist presence, and obedience and submission to the Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified); absolutely nothing else was seen. We were observers and present from the beginning; we saw the issues of the IRGC; it was indeed a unique phenomenon. The members were pure and possessed piety. I do not wish to exaggerate; after all, there are flaws and weaknesses in all individuals; there were shortcomings, there were weaknesses, but according to the evidence, in the history of our country up to that day, perhaps no military organization has been seen with this level of integrity; human integrity and divine integrity. Throughout the history of the country, as far as I know, we do not recognize any military organization that possesses this level of spiritual, moral, and political integrity; this is one point. The formation of the IRGC was such a phenomenon.

The next point is the issue of internal growth and emergence of the IRGC; this is also a unique phenomenon. The IRGC was initially formed from a few hundred individuals, but within a short period, less than two years, it transformed into a vast military organization, with organized structures, with the organization of brigades, which was very important; it was able to organize military units into brigades; that is, it moved from small, nameless groups to companies, to battalions, and beyond to create brigades; this event occurred in less than two years. This enabled it, after a short period, to carry out several significant and decisive operations in cooperation with the army; operations such as Operation Thamen al-A'imah, Operation Tariq al-Quds, Operation Fath al-Mubin, and Operation Bait al-Maqdis. That day, for example, when a major operation like Fath al-Mubin took place with the decisive and fateful participation of the IRGC, it was April 1982, and from the formation of the IRGC to that day, just over two years had passed; such growth, such emergence with those commands, with those astonishing movements [existed] that I believe, even with all the writings we have in this regard, the details of the issues and the greatness of the work are not yet clearly understood, not properly elucidated. The IRGC was able to demonstrate the immense defensive power of the revolution to the enemy through self-sacrifice — here, both mental and spiritual preparedness and practical sacrifices were present — which was decisive:

"To give one's life for a single arrow and save A country from the shame of dark days."

Such a state came into being. This movement, this emergence and unparalleled strength; this is a unique phenomenon; we [do not have anything like this]. And this unique and exceptional phenomenon continued, it did not stop; it was not the case that they started a movement, made some progress, and then stopped; no, this has continued to this day, so that after about four decades, we have a vast and fully equipped defensive and military center and the largest anti-terrorist organization in the world. Today, the IRGC is the largest anti-terrorist organization in the entire world; it is a military organization equipped; it is an efficient and independent organization that can accomplish tasks that many of the world's large armies cannot perform. This is also regarding the growth and emergence [of the IRGC].

Another point regarding the performance of the IRGC; this is also an attractive and multifaceted phenomenon. First of all, one of the most important tasks that the IRGC has performed from the very first day until today is confronting the crises manufactured by the enemy; this is very important. Let me present a historical background; shortly, approximately one month before the victory of the revolution, that is, precisely in mid-January 1979, the leaders of four countries — the United States, England, France, and Germany — gathered at a conference — as they called it a gathering — on a French island called Guadeloupe, which later became known as the Guadeloupe Conference. The topic of discussion at this conference was the revolution, the Iranian revolution, the Islamic revolution. They sat down to discuss, "What should we do? What solution do we have in the face of this revolution?" They saw that [the revolution] was becoming victorious. They concluded that saving the Pahlavi puppet regime was impossible; this was the first conclusion; they said this was not feasible; it cannot be done. The second conclusion was that they reassured themselves, saying, "Yes, this revolution will succeed, but crises will arise for this revolution — this is stated in the published documents of this conference — that no government that comes to power after the revolution will be able to confront these crises; they reached this conclusion. That is, the extent of what has been said about this conference is this. They said that any government that comes to power after the revolution will be brought down by these crises and will not be able to continue. Later, the documents of the U.S. embassy in Tehran were released; these documents explicitly stated that the Westerners designed a strategic policy to prevent this revolution from taking root and being sustainable; that strategic policy was to create successive crises, continuous events. Look! In the early days of the revolution, we had issues in the western part of the country, we had issues in the northwest, we had issues in the northeast, we had issues in the south, we had issues in the southeast; that is, there were crises constantly around the country. This news clarifies the interpretation of these events for us, showing what these events were; these events were not spontaneous; they were the same successive crises. After a while, the war and Saddam's attack began. Who was able to suppress these crises, these events and disturbances, and save the country from them? Who was able to save the people of Kurdistan, the people of Baluchistan, the people of various regions of the country from the scourge of these disturbances? Who was able to save the people of Tehran from the widespread terrorist onslaught? It was the IRGC; it was the IRGC. The organization that defeated the policy of successive crises that had been designed to incapacitate the revolution was the IRGC; it was they who extinguished that fire. The enemy's goal was to drain the revolution's energy with these crises, and then, when the revolution weakened, to create a coup like the coup of August 28 and finish the matter. The IRGC prevented the August 28s; the IRGC did not allow the correct movement that the country had begun to be neutralized by the enemy's policy. That is why you see how much the Westerners resent the IRGC; the name of the IRGC is always uttered with malice and hatred by them; this is the reason. Well, this is also part of the performance of the IRGC.

The performance of the IRGC during the Sacred Defense is a separate and very important chapter that has been well documented and many good reports have been prepared about it, which we will not delve into; [because] it is a separate and lengthy chapter.

Another part of the IRGC's performance is the issue of its ever-increasing capabilities. The IRGC did not remain stagnant within itself; it increased its capabilities day by day; both through the internal efforts of the IRGC and through the inter-organizational cooperation that took place. This increase in capabilities should not only be viewed as stockpiling weapons and increasing armaments and innovating; it signifies the deterrence of the country, it signifies the preservation of the country's security. When the enemy feels that you are weak, it is encouraged to attack; when it feels that you are strong, even if it intends to attack, it is forced to reconsider. Thus, it is stated: "You frighten the enemy of God and your enemy with it"; this number and capability emphasized in the Quran is to create security for the country. Therefore, you see that for a while they repeatedly said, "The military option is on the table"; [now] for a while, this statement has not been repeated, it has diminished, it has lost its value; they understand that this statement is meaningless. This is due to your capabilities; when you increase your capabilities internally, the result appears here.

Another aspect of the performance [of the IRGC] is the issue of the IRGC's construction efforts in various fields; this is a brilliant chapter, a very important discussion, and we cannot easily pass over it. In infrastructure matters, the IRGC is leading; we have few organizations that have been able to accomplish as much work in the country's infrastructure — roads, highways, dams, refineries, and the like — as the IRGC has, with costs lower than usual and at a faster pace than usual. This is a very important chapter of pride.

Another chapter is the issue of the IRGC's public services. The IRGC has stood by the people in various sectors. In the health sector — which is very important — the IRGC has been able to accomplish great works. In natural disasters and calamities such as earthquakes, floods, and COVID-19, it has provided essential assistance. Alleviating poverty; one of the sectors that remains largely unknown, and no proper and accountable report has been given to the people about it, is the IRGC's movements and actions in alleviating the poverty of the underprivileged; [in this area] significant work has been done, extensive work has been accomplished.

Another important chapter regarding performance that must be considered is the impact of the IRGC in the public sphere of the country. Naturally, an organization like the IRGC, with the characteristics mentioned, can be attractive to the younger generation, and it truly is attractive. The young force looks and sees that in this organization, knowledge and action are intertwined; hard power and soft power are intertwined. Hard power is missiles and drones and the like; soft power is presence among the people, talking to the people, helping the people; both exist. There is a look at ideals alongside attention to realities and engagement with realities in the IRGC. Connection with the people, the presence of Basijis alongside the people; when the young force looks at such an organization, it becomes captivated; these are attractive to the youth. If you look at the biographies of the martyrs of the defense of the shrine and similar figures — the martyrs of security who have been martyred over the years — when one reads their biographies, one sees that the attraction of the IRGC's presence and its history is the most important factor and influence in this emergence, in this movement, in the creation of these personalities. Young people take inspiration, they are influenced. An organization that is both mission-oriented, ideal-seeking, present in the field, and committed to values in action becomes attractive. Not only is the organization attractive, [but] its people are also attractive; its individuals are attractive to every sound heart. Its high-ranking commander, like martyr Soleimani, is one way, its devoted youth, like martyr Hajji, is another way, and a simple and brave guard like Ibrahim Hadi is yet another; all of these are attractive; each of them is a model, an everlasting model. This is also part of the performance of the IRGC.

Now, if we enter the section beyond the borders of the country, which is a very lengthy discussion; the impacts that the movement of the IRGC and the existence of the IRGC and the ideals of the IRGC and the type of orientation and actions of the IRGC have had on the youth of other countries, if we delve into this matter, it becomes a very lengthy discussion, and I do not wish to enter into that discussion; but it is very important. Well, this is a glimpse regarding the IRGC.

Now you observe; one of the important aspects of the enemy's activity is to tarnish the image of the IRGC, to tarnish the image of the Basij; why? For this reason; because the IRGC is attractive, because the Basij is attractive; this attractiveness worries them, it makes them anxious, they are forced to tarnish it. With false news, with false rumors, with various tricks and schemes, they want to prevent this modeling from occurring, this learning from happening, this gathering of supporters from taking place. Well, this is also a section that is part of the performance of the IRGC. Thus, the emergence of the IRGC, the growth and increase of the IRGC, and the performance of the IRGC; we have presented these three sections.

An important section regarding the IRGC is the issue of safeguarding, not just the revolution, [but] safeguarding itself. Before we discuss the IRGC's safeguarding of the revolution and pay attention to it, we must pay attention to the IRGC's safeguarding of itself. All human beings are prone to slip. All organizations are prone to slip, to laziness, to arrogance, and to various misleading inclinations; all are like this, except for the infallibles. All leaders, all managers, all commanders, all of us, all of us are susceptible, so we need self-protection; first and foremost, we need to safeguard ourselves. This safeguarding of oneself in the Quranic culture is called "taqwa". Taqwa means this, it means safeguarding oneself; we must be careful of ourselves; this is the duty of the organization as an organization; it is the personal duty of each one of us; me, you, [everyone]. One of the important tasks that must always be considered is this safeguarding of oneself. We have weaknesses. Every human being has a weakness within their personality. Sometimes these weaknesses remain hidden in the inner layers of a person's mind and existence and spirit; at some point, they find an opportunity to emerge and manifest; some of us have a love for money, some have a love for position; various desires attract us. Sometimes we are oblivious to these; many times we are unaware of these characteristics; at some point, a situation arises, and this emerges, it overcomes us; if we do not fight it, it will overpower us, it will bring us down. We must safeguard ourselves.

The values of the IRGC, the distinctions of the IRGC are very valuable; these must be protected; these must be safeguarded; officials of various ranks in the IRGC are obliged to be active in these areas, to be sensitive, to be vigilant, to be concerned; if we become heedless of God, this danger increases; if jihadist motivations decrease for any reason, this danger increases; if our achievements make us arrogant, this danger increases. The risk factors are these: heedlessness of God, arrogance over achievements, fatigue from jihadist work, neglecting divine blessings; [that is] if we become heedless of the great divine blessings that God has given us and when a disorder arises before us, it discourages us. A problem arises, and we forget that the Almighty God has solved a hundred of our problems; now this is just one problem; [this] what significance does it have? In prayers, we are taught: "O God, Your light has been completed, and You have guided, so praise be to You, our Lord, and You have extended Your hand, and You have given, so praise be to You, our Lord, and Your forbearance has grown, and You have forgiven, so praise be to You, our Lord"; remember the divine blessings. As soon as a stone appears in the way, we forget that enormous boulders were removed from our path, and God removed them; we forget; we become doubtful, we become uncertain, we become lethargic, we become hopeless. These are deadly diseases; we must be vigilant against these diseases.

In this regard, let us pay attention to the fact that some classes, if they make a mistake, the Almighty God counts it as two mistakes; we, the clerics, are among these; [one] mistake of ours is counted as two mistakes. The Almighty God says to the wives of the Prophet: "O wives of the Prophet, whoever of you commits a manifest indecency, her punishment will be doubled"; (5) to the wives of the Prophet! The wives of the Prophet are the mothers of the believers, their status is so high; [then] the Almighty God tells these honorable ladies that if you make a mistake, "her punishment will be doubled". Of course, "and whoever of you is obedient to God and His Messenger and does righteous deeds, We will give her a double reward"; (6) if you do good, you will receive double the reward. You IRGC members are the same; if you do good, you will receive double the reward; one reward for that good deed, and one reward for being a model for others. We clerics are the same: double the reward. On the other hand, if we make a mistake, it is the same: one sin, the sin itself, and one sin [for the external effects] that this sin has; this must be considered.

I strongly advise the new generations of the IRGC — who, thanks be to God, today tens of thousands of young people have entered the IRGC over the years and pursued great goals and created pride and accomplished great works — to strive to elevate your spiritual, scientific, and practical refinement above that of your predecessors. Your predecessors were good people; those who came from universities and various regions in their youth entered the battlefield, putting their lives in their hands, at a time when there was no hope of victory. There was truly no hope of victory; when the Sacred Defense began, after a short period, when one went to the war zones, one saw nothing but sorrow, nothing but grief, nothing but darkness and gloom; in this atmosphere, these young people sacrificed their lives and entered the field, steadfastly standing and able to turn the page, able to attract divine guidance and victory. "And those who strive in Our cause, We will surely guide them to Our paths"; (7) those who strive, the Almighty God grants them guidance, assistance, and victory.

The same verses that were recited — "You believe in God and His Messenger and strive in the way of God with your wealth and your lives" until "He will admit you into gardens beneath which rivers flow ... and another [blessing] that you love: victory from God and a near conquest" (8) — [it states] if we strive, the Almighty God sends His victory; on the other hand, if we make a mistake, we see its effect immediately in the moment of danger at the front line: "Indeed, those who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was only Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned"; (9) in the Battle of Uhud, those who slipped and turned the scene of victory into defeat and inflicted that great loss on the front of truth, "it was only Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned"; the problem was their previous conduct; their behavior with themselves was not good, and its effect appears in the front, in that sensitive area, in that sensitive turn. Therefore, this section is an important section; the section of safeguarding oneself, protecting oneself.

Well, now let us reach the safeguarding of the revolution: "the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps." The first question that arises is what characteristic exists in the Islamic revolution that makes it a target for the enemy's attack, necessitating the existence of a guardian to protect it? Where in the Islamic revolution is it that causes enemies, both manifest and hidden, to align against it, compelling us to provide guardians to safeguard and protect the revolution? The answer to this question is clear; the answer is: the political sovereignty of the revolution. Islam exists in many places in the world; Islam that does not concern itself with the colonial and exploitative powers and their companies does not attract their attention; although they are not very fond of them, they do not pay much attention to them. What mobilizes the enemy to stand against Islam is the political sovereignty of Islam; this is what, through the efforts of the Iranian nation, under the leadership of that unparalleled man — Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) — has been realized here, and it has compelled the enemies to align against it: the political sovereignty of Islam.

Well, the next question is what characteristic does the political sovereignty of Islam have that makes them sensitive, that compels them to react and respond; what is this? This is important; we must reflect on this; here, the deeper, more precise, and clearer our understanding of the Islamic revolution is, the more our commitment to safeguarding it will increase. Of course, in this regard, if one wants to discuss, it is not a matter of one or two hours; the characteristics that exist in the Islamic system and Islamic society and Islamic politics, these are lengthy discussions. I will only point out a few points.

The political system of Islam opposes oppression, opposes the oppressor; very simply. It has the command: "Be adversaries to the oppressor"; we have been told, "Be adversaries to the oppressor." The Commander of the Faithful, the embodiment of true Islam, advises his dearest elements in the world, namely his two sons, to be enemies of the oppressor; to oppose the oppressor; "and be helpers to the oppressed"; (10) this is the first. Well, if a policy in the world, an apparatus in the world, a power in the world is based on oppression, it is clear that it will oppose this system; because it knows that this [system] is its enemy. The foundation of the Zionist regime is based on oppression; it is fundamentally based on oppression; a nation has been expelled from their homes and lives, [not] through money and request, [but] with guns and torture and batons, and they have taken their place. Its foundation is oppression. Well, this regime is naturally opposed to a system that has "Be adversaries to the oppressor" as its banner and holds it above its head; this is natural.

The Islamic system opposes encroachment on the interests of nations. Even if they do not share the same beliefs and behaviors. "And let not the hatred of a people cause you to be unjust"; (11) in dealing with nations, one must act with justice and fairness, even if they do not share the same beliefs as you. "The hatred of a people" means that even if they oppose you, you must not act unjustly towards them. Well, regimes whose work is based on injustice are naturally opposed. England was once the wealthiest country in Europe. Where did it get its wealth? From India, from the eastern regions after the Indian subcontinent, from the lands of America when they were occupied by the English. France became a wealthy country and was able to do scientific work; where did it get its wealth? From Algeria, from Morocco, from Tunisia, from French-speaking regions in Africa or Latin America; the rest are the same. The foundation of their work has been exploitation; because they knew how to navigate, they were by the sea, they could go here and there, first with trickery and deception, and then when they obtained guns, they could forcibly extract the interests of nations from their throats. Well, it is clear that these governments, these powers, these regimes will oppose a system whose foundation is based on not oppressing nations and not interfering in the affairs of nations; this is how it is. Now, some so-called political analyst sits down to analyze what the Islamic revolution, the Islamic system, the Islamic Republic has done that such and such country and such and such country and such and such country oppose it; does it require analysis? It is clear. The issue is this: the devilish apparatus of colonialism cannot be friendly with a system like the Islamic system.

The next point; the Islamic system believes in the dignity of human beings; human beings as human beings, not human beings of a certain region, human beings of a certain race, human beings of a certain color. "And We have certainly honored the children of Adam"; (12) we have honored the children of Adam; this is the Quran; the black of the black community is also "the children of Adam"; there is no difference. This discriminatory logic that the Westerners have spread in a disgraceful manner and acted upon and continue to this day is completely against the Quran and against Islam; the Islamic system opposes this. Well, do you want America, which still, after two or three hundred years, three or four hundred years since the beginning of the Westerners' arrival in America, [where] the issue of racial discrimination still exists, do you want this regime, this system to be friendly with the Islamic system? Well, the Islamic system opposes these things. This is another characteristic.

One of the other characteristics of the Islamic system is that the Islamic system believes that if a country, a government does not intend to be hostile to it, does not intend to be adversarial with it, and says let us not fight, the Islamic system must accept; "And if they incline to peace, then incline to it and rely upon God." (13) The party is a government that does not share your thoughts and beliefs, but does not intend to be hostile, says let us be together, let us coexist peacefully; that is acceptable. "God does not forbid you from being righteous and just toward those who do not fight you because of your religion and do not expel you from your homes"; (14) [if] they do not fight you, do not expel you from your home, do not have opposition with you, accept them; but if you see that the party is not trustworthy, is lying, is scheming, then no; "Do not weaken and invite to peace"; (15) if it is like this, you have no right; if you feel, understand, and the signs show that the other side is not sincere, is lying, in appearance, it extends its hand to shake hands with you, but with that other hand, it is holding a poisoned dagger behind its back, "Do not weaken and invite to peace"; never accept. Or if you made a pact, "And if they break their pledges after their covenant"; (16) you should also respond in kind; if they break their pact, break your pact with them. See! These are the lessons of the Islamic system. Well, these lessons are in confronting the devils, the enemies. Yes! People who are not devils, who do not have malice, who do not have wickedness, are acceptable to them, but that enemy who has malice, who has wickedness, who is vengeful, who is treacherous, who is a liar, naturally becomes an enemy. So, the things that exist in the Islamic system that create enmity are these; and such things.

Who is the aggressor? It is from those who oppose these characteristics; thus, we have identified the enemy. When we reflect on this, we both gain motivation for safeguarding and understand against whom we must safeguard our revolution; we recognize the opponent and do not make mistakes. One of the problems we sometimes encounter and must be vigilant not to fall into is that we do not mistake in identifying the enemy. Sometimes a person makes a mistake in identifying the enemy. Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) with that insight — I mean, truly no expression better than this can be said about that man, insight in the truest sense of the word — who penetrated into the hidden layers and saw things, said: "Whatever you have to shout, shout it at America." (17) So it became clear what the reason for the enmity against this revolution is and who those who harbor enmity are.

Another point regarding these enmities exists; if the Islamic Republic had not become a model, this enmity would have been less, but the Islamic Republic has become a model, it has become a pioneer; the Islamic Republic has become the driving force of resistance movements in this sensitive region; this is the issue. You see! Before the victory of the Islamic revolution, this wretched Zionist regime could ground the armies of several relatively strong countries around it in six days; Egypt, Syria, Jordan. In 1967, in the Six-Day War, the Zionist army was able to ground the equipped armies of these three countries and seize large amounts of their land; hundreds of square kilometers of land from these three countries were taken. The same thing happened in 1973; there, these countries, Egypt and Syria, were able to take advantage of a surprise and initially make a move; but immediately, it was able to besiege them again, and again defeated them; that is, the Zionist regime was such that three countries, with all their armies, could not contend with it, and it could ground them in six days. After the Islamic revolution, it reached a point where this regime spent 33 days trying to defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon and could not, and was forced to flee in disgrace; it could not resist against Hezbollah. The distance before and after the revolution, the distance between the Six-Day War and the 33-Day War is significant. Today, it has reached a point where within the occupied territories of Palestine, in the area of the West Bank, the youth are moving in such a way, attacking in such a way that they incapacitate the Zionist regime and have incapacitated it. This is the revolution; well, naturally, enmity arises.

Well, let me also mention the last point. There are many advancements, many good works, capabilities are ever-increasing — the esteemed commander of the IRGC made good remarks about the capabilities and in describing what exists — all of this is present, perhaps many other things exist that naturally do not appear in reports, but I say do not become arrogant about the capabilities and advancements; be vigilant not to be deceived by what we have; appreciate it, understand its importance, know that the strategic policy of [creating] successive crises that was approved at the Guadeloupe conference is still in effect, that policy has not been abandoned. [They want] to create crises continuously within the Islamic Republic, our dear country; one day under the pretext of elections, one day under the pretext of gasoline, one day under the pretext of women, under various pretexts, [they want] to create crises and they do. The tools are also more advanced today; it is clear. The enemy's primary goal from these crises is, first and foremost, to undermine the security of the country; without security, there is no economy; without security, there is no science, no universities, no research centers; without security, there is no employment; without security, there are no infrastructure projects; without security, there is no revival of closed factories; security is fundamental. The goal of these crisis-creating efforts is to undermine the security of the country; this must be recognized as a truth, and we must define our duty in relation to it. The enemy wants to encroach on the security of the country, to disrupt the lives of the people; this is the enemy's movement. Well, the main factor is of course clear; the main factor is the intelligence agencies of the CIA, Mossad, MI6, and similar organizations; these are the main ones, but they also have lackeys: internal lackeys, external lackeys, Western-oriented elements, inattentive elements; these also serve as lackeys, but the main issue is there; the root of the matter is there.

Today, our duty is the constant vigilance over the revolution; our duty today is national unity; national unity is important; our duty today is to involve the people; to assist all people, especially the underprivileged classes; our duty today is the jihadist work of the officials; this is no longer specific to the IRGC; all officials of the country today are obliged to work jihadistically, to work day and night, to not know fatigue. We have traversed a fruitful season; we have crossed this steep slope, we have approached the peaks. We must not become weary. Today is not a day for fatigue, it is not a day for despair; today is a day of enthusiasm, a day of hope, a day of movement; the officials of the country in various sectors must move with this spirit. Trust must exist; I do not say there should be no criticism; criticism must be accompanied by trust. They want to criticize, that is fine, but they must have trust. The officials are working; with sincerity, with enthusiasm, with hope, with reliance on God, with all their might; trust must be placed in them, and criticism, if necessary, [must be made]; I have no objection to criticism. If we follow this path, and thanks be to God, it has been followed until today and will continue by God's grace and divine assistance, victory over the enemy is certain.

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