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 and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among the people of the earth.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters! One of the sweetest meetings for me has always been meeting with you; whether those of you who are the remnants of the Sacred Defense era and revive the most valuable memories in our minds, or the dear youth and subsequent generations who have joined this blessed collection over these decades. We hope, God willing, that divine blessings will encompass all of you and that you can follow the straight path - the straight path - and the sacred jihad in all circumstances, for this is the secret of human happiness and success in this world and the Hereafter.

Firstly, the blessed month of Dhul-Hijjah is an important month; let us appreciate it. Besides the noble Eid al-Ghadir and the blessed Eid al-Adha, what is important in this month - apart from these two occasions - is the Day of Arafah; value the Day of Arafah; prepare yourselves for entering the state of humility before the Lord. The Day of Arafah is a great day. We become clouded and rusted in our hearts; supplication, humility, remembrance, and seeking intercession remove these rusts and clouds, and there are specific days, superior opportunities for this cleansing and purifying, among which Arafah is one of the best. Value the Day of Arafah. From noon on Arafah until sunset are important hours; every moment of these hours is like an elixir, like a philosopher's stone, and is of great importance; do not let them pass in negligence.

One example [of actions] is this remarkable supplication of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) on Arafah, which is a manifestation of humility, submission, and remembrance, and a manifestation of supplication before the Lord. Another example is the supplication of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) in Sahifa Sajjadiyya. Read these with contemplation and reflection; they are your provisions.

The path you [are on] is a long, difficult, and very valuable one. Well, there are many paths in life; everyone is living, everyone is earning a living, working - permissible works, recommended works, forbidden works - but the path you have chosen is a unique one; it is a jewel compared to dirt and pebbles; it is an important path. It is one of those life paths that shapes history, elevates nations, saves countries, builds futures, and above all, grants you divine pleasure and paradise in both the Hereafter and this world; this path is such a path. Naturally, alongside the importance of this path, there are many fatigues, difficulties, and thorns along the way; it requires energy, it requires vitality; these actions, these attentions, create that vitality within you. Do not be heedless of spirituality, of seeking intercession, of humility. Every minute of supplication before the Lord creates a valuable reserve in the heart of a person. This is our first point.

Now, regarding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. There are four words, each of which has depth, substance, and explanation. You are engaged in activities within the Guard; perhaps you do not have the opportunity to focus on these and reflect on them as much as future generations, viewers, and researchers will. However, there is room for reflection: "Guard," "Guardianship," "Revolution," and "Islam." These are the four words that form your name and title.

However, the Guard. You are the Guard; well, the guardianship of the revolution is not exclusive to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard; everyone is obliged - every human being, every believing being is obliged - but the characteristic of the Guard is that it is an organization, a systematic collection, a Guard. This being a Guard emphasizes order, discipline, and the managerial effectiveness of every particle of work. When there is dispersion, confusion arises, and many works are wasted, but when there is organization, there is a collection, there is structure, and discipline is established, it is like the framework under a dam full of water; if done correctly, not a drop of water will be wasted, and everything will reach the needed place. This is the characteristic of being a Guard.

In the national organizational structures, we have no place other than the Guard that has defined an organizational duty for itself to safeguard the most precious historical event of this country and the ongoing event of this country - which I will explain now. Therefore, the meaning of being a Guard is organization, it means order, it means defined and specified missions.

Another aspect of being a Guard and being organized is not aging; an organization does not age. The succession of generations, the passing of knowledge and experiences prevents an organization from aging; it constantly renews itself. It is not just the passing of knowledge; it also grows. Today, the Guard has reached knowledge in various fields that thirty years ago it did not have this clarity and this clarity of knowledge. The Guard's intellectual achievements in various fields are growing and deepening day by day. This is another characteristic of being organized and systematic.

Another characteristic is the training of new elements; both internal elements and external elements. When there is a structure, when it is organized, people are trained within the structure, and effective and understanding elements emerge; in a state of organizational disintegration, this characteristic will not be achieved. In addition to internal training, there is also external training. Today, the Guard influences public opinion; it affects the development of youth and people; the Guard's exported elements to various organizations, which are very numerous - that is, elements for the management of various organizations that the Guard has continuously exported from among itself over the years - influence those collections and organizations. Therefore, training people and nurturing capable elements is among the other characteristics of these.

[The Guard] is a manifestation of field power; this is the characteristic of being a Guard. Power in the political arena, in the propaganda arena is one thing, but power on the ground in the field is another. Field power leads to political power as well. When you have power on the ground, you can act, you can work, you can repel, you can attract. When a nation has this characteristic, or a collection of a nation has such a characteristic, it creates political power, it creates identity power, it grants dignity; and so on. The Guard is a manifestation of field power. Of course, field power also has meaning in the economic arena; there, too, if there is a strong, active, and influential economic collection, that is also field power, which is another discussion in its own right. Therefore, the guardianship of the "Guard" over the Islamic Revolution, as a Guard, as an organization, as a collection, has a meaning that if this order did not exist, if this organization did not exist, if there was disintegration, [if] there were a number of people who were all believing people, all supporters of the Islamic Revolution and wanted to guard the Revolution, but this organizational order did not exist, something else would emerge. This organizational order, this existence of an organization, is one of the great blessings; this is specific to the Guard.

Well, with these characteristics that we have mentioned, we said that the Guard is renewable, it does not age - individuals age, but the organization does not age - this means that all elements that can contribute to this renewability must be utilized. The characteristic of youthfulness - which fortunately is attended to in the Guard and a tendency towards it is shown, which is a positive characteristic - must be accompanied by the use of experienced, skilled, and older individuals; that is, the older members of the Guard, the seasoned members of the Guard who have proven themselves, have done their work, have had numerous activities, must be utilized in this renewability; without their presence, renewability will be difficult or sometimes impossible. Generational disconnection in the Guard must not occur; especially since our older members have done their work, in practice, they have passed significant tests.

Even though I was aware of all the news at that time and later read all these war books, whenever a new book is introduced, I have the opportunity to read it, I find a new chapter opening before me; I hear new words. What a strange world, what a deep ocean this eight-year period placed before the Iranian nation that will not be easily concluded soon. Well, those who were active and influential [should be utilized]. Of course, I do not want to say that everyone who was active at that time should be graded based on that day; no, I have said many times, all of us - I, nearing eighty years old, [in one way], you young people [in another way], the elderly [in yet another way] - are under examination, are at risk of slipping; at any moment, a person may slip:

The judgment of concealment and drunkenness is all about the outcome;

No one knows how they will leave from here.

Sometimes a person may spend a lifetime well, but a hard test can turn them upside down. We do not want to claim that for everyone who was present there that day, we create a security boundary and do not dare [to approach them]; no, but the past must be valued, must be appreciated; and those who have been able to preserve that reserve for themselves over these years, keep themselves safe, these are very valuable. Well, this now means the Guard, in the sense of an organization, in the sense of a systematic collection; this is the first part of your name. Of course, in this regard, if one wants to speak and explain, there is much more to say; now these few words are enough.

Guardian; the Guardians of the Revolution; you are guardians. Guardianship of the Revolution is, in fact, a symbol of the revolutionary will of the country; revolutionary will, revolutionary presence; revolutionary identity. When you say that the duty of this organization is to guard the Revolution, it means that the will of the Revolution remains strong and the Revolution has a decisive presence in the arena and scene; well, this is a very important meaning. The Revolution should not be limited to revolutionary events, for example, the beginning of the Revolution and the start of the Revolution and the days of the victory of the Revolution; those are a part of the Revolution. Perhaps if someone correctly observes the meaning of the Revolution, [they see] that revolutionary movement and revolutionary uprising is a small part of the whole Revolution. The Revolution means a comprehensive transformation in a human collection - or in a nation or beyond a nation, in a generation, in a civilization - this is the meaning of the Revolution. Now, in the world, sometimes they call coups revolutions, but revolution has a much deeper meaning, and this is exactly what happened in our country. What happened in our country was, in the true sense of the word, a revolution and continues to be so. In discussing the Revolution, I will present interpretations related to the Revolution, but in this section of guardianship, when you say we are guardians of the Revolution, it means that the Revolution is alive, the Revolution is present, the Revolution exists. If the Revolution - as some claim or some wish - were dead, it would not need guardians; a dead thing does not need guardians; thus, the Revolution is present. Therefore, the meaning of guardianship of the Revolution implies the meaning of the presence of the Revolution; that is, you want to say the Revolution exists; then I will explain that yes, the Revolution exists and is strong and powerful.

When you say I am a guardian of the Revolution, one of the meanings of guardianship and one of the conceptual dimensions of guardianship is that the Revolution is under threat; yes, if there were no threats, guardianship would not be necessary. One guards where there is a threat; thus, you confirm the existence of the Revolution with your name, and you also elucidate the threats that are directed at the Revolution and inform about their existence. Well, if we are guardians of the Revolution, we must recognize these threats. One of the fundamental tasks of the Guard is to monitor international issues solely to identify threats. Monitoring international issues and events and news internationally allows us to know what the threats are; and also monitoring domestic events in the country; therefore, the Guard is not a passive, idle entity engaged in its administrative tasks; it is a vigilant, observant, aware entity - aware of its surroundings - both aware of its surroundings in the country and aware of its surroundings at the international and regional levels - [that] is looking, like a living, awake entity, to see where the threat exists. Against whom [or] what threat exists? Here, the individual is not the issue; [rather] the threat exists against the Revolution; [therefore] constant monitoring must be done. The intelligence sections of the Guard and everything related to the intelligence issues of the Guard are related to this meaning. Of course, various levels, hierarchies, and cadres must be informed about these issues, must be informed about the threats so that everyone knows what they are doing and what they want to do. If the hierarchies of the Guard do not know what threats are directed at what they are guarding, it is unclear whether they can perform their duties correctly. When a person understands what the threat is and where it comes from, they become motivated.

Therefore, one of the dimensions of the word guardianship is being bound to the Revolution and constant awareness and vigilance; the same as what is in the letter of Amir al-Mu'minin; وَ اِنَّ اَخَا الحَربِ لَاَرِق; (the brother of war is awake). It is not necessary that this war is an existing and present war; no, the one who prepares himself for war must be awake. War with whom? We have never been the initiators of war and will not be; we have no war with neutral and unoffending people or nations; our war is with the adversaries and opponents and the threatenors. "لَاَرِق"; اَرِق means awake; always awake. Thus, one dimension of the meaning of the word guardianship is vigilance and constant readiness.

Naturally, when you recognize the threats, you will find the appropriate preparations. There was a time when electronic threats did not exist; at that time, it was not necessary for anyone to pursue electronic issues; today it exists, and it is necessary to pursue it; our dear commander and general explained. Here in this Hussainiyah, the children of the Guard presented their remarkable and significant advancements to those who are discerning, and it became clear that the Guard has done a lot in this area; it is the same in all areas. When you recognize the threat, you will also recognize the means to neutralize the threat and pursue it; if you have it, you maintain it, and if you do not have it, you procure it.

This guardianship actually implies two meanings; one meaning of guardianship is to protect and safeguard, and one meaning of guardianship is to honor, to hold someone or something in esteem, meaning to honor it, to recognize its importance; this is also there. The meaning of guardianship of the Revolution is not just protection of the Revolution - that this explanation we gave was related to protection - but also means honoring the Revolution, giving importance to the Revolution, elevating the Revolution. To honor someone means to hold them in esteem, to recognize their value, to understand their importance; this requires that a person must correctly understand the Revolution; thus, knowledge of the Revolution must be acquired. At the level of the Guard, throughout all hierarchies of the Guard, knowledge of the Revolution must be a conscious, clear, and comprehensive knowledge; the Revolution must be properly understood. If there are deficiencies in cultural work in this regard, they must certainly be addressed; look and see. Brothers and sisters in the Guard, from top to bottom, must be equipped with the solid logic of the Revolution; because the counter-revolution today enters through various means. One of the ways of entry and infiltration - and now I will say a word about infiltration; we keep repeating about the enemy's infiltration, we emphasize it - is to create a disruption in beliefs; revolutionary belief, religious belief. They create disturbances in revolutionary and religious knowledge; they infiltrate these. And they use all means and have various people; they have university professors, student activists, intellectual and scientific elites; they have all kinds of people to create these infiltrations. Brothers at various levels of the Guard must have this readiness and this logical power. Before the Revolution, we used this logical power in many cases; the young people at that time, in the discussions we had - Quranic discussions and such, Nahj al-Balagha and the Quran and these things, I had - told me that we no longer fall short against Marxists at the university; we used to fall short; we have arguments, we have logic, we reason; it is not just about refuting; we prove and state truths. In the youth who are currently active in the Guard, such persuasive power, such logical power, and such verbal strength must exist; this is among the fundamental tasks; this is guardianship of the Revolution and honoring the Revolution; that is, honoring the Revolution, fulfilling the rights of the Revolution, recognizing the value of the Revolution.

Another dimension of honoring the Revolution and guardianship of the Revolution is recognizing the enemy; we must know the enemy. Of course, you know the enemy; the enemy is global arrogance, whose complete manifestation is America, and its agents are the reactionary regimes and self-sold individuals and weak-minded people and such; the enemy is well-known to you; we must utilize this knowledge. The weaknesses of the enemy - the cognitive and practical weaknesses of the enemy - must be identified and brought to the attention of those who need to be made aware of these matters. The enemies of the Islamic Revolution are the same people who entered the region ten to fifteen years ago, their slogan was to create security; today, look at where there is security in this region? Insecurity has engulfed this entire region; West Asia and North Africa. When they attacked Afghanistan, their slogan was to fight terrorism [but] today terrorism has engulfed the entire region; and what kind of terrorism! Wild and brutal terrorism; terrorism that its people burn their enemies alive in front of everyone's eyes; they use various technical means to convey and reflect this scene to the eyes and beliefs of all the people of the world; this is terrorism! The Takfiri elements today are like this; they kill a child in front of his mother, they behead parents in front of their children. They came with this slogan and claim - I do not say their real desire was this; their slogan was this - to eradicate terrorism from the region; today, where is there no terrorism in the region? They came with the claim of establishing democracy; today, the most reactionary, oppressive, and dictatorial regimes in this region are standing on their feet with the help of America and America's allies and continuing their crimes. This is truly one of America's fundamental problems; this problem has entangled the politicians of America as well; they are deeply involved. They support regimes whose anti-dictatorship and human rights slogans are violated by the existence of these regimes; this has created a significant issue among intellectuals and political elites in America; they cannot respond; this enemy is such a being. The enemy that stands against us, its human rights issue, its democracy issue, its terrorism issue, its security issue, its peace issue; they said we fight for peace; where is peace? They have polluted the entire region with war; where is there no war in this region now? This is the enemy. The one that the Revolution stands against, the one that you have shielded against, is this; such a being with all these contradictions, with all these weaknesses, with all these cognitive and practical flaws; this is the enemy. One of the characteristics of guardianship of the Revolution is that we open our eyes, see these, recognize the enemy; we must know both the Revolution and the enemy; now this also relates to guardianship. Of course, if someone wants to speak about guardianship and the meaning of guardianship and the depth of this meaning, there is much to say.

But the Revolution; we have said guardianship of the Revolution. The Revolution is a continuous matter; it is not a one-time event that we say on such and such date, for example, an event occurred, a number of people came to the streets, it lasted ten days, twenty days, two months, six months, and the government was overthrown; this is not the Revolution; no, this is a part of the Revolution. The Revolution is an enduring truth and a permanent truth. The Revolution means transformation; deep transformations do not occur within six months, a year, or five years; in addition to the fact that transformation and becoming - that is, changing from one state to another, transformation - has no limit; it never ends; the Revolution means this. The Revolution is a permanent matter. Some people [say] - the source of these words, as they say, are foreign think tanks, here too, some of these words are repeated in newspapers and magazines and in their various speeches; [but the source] of the words is from there - that yes, the Revolution is over. Now, a foolish person may openly say that the Revolution should be put in a museum; there are some others who are not so foolish, do not say it so openly, but they speak in a way that means the Revolution is over; transforming the Revolution into the Islamic Republic. It is not convertible at all; the Islamic Republic must be a manifestation of the Revolution. That is, the same state of renewability, the same state of permanent transformation, the same state must exist in the Islamic Republic, otherwise it is not the Islamic Republic; it is not an Islamic government; the Revolution is a continuous matter.

Well, what does the Revolution do? The work that the Revolution does at the beginning is to outline the ideals; it outlines the ideals. Of course, the lofty ideals are unchangeable; the means are changeable, the daily transformations are changeable, but the principles, which are the fundamental ideals, are unchangeable; that is, from the very beginning of human creation until today, justice is an ideal; it will never cease to be an ideal; human freedom is an ideal - ideals are such things - the Revolution depicts and outlines the ideals, then moves towards these ideals. Now, if we want to express the ideal in one word and bring a Quranic expression for it, it is "pure life"; فَلَنُحیِیَنَّه‌و حَیوةً طَیِّبَة; (We will surely give him a good life); اِستَجیبوا للهِ‌ وَ لِلرَّسولِ اِذا دَعاکُم لِما یُحییکُم; (Respond to God and the Messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life); He brings you to life. The invitation of the Prophet and all the prophets is to life; what kind of life? Naturally, a pure life.

Well, what does a pure life mean? It means all those things that humanity needs for its well-being, for its happiness. For example, national dignity is part of a pure life; a humiliated, downtrodden nation does not have a pure life. Independence, not being dependent on foreigners and others is part of a pure life. A pure life should not only be sought in worship and in prayer books; these are the realities of life. The pure life of a nation includes that this nation lives with dignity, lives proudly, is not dependent, lives independently. Now, books are written to refute independence! One truly wonders how individuals can dare to say these things today. A robber comes to the crossroads, stops the caravan, and forcibly demands their belongings; and one person says yes, today it is expedient that we go along with him; let us do whatever he says! This talk in negation of independence is such a thing. We have said independence, freedom in the dimensions of a nation. They use the name of defense to crush independence. Independence means freedom; but not the freedom of an individual, the freedom of a nation from impositions, from oppression, from being held back, from exploitation, from squeezing the lifeblood out of nations; a nation becomes independent when it is freed from these things.

One of the things that secures a pure life is leading in science and global civilization. A nation can have a leading role in the global knowledge and civilization, advancing it; to place a new ladder before humanity for the elevation of all humanity; this is one of the components of a pure life. The Westerners are not like this; yes, they have brought many material advancements, they have made new statements in these areas, and they still do, but they have accompanied this with something that guarantees a fall from this ladder; yes, they place the ladder before humanity but do things that will certainly lead humanity to fall from this ladder; they corrupt morals. Today, observe that in Western culture, the ugliest and most abominable acts are taking on a normal, customary, legal form that if someone opposes them, they are condemned for opposing; simply because a person desires! Well, many things a person desires. What will this indecency in the West lead to? They have no remedy; that is, there is no way out; the path they are on, the way they are advancing in moral decline, will destroy the West; it will ruin them. Poor people; one feels pity for the people of these countries and these nations; they are poor people. The elites, influencers, planners, and policymakers are doing things based on their vile and wicked goals. Well, then, leading in human knowledge and civilization, along with spirituality, along with spirituality. The other day in a gathering - I think it was broadcasted too - I said, imagine twenty years from now, thirty years from now, the Islamic Republic with a population of 200 million or 180 million or 150 million with remarkable material, scientific, and industrial advancements and with the establishment of spirituality and justice; see what happens; what attraction it creates among all of humanity - Muslims and non-Muslims - they want this event not to happen. A pure life means this; it means we should move towards such a situation for the life of the country; the Revolution wants to take us to these places. Welfare, justice, vitality, enthusiasm for work, science, technology, all these are part of a pure life; alongside these, spirituality, compassion, Islamic ethics, Islamic lifestyle, these are part of a pure life. Order is part of a pure life; this movement towards a pure life is endless. اَلآ اِلَی اللهِ تَصیرُ الاُمور; (Indeed, all matters return to God); this is the same becoming towards God. Becoming means changing from one state to another, something changes in its essence and becomes better day by day; this is called becoming; humanity is becoming towards God, and the desired Islamic society is one that has this becoming; this becoming is endless; it continues permanently; this is the Revolution.

One of the characteristics of a pure life and the characteristics of this Revolution that is explicitly stated in the Quran is faith in God and disbelief in the tyrant: فَمَن یَکفُر بِالطّاغوتِ وَ یُؤمِن بِاللهِ فَقَدِ استَمسَکَ بِالعُروَةِ الوُثقی. (Whoever disbelieves in the tyrant and believes in God has certainly grasped the firmest handhold). "عروة الوثقی" means you are passing through a dangerous place, a slippery place, and there is a rope or something that you hold onto so you do not fall, do not slip, do not fall down; this is called "عروة الوثقی". If you have faith in God and disbelief in the tyrant, this is "عروة الوثقی". Both of these are together: faith in God, disbelief in the tyrant; these two should not be separated. Again, I want to point out that it is difficult to take faith in God from the people; the enemies' propaganda focuses on disbelief in the tyrant; they gradually weaken disbelief in the tyrant, take this part of the matter away from the people, well yes, have faith in God, also have faith in the tyrant. This cannot be; faith in God with disbelief in the tyrant go hand in hand.

Ideology removal is one of the common phrases [that is heard]. Now, it has been a few years, then it was suspended for a few years, and now it has started again. Let us remove ideology from diplomacy; let us remove ideology from domestic politics; no, this is directly against the truth, against the reality; it means that we should not let the principles and foundations of the Revolution and Islam interfere in domestic and foreign policy. How should we not let them interfere? These policies must be based on these foundations; it is like this in all areas. Observe, this is a subtle point; science means going towards a reality, discovering a reality and knowing it. Of course, in this regard, ideology does not have meaning, but which reality we pursue, which reality we do not pursue; here thought, belief, and ideology - as the Westernized say - intervene. We do not want to pursue this science; this science is harmful. We choose this science because it is beneficial; we have beneficial science, we have harmful science. Therefore, even in the matter of science, thought, belief, ideology, and to use the term of the Westernized, ideology, is effective.

Now, one of the things that one hears a lot, two propositions that our opponents, our enemies say, and some also repeat the same inside; in fact, these are contradictory, but their contradiction is not noticed. One proposition is this, and they repeatedly say that you are a powerful country; you are an influential and impactful country. We hear this a lot today in our world. Now, some - weak and short-sighted people inside - do not even want to accept this, but those who observe the issues from outside repeatedly acknowledge that the Islamic Republic is a powerful country in the region and influential on regional events; it has influence. This is one proposition. The second proposition is that they say, sir, do not pursue this word "Revolution" and the issue of the Revolution and the revolutionary spirit so much. Well, these are contradictory. This power, this influence, is because of the Revolution; if there were no Revolution, if there were no revolutionary spirit, if there were no revolutionary performance, this influence would not exist. That you are influential, you are powerful, put the Revolution aside so that we can live together, means put the Revolution aside so that you can fall from this power so that we can swallow you. They explicitly say this to individuals from the Islamic Republic, and the true meaning and concept of this statement is not noticed. How long will you remain revolutionary, how long will you keep talking about the Revolution, come be part of the global community; the meaning of this [statement] is that this influence you have now, this power you have, this impact you have in the region, this strategic depth you have among nations, put it aside and lose it; that is, become weak so that we can swallow you. They say become part of the global community; well, their meaning of the global community is a few arrogant, oppressive, tyrannical powers; that is, come dissolve into our plans; this is the meaning of this statement. Therefore, the Revolution has such dimensions; there is much to say about guardianship of this Revolution, but now I will stop speaking in this regard.

[But] Islam; the Revolution is an Islamic Revolution. Some insist on saying "the 57 Revolution"; they do not want to mention the name of Islam, they are afraid of the name of Islam, they are afraid of the name of the Islamic Revolution. Islam is the foundation and essence and all the content of our Revolution; of course, our Islam is pure Islam, not the Islam dependent on the deviant, erroneous, and foolish thoughts of individuals like the Takfiris; it is Islam based on reason and tradition - rational Islam - Islam based on the Quran, Islam based on the teachings of the Prophet and the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), with clear thoughts, with strong and clear logic, such is Islam. This is our Islam; the guardianship of a Revolution with this essence; the essence of Islam. Not just a purely heroic movement; no, [but] with an Islamic meaning that has fortunately been able to have an impact in the world. Thus, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has such a semantic burden; you must strive hard, you must be very vigilant, you must appreciate; everyone must appreciate the Guard. Weakening the Guard and the irrelevant statements that are sometimes made against the Guard are things that please the enemy and make the enemy happy. Now, we do not say that all those who speak this way are agents of the enemy; no, some of them are perhaps unaware and do not understand; some are probably assigned to speak this way and make such statements.

The Guard must be honored; the Guard is a great divine blessing in the country. And I will also tell you: the first person who must honor it is you yourselves. Strengthen the spiritual, intellectual, ideological, and practical fabric of the Guard as much as you can; avoid the excuses that some may take; in various economic, financial, political, and similar fields, follow the straight line and the correct line of the Revolution and absolutely do not pursue things that can harm the dignity of the Guard. The first person is you yourselves who must preserve this dignity, this true status - not a status imposed that we must impose that you must think this way; no, the reality is this - because you are the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, be aware of the threats.

We have stated, today the enemy's infiltration is one of the great threats to this country; they are pursuing infiltration. What does infiltration mean? Economic infiltration may occur, which is certainly the least important of it; and it may also be among the least important [is security infiltration]. Security infiltration is not a small matter, but in comparison to intellectual, cultural, and political infiltration, it is less important. Security infiltration has its own factors; various officials - including the Guard itself - will hopefully prevent the enemy's security infiltration with full power.

In economic fields, the vigilant eyes of economic officials must be open and watchful so that [the enemies] do not gain economic infiltration; because the enemy's infiltration undermines the solid foundation of the economy. In places where they have gained economic infiltration, where they have managed to ride on the economies of countries and nations like a parasite, they have ruined those countries. Here, fifteen years ago, the president of one of these countries that was among the advanced countries in our region, during a visit to Tehran and when he came to me, said, sir, we became poor, beggars overnight because of economic infiltration; he was telling the truth. A certain capitalist, due to a certain characteristic, decides to bring that country to its knees: he withdraws his capital or makes interventions that bring the economy of that country to its knees. This is also very important; however, compared to cultural, political, and political infiltration, its importance is less, and the most important is political and cultural infiltration.

The enemy tries to change the beliefs of society in the cultural field; and to displace the beliefs that have kept this society standing, to introduce flaws into them, to create disruptions and infiltrations in them. They spend money; they spend billions for this purpose; this is cultural infiltration and disruption.

Political infiltration is also that they infiltrate into decision-making centers, and if they cannot do that, they infiltrate into decision-making; when the political and managerial devices of a country are influenced by the arrogant enemies, then all decision-making in this country will be done according to the wishes and desires of the arrogant; that is, they are forced. When a country is politically infiltrated, the movement of that country, the orientation of that country in the managerial devices will be according to their will; they want this. They do not like to impose one of their own on a country, like what they did in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in India; they had their own agents there; one person from England was the head of India. Today, this is not possible; for them, it is better that from that nation, there are those who think like them, will, and decide according to their interests; this is political infiltration. [The goal is to] infiltrate into decision-making centers, if they cannot infiltrate into decision-making; because there are places that make decisions. These are the things that the enemy does.

If we remain vigilant, their hopes will be dashed. They are waiting for a day when the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic of Iran will fall asleep; they are waiting for this. They promise that ten years later, Iran will not be the same Iran, and others will not do anything! They imagine this. We must not allow this thought and this satanic hope to take root in the hearts of the enemy; the foundations of the Revolution and revolutionary thought must be so solid here that the life and death of this or that person, Zayd or Amr, will not affect the revolutionary movement of this country; this is the fundamental duty of the elites of the Guard and all the revolutionary elites of this country.

O Lord! Bestow Your blessings and guidance upon all of us; make what we have said and heard for You and in Your way, and accept it with Your grace.

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