Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with the People of Semnan Province

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One of God on earth.

I am very pleased and grateful to the Almighty God for granting me the opportunity to be among a people who carry the legacy of the oldest signs of the rich Islamic and Iranian culture. My dear ones! In our historical past, we have always regarded and recognized Semnan Province as a religious and scholarly province. Among the numerous characteristics of this province, the most prominent are these two traits: piety and knowledge; scholarly pursuit and scientific prominence. In our own time, what we have seen and remember from your vast province are all signs of good morals, righteous deeds, high human intelligence and talent, and a courageous and valiant presence in various fields of the revolution; both during the revolution, which I personally witnessed in some parts of this province, and during the Sacred Defense, where the astonishing and memorable stories of the Qaim Brigade of Semnan, from the support of the war in Semnan and the Construction Jihad headquarters in Semnan, from the Basij forces of Semnan, and from the families of martyrs and veterans of Semnan Province remain in our minds and memories, which, God willing, I will refer to some of them during my visit to the families of the martyrs. In terms of human intelligence and talent, this province is among the leading provinces of the country. The high literacy rate, the high acceptance rate in universities, prominent scientific, political, and social figures, various activists, and the presence of large academic environments in this province all confirm the same meaning that history has reflected to us. The piety of the people is also the main characteristic and the foundation of all beauty and goodness.

In these travels that we undertake to provinces across the country - for myself, in addition to the goals of these trips that I will mention - there is the great benefit of becoming acquainted with the spiritual beauties of various parts of the country. Tourists and travelers seek material and apparent beauties, which are indeed worth seeing; however, I, who do not have the opportunity to look around and travel to see the material beauties of the provinces, am a spectator of the spiritual beauties of the provinces and various sections of this great nation.

The scholars of knowledge and literature, the sincerity and honesty of the people, the manifestations of the greatness and enthusiasm of the Iranian nation in every corner of this great and glorious homeland, the signs of the steadfastness and sacrifice, the indications of the firm determination that the Iranian nation has shown over these twenty-seven years, and this firm determination has become the foundation and reserve supporting its continuous movements towards progress, and this, God willing, will lead it to the peak of its aspirations; we observe these in the provinces. I know you, the dear people of the province; both from close contact and from reports; today, in this vast field and in the streets of the city, I witnessed the signs of your kindness and sincerity.

However, our goal from these travels is several things: first and foremost, to visit you, to meet closely, to speak face to face, and to hear your words through various channels; the letters that reach me, the representatives who go on our behalf to various sectors and among different classes, the reporters who contact various classes before and during the trip; all this information, opinions, and words of yours flow towards us like water from a refreshing spring, increasing our knowledge, understanding, and sense of responsibility and commitment by divine grace. This conveying of the message of devotion to the people and hearing the words of the people and speaking face to face with the people is the most important goal of these trips.

However, we have always had another goal from these travels, which has been to draw the attention of the country's officials to various regions of the country. We thank God that this goal has been realized today with the government currently in power. Fortunately, the visits of the government, the President, and the esteemed ministers to various regions of the country have fulfilled our long-standing wish in a generous manner. I even told the President that my trip to Semnan Province should not prevent your trip to Semnan Province, and you should go.

Thanks be to God, the vitality and dynamism of the government is a good thing, and we hope that God will bless this movement and this vitality, and that the objectives that the government and the Islamic Republic system have regarding various sectors of the country will be realized. Of course, the observations that arise during this trip will be recommended to the relevant officials; the sensitive and important points will, God willing, receive their attention, and by God's grace, some of the people's problems will be resolved within the limits of the country's capacity and resources.

The vast Semnan Province has many talents; some of these talents have been utilized, and some have not. In this province, besides the immense human talent and capacity, there are industrial talents, mineral talents - there are untapped mines in this province that need to be addressed and utilized for the benefit of the people of the province and the country - even agricultural talents - although this province is among the water-scarce provinces, it still has fertile soil and good agricultural facilities; even now, according to reports, despite all these limitations, this province exports livestock products, meat, and horticultural products outside the province, which indicates the natural and human capabilities of this province - tourism potential, industrial parks, and climatic diversity exist, and as we said, above all, it has patient, hardworking, interested, faithful people with a high level of intelligence. This province can have a future far better than today; just as today this province is much better and more advanced than it was before the revolution, and day by day, this trend should, God willing, continue.

My dear ones! What is of concern to the country's officials is to accelerate the comprehensive development of the country; however, alongside this meaning, the main axis of the slogans of the Islamic system is the establishment of justice, addressing the problems of the people, facilitating the grounds for the growth and advancement of the Iranian nation, and building the country in a manner suitable for the governance of Islam and Islamic slogans. This is what the officials are pursuing; this is a great goal that requires a lot of effort, and thanks be to God, the possibility of this effort exists, and this effort has already begun; both in this government and in previous governments, many services have been rendered in this regard; that is, the nation and the country have embarked on the right path.

Once, we were at the lowest levels of progress in the world and the region; this great nation, this cultured nation, this country rich in God-given resources, had no prominence among other nations, and in addition, the country's officials had shamefully accepted the subservience to the interfering foreign powers and humiliated this great nation in word and deed. The movement of the revolution and the shaking movement of the Iranian nation over these twenty-seven years completely reversed the situation, and today the Iranian nation is, at least in the Islamic world, an inspiring nation. Fortunately, the indicators of progress, according to the opinions of informed and knowledgeable experts, are good indicators, and in all areas, there is progress and advancement; in scientific fields, in economic fields, in spiritual fields, in social issues, and in international matters, the indicators are on the rise.

Thanks be to God, the approach of the officials is also a correct approach that aligns with the principles of the revolution. Today, once again in the Islamic world, the fundamental slogans of the Islamic revolution - which are issued from the mouths of the country's officials - attract the nations, the youth, the academics, and various classes of people, and one can observe this today in the world.

The spirit of our own nation is also a hopeful and elevated spirit. The very slogan that you raised and that is echoed throughout this country regarding nuclear energy is not a simple and ordinary matter; many nations neither know what nuclear energy is, nor do they know it is their legitimate right; and even if they know, they cannot take a step in this regard; but our nation knows that nuclear energy is a significant and visible indicator of progress in line with today's scientific advancements, and if a nation does not have it, it is at a disadvantage; and they know that this is their legitimate right and they chant it and sincerely demand it from their officials; and they also know that their country is capable of obtaining this legitimate right without relying on others, without extending a needy hand towards others. This is a very important matter. This is the spirit of our nation; this is the hope of our nation. My dear ones! This hope and optimistic outlook should be able to assist you in the difficult paths to reach the summit and will lead you forward; and it will lead you forward.

We have enemies on the international level; there is no doubt about that. Why are they enemies? Who are they? These are explained matters, and we all know who the enemies are? They are the ones who wish for nations to live under their power; that their oil belongs to them, their copper belongs to them, their uranium belongs to them, their human resources belong to them, and their markets are under their control. There are powers in the world that have such greed and hope for every country; when they see a nation taking its destiny into its own hands, it is obvious that their tolerance becomes difficult, and they become enemies. Thus, the reason for their enmity is clear, and who they are is also clear. From the beginning of the revolution, the enemies lined up against the Islamic revolution and the Iranian nation have been global Zionism and American arrogance, and anyone who has revolved around them and worked for them. However, this enemy, today in various global events, is in a state of passivity against the Islamic Republic system. Today's America is not the America of ten years ago, nor the America of fifteen years ago. The day when the father of the current President of America - after the events in Kuwait - announced that the new world order had begun and that America was the only superpower in the world; meaning everyone should work under the watchful eye of this village chief of the world, that day has passed; the day when the Americans confidently considered the Middle East as belonging to them and thought they would shape a new destiny for the Middle East has passed. Today, the Americans have been defeated in Iraq, defeated in Afghanistan, defeated in Lebanon, and defeated in Palestine; each in its own way. In Iraq, they are caught in one way, in Palestine in another; where all of America's efforts have been to save the Zionist regime from facing the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. They were even willing to tolerate and accept a Palestinian government - even in name and appearance - so that perhaps the usurping Zionist regime could breathe easily in front of the rightful owners of Palestine, namely the Palestinians; but the result has been that today a government has come to power in Palestine whose slogan is not to recognize the usurping Zionists and not to negotiate with the usurpers. The officials of arrogance and the orchestrators of arrogance in this region have completely failed in this matter; in the case of Iraq, they have failed in another way; in the case of Lebanon - in the confrontation with Hezbollah - they have failed in another way; they are still failing. This is the situation of our enemy.

Regarding their confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the state of passivity of our enemies is no less, but rather more. For twenty-seven years, they have employed all tricks to perhaps turn this nation away from Islam and the ideals of Imam; to perhaps make this nation indifferent to religious values and to completely drown the youth of this nation in the quagmire of corruption. In this regard, they have done everything they could. They have spent a lot of money and resources. For a long time, they have tried to infiltrate the governments that come to power in the Islamic Republic by the people's vote; perhaps they could buy some influential elements in the governments and secure their own goals and intentions through that route; they have done all these things and spent a lot of money to create divisions among this nation with nationalist, ethnic, and sectarian pretexts and to incite civil war; they have invested and tried to perhaps create turmoil in our universities. These actions have taken place one after another over these twenty-seven years; but our great and wise nation, our vigilant youth, our knowledgeable and timely men and women have dealt a strong blow to our enemies in all these matters. They wanted to turn this motivated, faithful, value-bound, courageous, and innovative nation into a dependent, identity-less, cowardly, obedient, and submissive nation; they spent a lot of money for this purpose; and one after another, they faced defeat. Was all this coincidental? Were these defeats of the powerful enemies of the Iranian nation - one after another - coincidental? That they hoped that the role of our great Imam would diminish day by day and that his slogans would be forgotten, not only did this not happen, but now, after twenty-six or twenty-seven years, a government comes to power whose President's slogans - which have made him popular among the people - are the same slogans of Imam. Is this a coincidence?!

That people in every place and at every point in the country trust those who have more faith in their religion, their revolutionary spirit, and their adherence to Imam. Twenty-seven years have passed since the revolution and seventeen years since the passing of Imam, yet our nation is so vibrant and motivated, carrying the slogans of the revolution and advancing; is this a coincidence?! Is this an accident?! No, this is a process; this is a logical and reasonable process and it will continue. It will continue, and it will also influence other nations.

They thought that we would send troops for the export of the revolution; either military troops or security and intelligence troops; like themselves, who send security troops for their purposes; but they were unaware that no, we do not want intelligence troops or military troops, but the voice of the Iranian nation and the plan that our nation has put forward for the administration of nations and societies resonates in the hearts of Muslim nations, and Muslim nations naturally become interested and supportive of our nation, which they are and have become, and day by day, they are increasing.

Today, you see in the very issue of nuclear energy - which they try to create a commotion about in the world - what the world's stance towards us is; especially the stance of Asian and Middle Eastern countries and Islamic countries. Now the Americans, as always, open their mouths, close their eyes, and say whatever comes to their minds: the world opposes Iran's enrichment(!) No, it is you who do not know the world; you do not see the world. The nations of the world, not to mention the governments of the world, which is evidenced by more than a hundred non-aligned countries and about fifty Islamic countries that have gathered in the Islamic conference and in the non-aligned movement and several other groups that represent the overwhelming majority of the world's countries, all support the idea that nuclear energy should come out of the monopoly of a few claiming and demanding global powers, and they sincerely admire and encourage the Iranian nation for standing courageously in this path. The Iranian nation, in its path to honor, with power, vitality, and effort - with this wise and aware generation that, thanks be to God, is growing day by day - will continue to develop and deepen its thoughts, which challenge and question the mental constructs of the Western world, and will present them as valuable spiritual gifts to the Islamic world and Muslim nations; and the front of arrogance will be forced to retreat.

This is the situation that, thanks be to God, we have had from the beginning of the revolution until today, and it is a vision we see for the future; this has a lesson for us and a lesson for the enemies; they too must learn a lesson, but we must also learn a lesson.

The lesson we must learn is that the remedy for all the pains of a nation is effort and work; work based on faith and hope is the remedy for all the pains of a nation. A nation that is idle, lazy, lethargic, hopeless, and one that says: "Oh sir! What can we do? They can do whatever they want," such a nation will not reach anywhere. What we have achieved is because our nation has completely discarded these spirits - which they had tried to inject into it for decades. Our nation is a hopeful and faithful nation. It is wrong for a person to feel helpless; it is wrong for a person to lack the patience to work. The youth must work, the students must work, the scholars must work, the investors must work, the workers must work; each should do their part. Industrial and agricultural activists must strive; political and social activists must strive; all of these are towards the goal of the dignity and ever-increasing progress of this nation and this country. When this happens, everything will progress. Now, God willing, in these few days that I am in this province, in various meetings, I have many thoughts about this issue that I will express whenever I have the opportunity - especially in meetings with the youth - God willing.

Today, you, the Iranian nation, have questioned the Western narrative; the Westerners had based their work on the eradication of religion and said that one cannot progress with religion; you have disproved this. It has become clear that religion is not only not an obstacle to progress, but rather intensifies strength and strengthens the movement forward; this has been proven by the Iranian nation. The Westerners said that actions should be taken with the people's opinion; they proclaimed the slogan of democracy; but in practice, the Western party games - which you can observe in many countries of the world; in well-known and large Western countries - have diminished the role of the people. You have shown that true democracy is "religious people's sovereignty"; the people see, recognize, discern, love, and vote; that is, it is the people themselves, and parties have a weak role; the real role belongs to the people themselves; it is the people who will it and make decisions.

From the beginning of the revolution until today, various elections have shown the presence of the people and established their role. In conclusion, I will again say a sentence regarding the elections that are ahead of us.

You have brought the elements of religion, faith, justice, and honesty into global equations, while honesty and truthfulness are lost in the political equations of the world. No one expects a politician to tell the truth; they say we speak the truth, but they themselves know that even this statement is a lie. Honesty, sincerity, truthfulness, justice-seeking, and the slogan of supporting the deprived and the oppressed have entered the political literature and through the Muslims and the faithful nation of Iran into global knowledge. They claimed human rights; they claimed to fight terrorism; but the Iranian nation, through its steadfastness, its revelations, and its presence, has invalidated many of these claims and has shown that they are lying. You did these things. You achieved these great victories in various fields, and you must continue, and its continuation will be in the same manner that the great movement of the Iranian people has been able to cast its shadow; that is, work and vitality based on faith and hope, and with a clear vision of the future.

This is the lesson we must learn. We must appreciate our unity; national unity must be valued; this is a very great blessing. Today, the Iranian nation is united. Today, various political, party, factional, and other flags are all under the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the general flag of the nation, and if they are waving, it is under the waving of this main flag. This is a very great blessing. Your piety is a blessing; your vitality is a blessing; this vast youth class of the country is the greatest blessing. These blessings must be appreciated. And there are recommendations regarding work, effort, education, and the pursuit of knowledge that we will express.

In any case, the path to the ever-increasing progress of the Iranian nation and reaching that peak is the same path that has brought us from the bottom to here; the continuation of the path will be the same.

What is the lesson for our enemies? The opponents of the Iranian nation must also learn from this twenty-seven-year experience. They must realize that a great international incident has begun on a global scale. This century - the century we have ahead of us - is the century of the failure of the policies and methods of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries were, on the one hand, for the nations of the region and, on the other hand, for the Western powers, the century of the eradication of religion and then domination and encroachment on countries; the century of colonialism and exploitation. The twenty-first century - which is the century we have entered for several years - according to what one understands from the signs, is the century of erasing and eliminating the signs of the movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the signs of the domination of great powers over countries and nations must be completely erased from the pages of human life; there should be no domination. The Americans want to live well, let them; every nation has the right to live well under the shade of its own efforts; but let them live well within their own country. The Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, the Indian Ocean, the other parts of the world, the sensitive straits of the world do not belong to America; these belong to their owners. The nations are the owners of their own countries.

This century must be the century of the return of nations to their identity, to their humanity, and breaking the spell of domination and subservience; just as this century is the century of turning towards spirituality. Now, they talk a lot of nonsense about the third millennium; they make predictions for a thousand years ahead that are not based on any scientific or technical evidence. But if one were to make a guess about this millennium, one could say that this millennium is the millennium of human awareness of its own value. In this millennium, humans will become aware of their value and the value of getting closer to their God. If one were to make a guess for the millennium, what is guessable is this.

We will not discuss the millennium now; but this century ahead is the century of turning towards spirituality and the independence and national identity of nations, and Iran was the beginning of it. The continuation of Iran will emerge in many other places, and the powers that confront this great human movement will be defeated, and the power of arrogance is one of them. Regarding the elections, I would like to say:

Regarding the elections, I have already expressed some points to our dear nation during the Eid al-Fitr prayer, and I have also mentioned them before. Elections are important; both the Assembly of Experts elections and the council elections are important, and the very presence of the people in the elections is important.

The Assembly of Experts elections - as I mentioned in the Eid al-Fitr prayer - are a reserve for the nation and for the future of the system; like a reserve fund, which one day in times of need, your choice will benefit the nation and the country; this reserve must be maintained. This is a backing that must be for the country. The Assembly of Experts must always be ready; hence, it is very important.

The council elections are also important in that the daily affairs of the people and the lives of the urban and rural people depend on these elections. If capable, energetic, faithful, noble, and trustworthy individuals are elected in the council elections, the people will be at ease regarding the daily issues of life - which they deal with. If you do not elect the one you like and want, the one you do not like will be elected and will win the vote. Therefore, bring your vote to the field.

I tell our people: both in these elections and in general, our nation must pay more attention to unity and learn to tolerate one another. Sometimes we argue over trivial matters, while we are the same in principles and fundamentals! You say something, I take a baseless objection, and we start to argue. Of course, arguing between two people in a personal environment does not matter; but when such a thing occurs in the vast environment of the country, it makes the political atmosphere undesirable. Therefore, we must avoid intolerance and baseless objections and give importance to the issue of unity and participation in shaping the future. The future of the country is in your hands; you must shape it this way.

I thank you, dear brothers and sisters; both you who are here and the many who were in the streets. I am happy to be among you; we will be in various parts of this province and among different classes in these few days. We have many things to say; we will also hear words from you.

O Lord! Send down Your mercy, grace, and blessings upon this people through Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. O Lord! Include these dear youth, these faithful people, these pure hearts in Your special favors. O Lord! Make this country better, more fruitful, and brighter every day than the previous day. O Lord! Make the heart of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him) pleased and satisfied with us; make us true soldiers of that great one.

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