Message on the Occasion of the Second Anniversary of the Passing of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified)

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

Have you not considered how God presents an example, a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches are in the sky, yielding its fruit every season by the permission of its Lord? And God presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded.

Once again, the fourteenth of Khordad has arrived; a day of great mourning for the Islamic world; a day when Iran began a sunless morning; a day when the revolution no longer heard the heartbeat of that pulsating heart; a day when, across the world, wherever there was a suffering Muslim or a free human being, they felt orphaned; a day when the Iranian nation did not find beside it the steadfast rock it leaned upon, the tall cypress under whose shade it rested, and the great spirit it had made the Kaaba of its love and faith; a day of mourning, a day of trial, a day of great loss, and a day of eternal covenant with the one who transformed the borrowed garment into eternal life.

Yes, on that day, the blessing of the physical presence and proximity of the Imam was taken from us, and the spark that had shone with divine power in the polluted and materialistic atmosphere of this era was extinguished; but on the other hand, the knowledge of the Imam found new dimensions, and by recalling the irreplaceable moments of those astonishing and unparalleled years of leadership, minds turned to reflection and contemplation that usually do not occur while someone is alive and accessible, and eyes observed the radiant and warming sun that had now become a distant star. What was said in praise of that unique figure of the time and the renewer of the era, in a few days and weeks, had not been said throughout his leadership, and this was considered a great victory for the contemporary generation, which had been subjected to hostile propaganda and the dusty atmosphere of the revolution and imposed war for years. On the other hand, the feeling of the void left by the great Imam united hearts concerned about potential dangers and made everyone steadfast on the straight path of the Imam and in defense of his precious legacy, namely the Islamic system and the values of the revolution; it gave new enthusiasm and determination to the nation, unprecedented resolve and effort to the country's servants, and more strength and solidity to the relationship between the nation and the state than before, and the endless blessings of that progeny of the prophets and the herald of the path of the righteous, even after departing from this world, encompassed the country, the nation, and the revolution; 'Peace be upon him the day he was born, the day he departed, and the day he will be raised alive.'

Now, two years after that bitter event, although the anniversary of the day when grief grew and rained from the earth and sky once again fills mouths with bitterness and hearts with sorrow, the observation that our great Imam is still present and observing in all the scenes and sights of the revolution, like a radiant sun, fills hearts and souls with hope and confidence. Thanks be to God that the greed and predictions of the enemies, who were waiting for the country to fall into chaos with the passing of the Imam, for the revolution to face a dead end, for the Iranian nation to become disordered, and for their conspiracies to succeed, turned into a mirage, and their deceit and enchantment, which sought to turn the country, nation, and state away from the Imam's path, were thwarted by the vigilance and commitment of the officials and the constant presence of the people on the scene, and the Imam's path and the clear line he had drawn for the nation continued with strength and decisiveness.

Now, alongside the bitter memory of the fourteenth of Khordad, this sweet reality is before our eyes that the departed Imam, if not in body, but with his thought, path, and ever-living testament, is with us and alive, and by God's grace and power, no power will be able to take away this presence and this life and separate the Islamic Republic from its father, founder, and great teacher.

I now take this opportunity to mention a few points:

First, the enemies, who have not been able—and by God's help will never be able—to separate Islamic Iran from the path and political line of the departed Imam, are trying in their poisonous propaganda to suggest that such a thing has happened and that the Islamic Republic has been separated from its origin and foundation. They especially repeat this false statement with more clamor from the propaganda horns of the enemies when the Islamic Republic has achieved success or position in one of the global or domestic arenas. Their goal in this poisoning is to influence the public opinion of the awakened and revolutionary Muslims in Islamic countries, who, with the awakening and hope that has stemmed from the victory and steadfastness of Islamic Iran, have now made things difficult for the agents of global arrogance in many of these countries. Global arrogance and its affiliated propaganda network have endeavored to turn the hope and optimism of these awakened Muslims into despair and pessimism, and for this purpose, nothing is better and more effective than portraying the pioneering and deadlock-breaking Islamic revolution of the Iranian nation as unsuccessful and powerless and suggesting that Islamic Iran, in facing challenges, has been forced to turn away from the pure Muhammadan Islam (peace be upon him and his family) and the clear line of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified).

I declare with strength and decisiveness that this ploy of global arrogance is itself a strong proof of their inability to confront the Islamic revolution of Iran and a clear sign of the continuation of this sacred path in the birthplace of the new Islamic system. The Iranian nation has understood better than anyone that the only stronghold against the wealth and power of the camp of arrogance, especially the treacherous America—which today openly speaks of domination over oppressed and weak nations—is adherence to Islam and the Quran and commitment to its saving principles, and deviation from these principles opens the way for the enemies of Islam to infiltrate and succeed in their vengeful domination over a nation that has dealt the greatest blow to the illegitimate interests and false prestige of the arrogant powers. That is why this intelligent and courageous nation, from the moment of the rise of its great movement, has always defended pure Muhammadan Islam (peace be upon him and his family) with all its being and has vigilantly fought against the tricks and conspiracies guided by the leaders of arrogance and the proponents of American Islam; and God willing, it will always be so.

Another point is that in recent months—and in the implementation of the same policy just mentioned—a matter called the relationship between the Islamic Republic and Western countries has emerged in the chaotic market of rumor and news-making of the news empire of arrogance and has been the subject of various discussions, interpretations, claims, and opinions, and it is obvious that propaganda horns from several different directions, but all with the motivation of fighting the Islamic Republic and questioning this divine and popular system and inflicting a reputational blow on it, have exploited this issue.

I, with trust and confidence in the vigilance and analytical power that, thanks be to God, has become prevalent among our people due to the revolution, find it necessary to announce that contrary to the claims and desires of the spokesmen of arrogance, the main lines of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic—which is primarily based on the principle of 'neither East nor West'—have not changed and will never be changeable, and the noisy clamor of the enemies cannot divert the Islamic Iranian government and nation from the path it has chosen with insight and traversed with knowledge.

On the day when, in the division of the world between the Eastern bloc and the Western bloc, governments, regimes, and even political and revolutionary developments in countries had to inevitably join one of these two groups and fall under the influence of their leaders—namely the Soviet Union or America—the principle of 'neither East nor West' was the declaration of breaking this universal spell and liberation from the influence of the power of both superpowers of that time. And today, with the developments in the Soviet Union and Europe, the Eastern bloc has been destroyed, and the Soviet Union has fallen from its superpower status, and the American regime, in an apparently unrivaled scene, is engaged in drunken and arrogant demonstrations and, without adherence to the usual constraints and customs of international relations, arrogantly prioritizes its desires over the interests of all nations and interferes arbitrarily in everything and commits any crime to secure what it considers its interests, and shamelessly stains its hands with the blood of innocents up to the elbow, and has made both the former Eastern and Western blocs the arena of its military presence, espionage, propaganda, and exploitation, the principle of 'neither East nor West' means not surrendering to this arrogant greed and serious confrontation with that regime's encroachment on the interests of the Islamic community and rejecting and denying the customs and constraints that that regime has set and made in place of the accepted international principles for preserving its interests.

The Islamic Republic rejects relations with the American regime, which is a symbol and sign of tyranny and unjust domination and a manifestation of oppression against the weak nations of the world, and as long as that regime arrogantly oppresses nations, interferes in governments and countries, supports illegitimate regimes like the detested Zionist regime, opposes liberation movements and the awakening of nations, and especially shows hostility towards the pioneering Muslim nation of Iran and the awakened Muslim nations, it will never establish relations with that regime.

Relations with other countries—whether European, Asian, African, or whether they are advanced industrial countries or not—are always desirable and even necessary for us, as long as they are, in the judgment of the officials, in the direction of the interests and welfare of the country and the nation, and the government officials have been and are obliged to pursue them wisely and diligently; and they and the entire nation know and understand that establishing and strengthening these relations does not in any way undermine the principle of 'neither East nor West.'

Another point is that in the Islamic system, although the tradition of criticism and sincere advice to officials is one of the divine blessings and Islamic honors and a source of growth and advancement of affairs and a clear example of the duty of enjoining good, and it must remain and develop in society, mixing this commendable and necessary work with spreading a spirit of distrust and suspicion towards the main officials of the country and speaking ill of them—which leads to weakening their spirit or position—will be a great and treacherous mistake.

If some people, by speaking and writing or deliberate behavior, sow seeds of doubt and suspicion towards the high-ranking officials of the country in hearts and portray the atmosphere and horizon as dark and despairing, they cannot be considered servants and well-wishers by any justification or statement. This action in our country, which enjoys an Islamic and revolutionary system, completely popular officials, a sincere and self-sacrificing nation, an unparalleled intimacy between the people and officials, and a brilliant capacity for work and progress, and a prominent reputation in the world and among the nations of the world, is undoubtedly a blow to the future of the country and a betrayal of the ideals of the revolution and is an unforgivable sin.

I, following the path and method of the great departed Imam, consider defending all the legal institutions of the country an urgent duty, and I consider supporting the government, the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the judiciary, and other legal institutions obligatory for myself, and I will not tolerate any hostile and weakening behavior towards the sincere and devoted officials of the country, and especially defending the honorable President and the serving government, which, by divine grace, is today administered by one of the brightest figures of the revolution and one of the most capable minds and arms of the country and someone who has always been at the forefront of the revolution and in its prominent position during the sixteen-year struggle and the twelve-year period after victory, is obligatory for everyone. Of course, the officials and agents of the country must know and do know that paying attention to criticism and advice, removing defects and shortcomings in work, observing the principles and standards of the Islamic system, and maintaining revolutionary orientations is a duty that the competence of any official in the Islamic Republic depends on observing and respecting it.

In the Islamic system, justice is the basis of all executive decisions, and all officials of the system, from the honorable representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly to the officials of various executive sectors, especially the policy-making and expert levels, and to the judges and members of the judiciary, must strive with all sincerity to implement justice in society. Today in our society, the highest step towards establishing justice is to remove deprivation from the deprived and low-income classes, who have often borne the greatest burden of the system at all stages and have always defended the revolution and Islam with sincerity and devotion. Defending the deprived classes, who are the true owners of the revolution, must be at the top of all the country's planning and the axis of all economic movements in its various sectors, and the correctness of any economic policy and program must be measured by the progress in this goal, whether in the short term or long term.

Also, the officials of the system, whether the honorable representatives of the Assembly or the executive and judicial agents, must be careful to keep themselves away from the ailments that are the widespread disease of agents in tyrannical and non-popular systems with precision and caution; the disease of indulgence and pleasure-seeking; the disease of illicit dealings and financial and administrative corruption; the disease of arrogance and distance from the people and indifference to their needs, desires, and presence; the disease of unhealthy factions and preferring factional goals over public interests and the like, which, like termites, weaken and hollow out the foundations of any system; or giving in to tyrannical traditions and a desire to revive them and indifference or disregard for Islamic and revolutionary values, which deadens the heart and takes away the enthusiasm and desire to serve the people who have sincerely given their lives and wealth for the revolution and makes them hopeless and sad.

The agents of the system in every sector, especially in the expert and planning sectors, must know that the only savior of the country and nation from the evil of the domination of enemies and tyrants and from the evil of poverty and ignorance—which is the ominous legacy of tyrants—is adherence to Islamic values and Islamic justice and reliance on the human talents of this nation and its sincere and devoted forces; and this is what will save the country from dependence on foreigners and the need for enemies.

The last point is that in the interval between the two anniversaries of Imam (may his soul be sanctified), the favors of the Lord (glorified and exalted) and the attentions of the supreme guardian of God (may my soul be sacrificed for him) were bestowed upon our nation, and rights that had been violated were returned to this proud and great nation, the most important of which was the victorious return of our dear and proud freedmen. I, while thanking and praising the Lord, once again honor the memory and name of these dear ones, who have now gathered in a great assembly in Tehran and have rushed from all over the country to renew their covenant with their esteemed leader, and I remind the honorable families of the great martyrs and the devoted disabled veterans and the brave and sincere warriors that this too is the result of your perseverance and patience and the leadership of that great departed Imam (may God's mercy be upon him); 'And God will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, God is Powerful and Exalted in Might.'

I also find it necessary to honor the memory of the bloody uprising of the fifteenth of Khordad and to remember the oppressed martyrs of that day, who bled in the darkness of tyrannical domination, and to ask the Exalted God for the elevation of their ranks. I ask the Almighty God for the continuation of His blessings and favors upon this nation and all the Muslims of the world and for His help and support for the oppressed and downtrodden of the world.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings

Nineteenth of Dhu al-Qa'dah 1411 Hijri Qamari

Corresponding to the thirteenth of Khordad 1370 Hijri Shamsi

Seyyed Ali Khamenei