Meeting with Representatives of the Seventh Term of the Islamic Consultative Assembly

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

We thank God Almighty that once again the group of elected servants of the Assembly has gathered today, carrying a burden of efforts and services that they can list, name, and be proud of.

It is good for a person, in any position and job, when looking back, to see a list of actions that can be presented to the Divine Presence in a precise and rigorous accounting without leniency. This is why we have been told: "Hold yourselves accountable before you are held accountable," and scholars of ethics and spirituality consider self-accountability one of the first duties of the seeker. This is so that we are constantly reading the record of our deeds and do not get surprised on the day when this record will be read. Before our deeds are accounted for and studied in the Divine Presence, we should read them ourselves; if there are shortcomings, we should correct them; if there are strengths, we should thank God for them. Otherwise, if we do not perform this accounting and remain heedless, we will be surprised.

Imam Sajjad (may peace be upon him) states in the supplication of Abu Hamzeh: "O God, have mercy on me when my argument is cut off and my tongue fails to respond to Your questioning me." In the face of God's question, a person's argument and reasoning come to an end - in today's common expression, a person runs out of arguments - their tongue loses its eloquence, and even their mind and intellect become confused; "and my heart falters at Your questioning me." Those who have subjected themselves to a rigorous self-accounting have hope for relief. When we look at our record of deeds and see these shortcomings, since time remains and life continues, we can make amends; "and turn to your Lord" - "turn" means to return and make amends - if we see bright points, we become encouraged and hopeful with God's help, guidance, and success; we thank God and continue; this is the benefit of self-accounting.

Just as an individual must account for themselves, a group - like your Assembly, like governments, like responsible individuals and organizations in the country - must account for themselves; we must account for ourselves. If a person has such a list - like the one that Mr. Haddad eloquently and sweetly expressed as usual - they will naturally be happy and thank God; however, they should not be satisfied. One should not be satisfied and should not overlook heedlessness and shortcomings; just as we do not overlook in the accounting of others - as long as friendships and relationships do not interfere - we should be strict and take note. The same should apply to ourselves. We hope that God Almighty grants you, us, and all responsible individuals the grace to have a discerning eye towards ourselves and to increase our strength in action and resolve day by day; "strengthen my limbs for Your service and strengthen my resolve."

Three years have passed; this three years - as Mr. Haddad quoted from me - was not a short time; however, such long times pass in the blink of an eye and come to an end; a person, before they realize it, sees that time has passed. Life is the same. When a person reaches seventy years and older - now, thanks be to God, many of you are young - they see that in the blink of an eye everything has passed and they have traversed this long path. This last year will also pass in the blink of an eye. What remains for us? The work we do in this one year and the content we include in this one-year table; like the segmented letters we fit into a table to form a complete sentence and a correct statement. Let us look and see how each small piece of work we will do during this time is; what is it? With what intention is it? In which direction is it? Let us know in advance what we want and make the necessary arrangements for what we want. Of course, one year is not a small amount of time; it is a significant amount of time. Many great works can be accomplished in this one year; I will refer to them later.

What I can say about this term of the Assembly, and the summary I have in mind about this Assembly so far - as a witness and observer who has been present in some of these numerous Assemblies and has closely witnessed and interacted with them - is that this is a good Assembly and is considered one of the good terms of the Assembly. This Assembly has a characteristic in that it has grown in an unsuitable environment; like a plant or tree that grows among rocks. "Indeed, the wild tree is stronger and lasts longer when burned"; a tree that grows among stones is both stronger and more resilient, and when it is turned into fire, it has a more lasting flame and its effect remains for a long time; your Assembly is like this.

The conditions that existed before the emergence of this Assembly due to some individuals who acted out of heedlessness - moving towards boycotting elections, moving towards the resignation of representatives, strikes in the Assembly, and opposition to the Assembly - were strange and bad things, and the public voice of the Assembly contradicted many of the principles and foundations of the system. In such an environment, this Assembly grew.

What does this mean? The Assembly is not appointed by anyone; the Assembly is elected by the people; this means that the heart of this nation beats for the very thing that some had planned to eradicate; the heart of this nation beats for Islamic principles. We do not want to claim that all individuals of the nation are among the first-degree saints; however, we want to claim that those who are not practically among the first-degree saints still care for Islam and for the Islamic values that this revolution brought to this country, and they have tasted them. The historical memory of this nation cannot forget the period when this great country and this historical nation were made playthings of colonialists and Zionist actors; they wanted to make its economy, its culture, the hearts of its people, the direction of its people's lives, the clothing of its people, and the beliefs of its people the material for their games; there could be no greater insult to this nation. There was poverty, discrimination, bullying, and oppression; yet all of this was accompanied by insults to the sacred, with anti-Islamic, Quranic, and religious biases; with dragging men and women into the mire of corruption. The memory of this nation will not forget that period. If we assume that most of the people of the nation have not experienced that period with their skin and flesh - because they are young; of course, we have experienced it - but a nation retains things in its mind and memory, and they become the knowledge and understanding of that nation. The nation loves these principles.

From this desire of the nation, this Assembly emerged. You also, in your electoral propaganda, often emphasized Islamic principles, adherence to values, fighting corruption, working for the deprived class, and striving to maintain independence and national dignity. The people welcomed these slogans and words and voted, and this Assembly was formed. This is a phenomenon and will become a significant point in the history of the country. History is ruthless. Future generations will look back, judge, and comment, and this point is one of those very sensitive and important points. The identity of your Assembly is this.

Based on this identity and in line with these slogans, fundamental and good lines were pursued - truly and fairly - that neither your friends - the supporters of the Assembly - nor your enemies can deny. The Assembly showed that it cares for the weak classes in society; for it, the fundamental issue is compensating for the weaknesses of the weak classes and the poor and marginalized people; you showed attention to this - both in words and reflected in some laws - which was very important and good.

In terms of the policies of Article 44 - which can create a massive economic movement in the country - the Assembly responded well. The special commission that was mentioned has been formed and is working well. However, the Assembly and all representatives must support it, and it is not enough for just a few people - who are members of that commission - to follow it. Move forward and create a strong and solid law that will remain as a legacy for the country.

Among the very prominent strengths of this Assembly in the past three years, were its firm and principled positions on international issues and in confronting global arrogance. It is very bad that enemies who oppose a nation, the direction of a nation, and the principles of a nation suddenly receive a green light and a sign of agreement from within the management structure of the country! It is very embarrassing, and one feels humiliated.

Our logic in confronting American encroachments is not a weak logic. It is a logic that, if explained to all the nations of the world, they will wholeheartedly embrace it. We do not speak with force; we do not speak contrary to common sense. We say that a nation and a country do not want to allow an aggressive empire, a claiming and demanding power from all over the world, to lay hands on its resources, to lay hands on its human resources, to determine its policies, and to deprive it of its rights. They say: do this, do not do that, sell this, buy that, accept this for your government, do not accept that! This is what the Americans are doing in many parts of the world. They did it repeatedly in the former Soviet territories; they have been doing it in the Middle East for decades; they are doing it in Asia and in many countries. Iran said we do not want you to interfere in our affairs; we want to decide for ourselves. Is this a bad statement? The Iranian nation, in open confrontation with global arrogance, says why do you speak of human rights while you blatantly and shamelessly violate human rights everywhere - in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Africa, in Kosovo, even in America itself?! This is not something that nations do not understand.

You see, today, when officials of the country - the President or other high-ranking officials - travel to any country, if they can engage with university students, intellectuals, or the masses, they are met with responses from the depths of their hearts. Why is that? It was the same before: my trip to Pakistan, Mr. Hashemi's trip to Africa, and Mr. Khatami's trips to some other places. Today, our President, when he goes to any Islamic country, if the people are given the opportunity and allowed to speak, they warmly welcome him more than ever because of the firm positions they have heard from him. This means that nations - especially the Islamic world - appreciate these statements.

Now, as a government, a nation, a country, as a unified entity and a governmental organization - not as an armed or unarmed protesting group in a corner of the world - we stand and make these statements, and the whole world admires us for this steadfastness; yet suddenly from the midst of our front - especially from the tent and command of the system - a signal is given that we are with you! "O you who believe, do not take My enemy and your enemy as allies... you show affection to them."

This Assembly stood in the lofty and exalted position of the legislative Assembly and, in all events and ups and downs, openly, clearly, and logically expressed its anti-arrogance position. Logic and reasoning governed its words and actions. This is very valuable and cannot be overlooked. Your friends acknowledge this, and your enemies acknowledge this as well. This is one of those fundamental lines of your honors that in your accounts, you must thank Him for.

One of the advantages of this Assembly in the past three years - which, God willing, will continue in the remaining year - was that it did not become a source of political tensions and divisive disputes outside; when one opens the radio to hear the discussions of the Assembly, they encounter a collection of statements and speeches that yield nothing but quarrels, tensions, and accusations. This Assembly had good and acceptable positions in this regard. Of course, there are some statements in the Assembly that I will refer to; however, overall, it was not a tension-creating Assembly and was good within itself. Other advantages were also mentioned by Mr. Haddad, and the works and activities that have been carried out were discussed.

Dear brothers and sisters! The last year is one of the years of trial. I have told you at the beginning of this term - and I have said it to previous terms as well - in the Assembly, a representative should not think that their representation is based on constantly securing support for that region. The issue of a representative in the Assembly is not like that at all; we should not think that because we are representatives of a certain city or province, we must constantly obtain privileges for that city or province. This is a wrong and unprogrammed competitive field that has bad consequences. You are indeed elected from a certain point in the country, but you are not just a representative of that place; you are a representative of all the people of Iran. The dignity of the Assembly is legislation, not obtaining facilities and developmental aids for your own region; look at the Constitution. Your duty is to legislate; however, legislate in such a way that it sufficiently nourishes your region as well. This state sometimes intensifies in the last year; now we express this to you without any hesitation; be careful. Therefore, the last year is a year of divine trial. It has always been like this, and it is the same now. Be careful.

What seems to me should be done in this one year - with the assumption that you have one more year to work for the people in the capacity of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, this one year is still an important opportunity - is to look and see what the priorities and essentials are and pursue them with seriousness. Of course, a list was presented to me by the respected President of the Assembly a while ago, which included fifteen or sixteen items; it was good; however, I neither determine nor prefer; you know yourselves. Choose a number of things that are truly important and fundamental for the country, or urgent and pressing - even if they are not very fundamental, but they have urgency for the current situation - and pursue them without regard to specific issues that may arise for anyone - factional, personal, or otherwise. This year can be a blessed year.

Of course, in those important fundamental lines that needed to be presented as an advantage, your firm positions on the nuclear issue were also one of the highlights. You acted very well. The correct action was to obligate the government to stand firm; the government is also interested in this and is a pioneer in this work. This is in accordance with the interests of the country and the interests of the future. Also, pay attention to the low-income and weak classes as before.

If we say to focus on fundamental works, it is with these other fundamental considerations that exist in this work. For example, once Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) told the representatives of the Islamic Consultative Assembly that it is true that whatever you approve goes to the Guardian Council, and if it contradicts the Constitution, it will be rejected; however, this does not mean that you should approve something that you know is contrary to the Constitution and send it there; they will reject it; then there is ultimately a discernment council that will go there! No, this is a waste of the Assembly's time: bringing a law that is explicitly contrary to the Constitution to the Assembly or entering into some details of executive issues.

Of course, the relationship between the Assembly and the government is good, and I know how the relationship between the Assembly and the government is. Thanks be to God, the general orientations are the same; although there are differences in tastes. In cases of differences in taste, ultimately each side must compromise a little to be able to resolve issues. I mention this as a fundamental prudent perspective: there should be cooperation with the government. The government has a correct orientation in managing the country. In all programs, governments may have disagreements with Assemblies, with some elites, or with some other individuals; in these disagreements, no one can claim that certainly and everywhere, the right is with this side or that side; sometimes the right may be with this side, and sometimes it may be with the other side. However, this should not lead to the weakening of a principled government that believes in the foundations of the revolution and is actively engaged in service and hard work; keep this in mind.

Not that we say do not criticize; criticism is of two kinds. The sign of a sincere criticism is that when a person expresses criticism, they should also mention the strengths alongside it so that it becomes clear that the basis of the personal opinion is not revenge or annoyance; otherwise, if we have a collection that has both strengths and weaknesses, then in expressing criticism, we do not consider and mention the strengths at all, and then build our statements on one or two or ten weaknesses; it is clear that it will lead to weakening. The sign that we do not want to weaken is that we also mention the strengths. Now, if at some point we have a criticism, we can express it; there is no objection to that.

Ultimately, the coordination between the Assembly and the government is one of the blessings of this term. It has had and has enemies; I tell you this. There are those who oppose the coordination of the government and the Assembly. They have been shouting from the beginning that they have unified these; although no one had any influence in this unification. The nation did this and chose this way; the President was chosen that way, and the representatives were chosen this way. Now they have become unified! What can we do? This unification is not a flaw; it is a virtue; so that they can work together and pursue common goals.

Pay attention in these statements you make - both in the pre-speech and in the reminders, as well as in the ways of supervising the government: questions, reminders, and interpellations - that the enemy does not receive a wrong message from your side due to your heedlessness. Because sometimes we do not have bad intentions, but we speak in a way that the other side misunderstands; they think there is a pro-their-side tendency within this group; then they become encouraged and gain morale. Be careful that the enemy does not gain morale.

In any case, what we can say to you at the end of these three years is "thank you for your efforts." God willing, may God assist you so that you can continue on this straight path, avoiding pitfalls, and be cautious of the pitfalls of action. In our narrations, it is stated that one should avoid doubtful matters, for approaching doubtful matters puts a person at risk of slipping over the border. This is why we hope that God Almighty, God willing, will support you, grant you success, and help you so that you can, God willing, have a clear and acceptable record before God at the end of this term.

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