Statements in Meeting with a Group of Students on the Twenty-Sixth Day of the Blessed Month of Ramadan, at Imam Khomeini Husseiniyeh

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his pure family, and may God's curse be upon all their enemies.

The meeting with dear students during Ramadan each year is one of the sweet and desirable sessions for me. This year, too, the statements made by friends were truly interesting and enjoyable for me. Of course, they spoke diversely. It was mentioned that there is not enough opportunity to address all the issues students have in mind, which might be somewhat true, but fortunately, you noticed that different opinions were expressed, and all were good. I am truly pleased to see that each year the level of thought and demands of students, and even the literature of expressing these demands, is advancing and progressing. You spoke better this year than last year. This session has been held for years, and I observe the progress of thought. When this session started, some of you were not even students, perhaps not even in elementary school. Today, I observe that over time, revolutionary motivations, revolutionary thought, clear thinking, solid and good reasoning are spreading day by day among the student community. I observed this today as well; this is very meaningful to me. Now, if God willing, we have time to say all our words before the call to prayer, I will say; we have a lot to say in this regard, but my discussion and what I have noted to tell you is in three parts: one part is related to our own hearts, our spirituality, which I believe is the main part of our work, one part is related to student and university matters, and one part is related to the general issues of the country. Of course, I will present all three parts as briefly as I can.

The first part; this year your session, which usually took place at the beginning of Ramadan, was held at the end of the month; today was the twenty-sixth. From one perspective, it is better, it became better; because you young people, having spent these long and hot days fasting, have gained more illumination, more delicacy, and God willing, more spirituality has manifested in you; this is very important. Well, it might come to mind that, sir, we have so many issues - so many economic and social issues, issues of oil contracts and the JCPOA, and the things gentlemen said, all of which are important - now you have turned to spirituality and fasting and the illumination of the heart! I want to say that this is more important than all of them. Because to solve problems, you need struggle, you need to fight - which I will explain if God willing, there is time - and this struggle and fight depend on an inner force. The one who can stand in the field of struggle is the one who possesses that inner force; he can understand correctly and move according to his understanding when that inner factor is active and strong in him; that inner factor is faith.

Therefore, in Surah Al-Ahzab, you see: 'And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us, and God and His Messenger spoke the truth.' And it only increased them in faith and submission.' The issue of the confederates was a significant issue. In comparison, if we want to liken today's enemy front against the Islamic Republic to the early days of Islam, it would be the Battle of the Confederates. Today, you see; all the worldly and power-seeking criminals and oppressors and tyrants across the world, at various levels of power, have lined up against the Islamic Republic and have attacked from all sides; the same thing happened in the Battle of the Confederates. Well, the entire population of Medina at that time might not have reached ten thousand; men, women, young and old, and children. The confederates - that is, the disbelievers and polytheists of Mecca - selected their elite warriors from all the tribes in that region, and they became ten thousand! They attacked Medina; this was no small matter. They said we will go to Medina, massacre everyone; both the one claiming prophethood - that is, the Prophet - and his companions; we will uproot the issue, finish the matter. Although the Prophet's habit was to take the battle outside the city when war occurred, this incident happened so terrifyingly and quickly that the Prophet did not have the opportunity to arrange his forces and prepare them for, for example, a mobilization outside the city of Medina, he was forced to dig a trench around the city of Medina, which became known as the Battle of the Trench. It was a very significant incident. Well, the believers faced this incident. The people - those who lived under the Prophet's banner - were divided into two groups: one group, about whom in the same Surah Al-Ahzab, about seven, eight, or ten verses before the verse I recited, it is quoted: 'And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease said,' those whose hearts were diseased, they said that the Prophet did not tell us the truth, he said you will be victorious; behold! The enemy's army has come and is coming, they will destroy us. That is, despair and hopelessness and self-deprecation in the face of the enemy and a hidden inclination towards the enemy existed in them; but the other group, who were the majority, said no, the issue is not like that, 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us'; this enmity was previously told to us by God and the Prophet; they had said that when you enter this field, all the forces of disbelief and global arrogance will be hostile to you; this issue was previously told to us by God and His Prophet: 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us, and God and His Messenger spoke the truth,' they had spoken the truth; what the Prophet told us, what God told us, that is what happened; that is, the coming of the enemy and the enemy's attack, instead of weakening their spirit, only increased them in faith and submission, strengthened their faith; strengthened their submission to God; strengthened their determination and resolve to confront and oppose; this is because of faith; this is faith. When faith is deeply rooted in the heart, becomes strong, facing all these problems that you mentioned - and I also know them, and I know more than most of them, [that is] I know more than these - does not become a problem; facing them becomes easy; however, facing them has a way.

This is the opposite of what I said in the meeting with the officials of the system at the beginning of Ramadan, 'Indeed, those of you who turned back on the day the two armies met, it was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned.' This is also a verse from the Quran. On the day of the Battle of Uhud, some could not resist, they abandoned the field, turned victory into defeat. In the Battle of Uhud, the Muslims had won, but the negligence or betrayal or worldliness and shortsightedness of a few individuals turned that victory into defeat. The Quran says those who caused this incident, 'It was Satan who caused them to slip because of some of what they had earned'; these actions they had previously done to themselves put them in this position of slipping. My dear ones! Sins, inattention to oneself, lack of piety is like this. If we want to stand against the front of global arrogance, resist, reach that honor, that dignity, that power that the Islamic Republic is worthy of and the revolution has promised us, we need to make the necessary observances in our personal behavior; maintain that piety; [this] is our need.

The Quran mentions in two places the decline of nations that first believed, then in the next generation fell into decline. In one place in Surah Maryam, it says: 'But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil.' That is, the first ones fought and believed, but then - the meaning of 'خَلْف' with a silent 'lam', with 'خَلَف' with a 'fatha' on the 'lam', are opposites; 'خَلْف' means a bad successor, 'خَلَف' means a good successor; here it says: 'But there came after them successors' - bad successors came to power who 'neglected prayer'; their first action was to neglect prayer; 'and pursued desires'; they pursued personal desires; 'so they are going to meet evil'; these two factors - the factor of neglecting prayer and following desires - weaken those forces that should stand firm in the face of jihad and struggle, and this standing will certainly lead to victory; these weaken them; they hollow them out. This is why I emphasized so much about [the lack of] student mixing and said it several times - which I heard unfortunately still exists, now one of the brothers here said, I also have reports, and university officials must answer - because of this. A student is a force of hope for a country, a student is the one who can stand against problems; a student is both young and knowledgeable; he is the one who must manage the country's future, he is the one who must be aware to strengthen the front of resistance against the greedy and opportunists and others, he must be strong; if 'and pursued desires' happens, he cannot. I am not a dry-minded person to think that I am saying something out of dry-mindedness; no, the issue is this: the mixing of the two genders is not desirable from an Islamic perspective. Yes, in official meetings, there is no problem, women can be present, men can be present, they can sit, discuss; the Islamic Consultative Assembly, negotiation meetings, consultation meetings, but in environments where these mixings have no boundaries, these are harmful, they ruin hearts.

In another place, the same subject is mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf: 'But there came after them successors who inherited the Scripture while taking the commodities of this lower life'; [that is] once again this 'But there came after them successors' is repeated in the Quran, and it is mentioned in two places, this is the second place. 'They inherited the Scripture'; they took hold of the truths but were drawn to worldliness, 'taking the commodities of this lower life.'

These are problems that must be addressed first and foremost, and you young people can. I recommend to our dear young people and student youth to pay attention to personal piety issues, personal abstinence, personal chastity; do not forget daily recitation of the Quran - even one page, even half a page - read the Quran every day, establish your connection with the Quran. These prayers have extraordinary meanings, these prayers strengthen your connection with Almighty God, this is the main issue. You saw that our great Imam stood firm; well, the Imam was alone at first, later people came, later the elites came, and the masses came; from the very beginning when he was alone, he stood firm, until the end he said that even if everyone turns their back on me, I will walk this path, God tells His Prophet that even if you were alone, you must go to jihad; even if you were alone, you must go to jihad; of course, 'urge the believers to fight,' tell others too, but if you remain alone, you must go; this is because of faith, when faith is strong in someone, even if he remains alone, he goes. Then these problems that now arise here and there, where someone makes a taunt, someone says something, someone opposes, these no longer count as obstacles on the way. Be sure to read the Quran, read the prayers, give importance to Sahifa Sajjadiya. In Sahifa Sajjadiya, the fifth prayer is very important; all the prayers of Sahifa are good, but if I were to recommend, I would say the fifth prayer and the twentieth prayer, which is known as the prayer of noble morals. These have all been translated; fortunately, today there are good translations of Sahifa Sajjadiya available; the twenty-first prayer is also like this. These prayers are full of content that strengthens your hearts, strengthens your steps, and you can move; well, thanks be to God, you have also found the opportunity of Ramadan.

What I want to say [as the second part] is that whether the Iranian nation wants it or not, it is engaged in a decisive struggle, and naturally, the student community is part of this struggle and part of the pioneers and drivers of this struggle. This struggle also begins from here, where the Iranian nation wants to be independent, to be dignified, to be advanced, to use its resources itself; and if these things happen, it will become an emerging power in the world; with specific thoughts and specific orientations. This is in conflict with the interests of the dominant global powers; therefore, they do not want this to happen; the struggle starts from here. That some accuse the system of being at war with this and that and not allowing the country to breathe and do something, these are superficial and thoughtless words; they are not correct words, they are wrong words. Now, for example, suppose that today the policies of a certain government - for example, America - require that they distinguish between the leaders of the Islamic Republic system and say this one is good, that one is bad, but when they get the chance, even that good one becomes bad; everyone should know this. As long as there is an issue called the Islamic Republic and ideas and ideals are presented as the ideals of the Islamic Republic, this does not align with the temperament and taste of global powers, and they fight against it to take control of it; just as in the past and today in some other countries, and in the past, our own country was in their grip. Well, Iran is an important country, it has important economic, financial, cultural, historical, and other capacities, all of this was in America's hands - first the British; then America - they appointed its ruler, the British brought Reza Khan to power; they brought Mohammad Reza to power; they created the coup of August 28; various interventions in communication and economic policies and so on; everything was in their hands; they want this; just as today it is the case with other countries.

Well, an Islamic country that one day expelled Egypt because of the Camp David connection and expelled it from the Arab community, openly declares relations with Israel - with the Zionist regime! Why is this? Because America wants this. They also want the Islamic Republic and our dear country to be the same: however they want, we act the same way; whichever way they say, we move in that direction; make a deal with one, be estranged from another; sell to one, not sell to another; the fight starts from here. This nation, by virtue of its zeal, by virtue of its history, by virtue of its identity, and by virtue of Islam, stands firm! Islam does not allow it; this is the struggle. Therefore, there is a struggle, and this struggle with the Islamic Republic system exists inevitably; as long as the Islamic Republic exists, [this struggle] exists.

If they want this struggle to disappear, only one of two conditions must occur: either the Islamic Republic must become so powerful and strong that it can impose its word and the other side does not dare to attack it, which we are pursuing this path; or it must lose its main identity and become a lifeless form, a name without meaning, like some other countries that have the name of the Islamic Republic and there is no news of Islam in them. One of these two ways is; there is no third way. Well, therefore, this struggle is a definite and inevitable struggle; it is a field of struggle.

Their first target in this field of struggle is the principle of the Islamic system; the Islamic system is their main target, other issues are secondary or peripheral issues; what constitutes the main identity of the system is their target. Of course, I have spoken many times about preserving the system; that the Imam said [preserving the system] is one of the most obligatory duties or the most obligatory of duties, some imagine that the system mentioned here refers solely to the existing political structure that we must preserve at all costs; [not] only this, the system is not just the political structure; the system means the political structure with all the goals and ideals within it. Preserving the system means preserving all the values that the Islamic system is committed to; like justice, like progress, like spirituality, like knowledge, like ethics, like democracy, like lawfulness, like idealism; idealism is one of the main components of the Islamic system, and the Islamic system without idealism is a superficial and formal thing. Well, now the student, who is the elite and essence of a nation's capabilities - because he is young and knowledgeable and has a future, and the country's future is in his hands - cannot consider himself apart from this struggle; he must struggle.

There is no doubt that there are problems on the way to this struggle, undoubtedly there are big problems; these problems must be addressed. Problems have various types and kinds. Now, the brothers and sisters who spoke here mentioned many problems; some of these problems are major problems that are discussed at the national level, and the confrontation is an external confrontation; solving these problems is the responsibility of the high-ranking officials of the country.

Of course, you raise objections; some of these objections are valid, some are not. I have noted some of the things friends said here; well, the very expression and this demand have a lot of value, and my recommendation is - now I have also noted to say - that you do not lose this demand; this demand is a very good thing. Solving problems is also this demand of yours; now that some say let's solve it, what is the solution? The solution is this demand that now if there is time, I will give more explanations and details, God willing.

Some objections are not valid; for example, regarding these new oil contracts that are now being discussed, nothing has been approved in this regard yet; nothing definitive exists yet. When this issue was first raised, we gave some reminders to the officials; we said well, for you to know what the problems of this contract model and this contract method are, you must consult with those who are involved in the oil economy. They went and discussed, held a meeting, and invited some economists who also expressed their objections, and it was decided to be corrected. They gave me a document that we reviewed, researched, and found that this is the sixteenth edition, meaning this contract quality and this report have been edited sixteen times; it has been constantly corrected, revised. Then when it was referred to our office, our office said this is not enough, because after this, other corrections were also necessary that have not yet been made. Therefore, until these corrections are made and this work is truly in line with the country's interests, this will not happen, and this type of contract will not be concluded. We have also said that until the issue is finalized, no contract should be concluded. Incidentally, in the university professors' meeting, one of the people who spoke here was the same respected person who participated in that government officials' meeting and also expressed his opinions here, which were completely solid and strong opinions, in objections to that contract method in detail. Then there was a solution that he also pointed out, which is also mentioned in those writings. That is, it is not the case that now it is allowed to do these contracts however they want; no. Of course, your demand is good; you demand, you ask; there is no problem.

There were other cases as well. Now [for example] the works related to the resistance economy. Well, it was said that instead of building the road, they go for airplanes; this is a correct statement, that is, we also have this objection; however, note this, and I have said it many times before that leadership cannot constantly intervene in the decision-making of various government agencies and constantly say this should be, this should not be; this is not possible. Neither the law allows this, nor does logic allow this. Agencies have officials; if an official makes a mistake in a case, [does] something wrong, well, it is the duty of the parliament, and the parliament must impeach; or if the work is wrong, it must be scrutinized in the government; the president must prevent it and stop it. It is not the case that now all these executive agencies are there, and each is making a decision - various decisions - the leadership looks to see which is right, which is wrong, and says sir, this is right, that is wrong; this is not possible. This is both against the law, impossible, and unreasonable; it is not reasonable. The duty of leadership is where it feels a movement is taking place that is diverting the system's path. Here, it is the duty of leadership to come into the field and stand in any way possible and not allow it; even if it is a minor case.

I spoke in detail about the issues of the JCPOA in this meeting with the officials at the beginning of the month, and I pointed out two specific cases; suppose [about] these carbon fibers that the Americans want to [act] this way; the officials of the Atomic Energy Organization were also present at the speech; I said sir, do not accept this. This was a minor case, but accepting it in this minor case in the JCPOA issue meant enduring the imposition of the Americans; this is the same deviation. Even if it is a minor case, we intervene. In these cases where the overall movement of the system is diverted and creates a problem, of course, the leadership is obliged to intervene and [if] God willing, God helps and grants success, we will intervene; but it is not the case that one can say in various cases sir, buy or do not buy Airbus planes. Of course, I have given a reminder; both to the Minister of Roads himself, to the president, and in various meetings, I have said. We even told this so-called resistance economy headquarters that you are obliged to see where the purchase of these planes fits into the resistance economy. We have said this, we give reminders, but going forward and preventing it, no, this is not our duty and responsibility.

In any case, a lot of work is being done on the resistance economy, and our office is constantly monitoring the work they are doing. Now, God willing, may God help them to move forward, to be able to do the work. We are happy. I told the government officials that you should know if you succeed, I will be happy. If the government succeeds in implementing the resistance economy, this is an honor for the system, for the leadership, for the nation, for everyone. We pray and help you to succeed, and they must work to succeed.

Now, in any case, what I wanted to tell you is that the struggle has problems; some problems are related to the country's macro issues, and it is the responsibility of the officials to pursue and solve these problems, either through diplomacy, or through cultural methods, or through public diplomacy - which fortunately the Islamic Republic has open hands in this area - whether through internal methods such as strengthening the economy, strengthening military equipment and the like, these are fundamental challenges that the system's officials must carry out and engage with; some problems are also internal country problems, for example, now student problems are problems that undoubtedly exist - those mentioned are problems - however, these must be solved within the groups themselves, meaning the students themselves must find the solution. We give reminders to the country's officials, the university officials - today I have also noted things to say, although I do not know if there will be time or not, apparently not; now I do not know, if God willing, after Iftar there is energy, I will come and sit down and talk a little; otherwise, no - in the end, student organizations and student groups must solve these; these are problems that arise and must be solved, and the officials must accompany and help, God willing.

And of course, the same faith and the same inner factor that we mentioned at the beginning of the talk come into play here. That is, if you get discouraged quickly, get tired quickly, the work does not progress; you must not get discouraged, you must move. See! This revolution started based on a long struggle. The events that happened in 1978 and 1977, when the great popular movement came to the field, these were not spontaneous; efforts had been made, work had been done, struggle had been made for years; those who made these efforts in those difficult years with explanation, with clarification, with strengthening the intellectual foundations, with explaining the grounds for struggle, their work was not easy, they faced problems; they faced imprisonment. Now here this dear brother comes and says if someone speaks against your [word], he must go through the twists and turns of the judiciary! No, speaking against me is not at all accountable, nor is it a crime; I have said it myself many times; [but] it was not like this that day, opposing a police officer had imprisonment! Opposing a police chief had many difficulties, let alone wanting to explain the foundations of Islam in confrontation with the system; these were difficult, it required effort, it required going to prison, it required enduring hardships, it required enduring deprivation, but well, they stood firm, they struggled; the result of this struggle was that in 1977 and 1978, when a spark was ignited, the whole nation entered. If you stand firm - as I said before - you create discourse, you prepare minds, then at the necessary time, it will be useful to you. That is, you can mobilize people's minds towards a truth so that they demand it. When they demand it, the officials are forced to do it. So standing firm is necessary. We have a strong emphasis on student work that those who are active in student groups must stand firm; they must be strong. Now I have multiple recommendations that now since it was decided that after Iftar if we have energy and you have energy, we will talk, I will skip them.

O Lord, by Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, make what we say, what we hear, what we do, for You and in Your path.

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The second part of the Supreme Leader's statements after the Maghrib and Isha prayers and Iftar

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his pure family.

First of all, the existence of students in the country is a great wealth. We have nearly five million students in the country, which is a great opportunity. All the country's officials in planning, in foresight, must consider this issue; five million students. They are increasing day by day, meaning graduates enter the job market, whether a job market is found or not, in any case, they enter society, and another group is added to this collection; this is a very important point of strength. And it should be noted, as these young people also pointed out, that our strengths are the target of the enemy's attack; that is, certainly, the enemies of the Islamic Republic system have plans for our student community, they have programs they are implementing, with this attention we must look to the future and plan and act. Well, there are duties on the students, there are duties on the officials; I will now present what I have noted.

You are members of student organizations, of course, let me say this - I just told some of the respected officials of the Ministry of Science - that for me, revolutionary organizations are not the same as organizations that are indifferent to revolutionary issues; revolutionary organizations must be strengthened, must be helped, must be appreciated, they build the country's future, they guarantee the revolution's future; but well, the organizations themselves have duties. There are two roles for the elements of student organizations: one role is the student role, one role is the membership in the organization, these are different.

As a preface, let me say that the student community in the country, during the revolution, has recorded very good and brilliant records; from the beginning of the revolution, it has been like this. Of course, before the revolution, students also had active participation in the struggles, but what emerged and became a factor in the progress of the revolution was clearly the student activities after the revolution, one of which, for example, was the formation of the Construction Jihad; the Construction Jihad was a great work, the first blossoms of self-sufficiency and national construction and national innovation and national self-confidence were formed and established in the Construction Jihad. I, of course, have many memories. In this student meeting in past years, as far as I remember, I have referred to some of these memories, I do not want to repeat them now, there is not much time. They did a lot of work. They were partners in the Construction Jihad, they participated in the Academic Jihad, in cleansing the university of armed anti-revolutionary elements at the beginning of the revolution, our faithful students played a role. This University of Tehran that you see, its various buildings, its various faculties had become the war room of various groups, with different names fighting the system; various Marxist left groups, two or three types; the Mojahedin group, and various different groups were in this university, they were armed; the barracks had been looted, they had weapons, they were ready to start a rebellion against the revolution; Muslim students, faithful and revolutionary students confronted them, opposed them, reduced their evil; that is, one of the great works of the students was this. Membership in the Revolutionary Guards; many of these prominent figures of the Guards and these great martyrs were students; even now it is the same, those from the past of the Guards who are still there, many of them were students, they came from students to the Guards. In the literacy movement, students played a role, in the timely action of taking over the spy den in 1979, they played a role; that is, the role of students at the beginning of the revolution was a prominent role; while the students of that day in the country in terms of number and quantity were not comparable to today's students, we had about two hundred and some thousand students in the whole country that day, today we have about nearly five million; that is, the country's population has become about twice, [but] the student population in the country has become about twenty-one or two times; in terms of quality, they were not like you, yes they were enthusiastic, they were revolutionary, they had motivation but their revolutionary depth and their Islamic thought depth was not like today's student; that is, these words that these brothers said today, these are much higher in level than what the elite and revolutionary student of that day would say. We had a meeting here, several consecutive meetings with a number of students at the current Amirkabir University - which was called Polytechnic at that time - and the discussion was about whether the Imam's line is a reality and whether there is something that exists or not? They could not understand and tolerate the Imam's thought system; I was also one of the invitees of that meeting, Bani-Sadr was also among them, some others were there, three or four students were also there; the discussion was whether there is a thought system governing the Imam's words or not? That is, they could not understand something so obvious; today for you, this issue is among the obvious. The quality of today's revolutionary student compared to the quality of the revolutionary student of that day is much higher.

Well, with the fact that both in terms of quantity and quality, they were very different from today, they did great works; the reason was also hard work, enthusiastic revolutionary faith, not getting tired, working day and night; with this situation, that small number of students at that time was able to do all these great works. Of course, they were also inexperienced; the experiences you have today, they did not have; nevertheless, they did a lot of work.

If we want to use this as a criterion for comparison, we must conclude that you can do twenty or thirty times more work than they did; provided that you maintain that hard work, that pursuit, that sense of motivation in yourself and move forward. That is, the student community of the country is a wealth - an unparalleled wealth - for the country; of course, I know from these five million students, those who have these motivations, are not such a large number; they are generally under revolutionary organizations or somewhat outside revolutionary organizations; but nevertheless, their number is still several times that number that was in the field of work and action that day; they can do a lot of work. Some students are indifferent, neutral; some students are even opposed to this method and do not accept pursuing revolutionary work; but those who believe in revolutionary work and revolutionary path and revolutionary faith, their number is very large; they are both numerous and of high quality. You can do a lot of work in the country.

Of course, those young people who did those works that day, today many of them are among the country's researchers and prominent professors; even now they are among the elements that many of them have fortunately preserved and deepened those faith foundations. Well, this also shows that revolutionary work does not conflict with becoming a scholar and becoming a researcher and becoming a scientist; that is, it is not the case that you think either we must do revolutionary work or we must go and study; no, now I will say; studying is among your duties, revolutionary work is also among your duties; both must be done alongside each other. Well, we said you have two roles: one role is being a student; one role is being a member of a student organization; these are different. The role of being a student is clear; a good student is one who studies well, looks at the environment with open eyes.

One of the characteristics of a student should be to look at the environment with open eyes; both the student environment, the country's environment, the regional environment, and the global environment. I have said many times in military wars, reconnaissance is one of the most effective and important elements of war. If a force does not have reconnaissance power, does not have a reconnaissance factor, does not know how to do reconnaissance, it will face strange problems. Reconnaissance means you go and secretly discover the enemy's location: where the enemy is stationed, what its capabilities are, what its facilities are; see these to be able to use the situation to attack it and not be surprised that it attacks. Now if you did not do this reconnaissance, did not know the enemy's location, your artillery might fire, but it fires on your own instead of the enemy. If you cannot do proper reconnaissance in the university or at the national level, do not know the environment properly, sometimes your artillery fires on a friend. Sometimes you see two revolutionary organizations have fallen into each other and are clashing; this is due to not knowing the environment. Or in an international issue where, for example, problems arise. Now, in any case, the student's duty is to know the environment; know the environment, know the world, know the region. When you see a certain claimant of enlightenment, for example, expresses doubt about Hezbollah of Lebanon or Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah or another phenomenon of this kind, this is due to not knowing the environment; that is, the optimistic view is this. Of course, a pessimistic view may also be held by someone; but the optimistic view is that he does not know what is happening in the region, does not know what Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah means, what Hezbollah means, what its connection with Iran has effects on the country's destiny and the revolution's destiny; this is due to not knowing. So looking at the student environment and the country's environment and the world's environment with open eyes, which I expressed two or three years ago as 'insight,' some were hurt by it, saying why do you say insight? Well, it is insight; insight means looking with open eyes.

Among the student duties is preserving religion and piety. My dear ones! For you, preserving religion and piety is easier than for people like me; you should know this. When we were young, there was a scholar in Mashhad who was very friendly with my father, he was very old - at that time, to our current age, for example, or more - we were young, he liked us, he would advise us and say that appreciate youth because even worship is for the young, not for the old; it was surprising to us, well worship is for the old, [but] he said worship is also for the young; now everyone feels this. See! Your heart softens quickly, becomes illuminated quickly, your tears flow quickly, your connection with God is quickly established; this is very precious. This tendency that exists today in the young environment of the country towards spirituality is very valuable; these nights of vigil, these gatherings of supplication, these retreats, these Kumayl prayers, Abu Hamza prayers, all these young people, these tears, this attention, are very valuable; keep these, they are valuable. Their value is not only for you personally; they are valuable for the country; as I said, when a person becomes a believer and his heart believes, then 'They said, 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us, and God and His Messenger spoke the truth.' And it only increased them in faith and submission'; in the battlefield, like a ball of fire, it sits in the heart of the target; this is the result of faith and connection with God.

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

Suspicion towards the enemy's media stream; one of the things that is very necessary is suspicion towards the enemy's media stream. Today, one of the most expensive sectors for our enemies is the media sector; it is very costly for them, meaning they spend money, bring in specialists; it costs them a lot; against whom? Against the Islamic Republic. Well, the entire effort of this media stream is to focus on points that can bring the Islamic Republic to its knees; for example, creating despair, highlighting negative points, completely eliminating positive points. Now, today I read in the newspaper, although I do not have precise information, but it was in the newspaper today that this British broadcasting corporation did not reflect yesterday's rally, which is truly a phenomenon - the Quds Day rally in these years, with such hot weather and long days, with fasting mouths, is truly a phenomenon - and this massive crowd in Tehran and other cities [is not reflected]; this is not a small news; those who reflect the smallest news do not reflect this; this is another media policy; on the contrary, if there is a negative point, they magnify it a hundred times. One of the principles should be that the view towards the enemy's media stream - whether its radio and television stream, its satellite stream, or its virtual space stream - should be a suspicious view.

First, know that they lie. As much as I am aware of foreign news, as much as it pertains to the area that is closely informed to me, I see ninety percent is lies; ninety percent! They lie, fabricate; big lies, small lies; it does not matter to them. That is, know that in my opinion, one of the duties of an enlightened student is this. Well, these are related to your student personality, meaning you, as a student, must observe these things.

You have a responsibility as a member of an organization, these are greater responsibilities. Today's complex and multi-dimensional political environment is very complicated; it is multi-layered; it is not like the 1980s; in the 1980s it was clear: there was a war in the west and south of the country, an enemy had attacked; the duty was clear, it was known that everyone should go, for example, to play a role; everyone in their own way. In Tehran, too, if a flag of opposition was raised, it was defeated and crushed by the people themselves, saying you are doing this during the war. This is hard war. The Americans and others have this experience that they do not resort to hard war with the Islamic Republic, they do not take action; they know that if a military war occurs, many of their security and cultural plans inside the country will be disrupted. Today, the program is a complex program; it is both security, cultural, economic, and political. The programs are intertwined; in these conditions, the duties are very heavy; they have security programs. Well, these are dangers; these are things that require confrontation with them, require wisdom, require precision, require study. That is, one cannot just lower their head and attack like this; one cannot work with closed eyes. Therefore, in my opinion, the duties of these organizations are heavy duties. On the other hand, there are other organizations whose beliefs are not the same as those of revolutionary and religious organizations; yes, I also know and this brother of ours also said here that not all student opinions are reflected in this session; to some extent, they are right. Well, this session is for revolutionary organizations. Of course, the words that he himself said indicated that no, this statement is not very accurate; well, there were opposing opinions, they were expressed, I also thanked and we always deal with opponents in this way; however, in any case, dealing with these phenomena is a complex, multi-layered, and precise matter.

The first recommendation we make to organizations is to be present; presence. The intention is not just physical presence; both intellectual presence, verbal presence - which I will explain later - and sometimes physical presence when necessary in the main issues of the country; that is, both friends of the revolution and enemies of the revolution should know your positions on important issues of the country; when they do not know, well, suppose a European or American journalist comes to Iran, then goes and reports to John Kerry, he also says - just a few days ago he said - that yes, those who come from Iran inform me that Iranian youth sit in cafes, drink coffee, and talk about the future of their country; he is pleased! (laughter) Now, [whether] they have gone to a few cafes, I do not know; suppose they have seen twenty, thirty, fifty cafes - a cafe is almost a literal translation of a coffeehouse, but some avoid the word coffeehouse, they call it a cafe - now a few young people have gone and sat in a coffeehouse, suppose they have spoken ill of the system and leadership and the Imam and the revolution and have wished that one day this system would change. In total, in these ten or twenty coffeehouses that these gentlemen have gone to and [then] reported to this foreign minister, for example, there have been 100, 150 people like this. He is pleased now and in an interview or in a report, he says this publicly - just a few days ago, I do not remember exactly, he says this in a report - and it spreads in the world. Well, now in contrast to this, if thousands of faithful Muslim students declare a position on a certain issue that that gentleman is sensitive to, see what effect it has. Yes, he does not convey it, he does not reflect it, but he understands it himself. I have repeatedly told those who complain and say, sir, revolutionary news is not published by the world's media, I say those who need to understand, understand, and those who need to receive it, receive it. It definitely reaches the President of the United States, it reaches the Secretary of State [of the United States], it reaches the members of the American Foreign Relations Council, it reaches the elements of such-and-such institute that is a policymaker; they understand. When you, as a student, for example, have an opinion about the JCPOA and express it, about, suppose, your opinion about relations with America, express your opinion about the resistance economy, express your opinion about the future of the country, this opinion is revolutionary, firm, reasoned; this affects the enemy's spirit. I said you are officers of the soft war, well, these are the necessities of being an officer of the soft war. These are soft war; in soft war, one should not always be in a defensive position, one should also be in an offensive position; this is an attack; one of the duties is this; intellectual presence; your positions should be clear. Now, that these positions are sometimes contrary to the policies of governments and what should we do to avoid confrontation with governments, that also has a solution; now if I reach it, I will also explain it. So, therefore, declaring a revolutionary position [is important].

However, in this declaration of position, several points should be considered; firstly, it should be reasoned. See, today there was talk about oil contracts, about the resistance economy, about concealing such-and-such salaries in the Expediency Discernment Council; it was not precise, the information was not precise. Yes, your protest is approved by me, but the words were not precise; that is, you are not informed. Just as, for example, one of the friends talked about the institutions under the leadership - now under the leadership is a bit of a concession, meaning affiliated with the leadership apparatus - like the Foundation of the Oppressed, like the Executive Headquarters of Imam's Order. Very well, I actually suggest that student groups arrange review tours regarding these institutions and go see; they have done good work, they have done interesting work; if you were there, you would do the same work they are doing. Now, suppose in one case you do not like one of their actions or do not know its reasoning, it does not matter; good work is being done, know these good works. So the position you take should be firm and reasoned; it should be a position that cannot be challenged.

Secondly, it should be timely. Sometimes taking a position on a matter and something, at one time is good, [but] the next day it is not good; that is, it is useless or sometimes even harmful; you should be careful to do this in a timely manner.

Let people know your analysis, reflect it. These student publications are a good thing; of course, provided that they remain faithful to the orientation that this dear head of the organization expressed and publish your revolutionary arguments so that people read them; that is, really student analyses should be analyses that people become informed about. Well, one of the easy things in my opinion is that in pre-sermon speeches of Friday prayers, they should plan, students who are good at speaking should be supported by the group, helped, prepare good texts, go and read them in Friday prayers. For example, before the Friday prayer sermons - where officials go and speak - a section should also be allocated for students. Suppose Friday prayers in a city like Tehran, like Isfahan, like Mashhad, like Tabriz, is not a small place; a student goes there and speaks, expresses a world of content; these are valuable things; or for example, suppose [Friday prayers] in Tehran. The enemy should also know your analysis; that is, when you analyze the event, take a position, declare a position, the enemy should also be informed; and they are informed, they are informed sooner than some friends. (laughter) It should also be logical and reasoned; this is intellectual presence.

Physical presence - or as you say, physical presence - is also sometimes necessary; gatherings are necessary, gatherings have no problem, of course, they should be legal. Now, sometimes the law may impose a restriction somewhere, it does not matter; well, after all, everything is not always according to one's wishes; your gatherings are good, have gatherings on important issues and in the right way. That, for example, suppose they go in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly against the JCPOA, I do not think there is logic behind this; well, how much time do the representatives of the Assembly have? The right gathering is that you rent a hall or take it, five hundred people, a thousand people, two thousand people, ten thousand students gather there, two or three people with prior study go there and speak argumentatively; this is important. This speech reaches the ears of the Assembly representative, reaches the ears of the government representative, reaches the ears of the leadership representative; such gatherings are important. Or in cases where sometimes some student groups want to break the line, if suppose a group wants to cross the red lines of the system and they are very proud and want to show courage and cross the red lines of the system, well, here physical gathering is very good; of course, not in the sense of going and disrupting their meeting. I have said before, I say now, I will say ten more times; I am against disrupting meetings; any meeting that wants to be. Disrupting a meeting is a useless and sometimes harmful act; at least it is useless, at most it is harmful. What is the necessity? Well, they have formed a meeting there and are discussing against such-and-such revolutionary basis; very well, you announce there that tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will hold a meeting here - they there, you here or in the same hall - and we will discuss this topic. Invite, gather students, discuss, unravel that speech, finish it; this is good. You find an audience, there are people, after all, a student is looking to understand the truth. Therefore, physical gatherings are very good, they have no problem, provided they are according to regulations and as said with proper foresight. University officials should also help. I just told Mr. Dr. Farhadi, I also told Mr. Dr. Hashemi before, now I told Mr. Dr. Farhadi's deputy who had come. The duty of university officials is to support revolutionary and religious groups. That is, those who agree with the revolution and are willing to sacrifice for the revolution are not the same as those who are indifferent to the revolution or are sometimes against the revolution. Can you, as a minister, as an official, as a representative of the Islamic Republic, look at them with the same eye? In terms of public rights, yes, public rights include everyone; but you cannot be a representative of the Islamic system and not support the one who defends revolutionary Islam, [but] support the one who attacks the Islamic system or at least is indifferent to it! No, this is not acceptable. Officials should support revolutionary groups and should facilitate this presence. So one of the duties became presence; intellectual presence and physical presence. I explained both types to you.

The second duty is explanation; explanation. Explanation is the basis of our work. We are facing minds, we are facing hearts; hearts must be convinced. If hearts are not convinced, bodies do not move, bodies do not work; this is the difference between Islamic thought and non-Islamic thoughts. I was sitting in the house of one of our friends in Tehran - those years before the revolution. In the meantime, one of the young people I knew - he was from Mashhad; we were familiar with him and his father; he was one of the Fadaiyan Khalq guerrillas and one of those who had taken a position in the northern forests and were fighting - suddenly entered, I was not aware. Well, we were familiar; they came and sat; apparently, he had come to get some financial help or something from that homeowner. I said, well, what are you doing, he said some things. I said if you want to succeed, the way is to talk to people, explain; people should know why you have gathered in the north and are doing armed struggle and in the city, for example, suppose you are doing such-and-such movement; people should know; explain. We talked a little about this explanation with him. He looked at me and shook his head - he was a kid, much younger than us, about ten years younger [than us] - he gave us a look of "a wise man looking at a fool," (laughter) said yes, this is your Islamic thought, our thought is not this; that is, explanation is not necessary. This outdated, worn-out, wrong dialectical Marxist thought - which I have heard some are still pursuing in the university - tells them that no, the necessity of dialectics and the result of dialectics is this war and conflict between worker and employer and no explanation is necessary; they explain to them like this. Well, its wrongness was completely experienced; it turned out to be wrong. The government itself, which was formed after sixty or seventy years, it became clear that it was fundamentally flawed, the whole building collapsed. Now again some are betting on a defeated horse, as the foreigners say; they are betting on Marxism again! No, as that young man said - who was later killed - Islamic thought is explanation. "Your duty is only to convey;" (Quran 13:40) God tells the Prophet that your duty is to convey, you must convey the message. You must explain; say your words, your opinions; on important issues of the country; explain on the issue of the resistance economy, on the issue of scientific progress - these are important issues of the country - on the issue of relations with America [explain]; for many, it is not clear. For you who are student groups, if it is not clear, go and make it clear for yourselves; if it is clear, explain it to the student group. Why do I insist so much that relations with America should not be established even negotiation, except in specific and certain issues that now expediency requires; what is the reason? Well, this has a reason; this reason has been confirmed by even pro-American politicians in some places. I said, once one of these presidents of different periods, had multiple discussions with me about this issue in various sessions; then he had gone to the Supreme National Security Council and said that so-and-so has arguments that I have no answer for. He was right. I had arguments for rejecting relations with America that he had no words to respond to these arguments, he was right. The arguments are strong arguments, it is not easy to dismiss these arguments, to reject them. Well, if you reach these arguments that you can reach [explain them]. You are students, you are young, you have good thoughts, the words you said today, made me completely hopeful, not in terms of the content of the words, but in terms of - the contents were also good, I mean something else - I felt that minds are working completely; this is important to me; the mind is working, it uses good literature, this is very valuable; well, this active mind should sit and find suitable arguments about this issue, promote it. See! [This] is one of the things to be explained.

The issue of the Islamic Iranian lifestyle that we raised, well, this is worth examining, explain this, both practically and explanatorily.

The issue of culture is one of the important issues, explain this. So, therefore, one task, the second task was also the task of explanation; this explanation is both in the student environment and in the outside student environment, as I said, the issue of Friday prayers and the like, which creates discourse, creates public thought and demand, and this is very valuable, it leads the country to a specific direction, of course, it requires continuity of work, it requires perseverance, it requires saying correctly, it requires repetition, it may also take some time.

The third task: increase your political and religious awareness. Do not say we know everything, we are proficient in everything; no, sometimes the level of political awareness is low, sometimes the level of religious awareness is low. Today there are many possibilities for this meaning; both in terms of politics and in terms of religion. Now in terms of religion, for example, the seminary of Qom - now one of the friends made a strong and serious complaint about the seminary of Qom; of course, half of it is valid, half of it is not valid; it cannot be completely rejected, it cannot be completely accepted, it also had some flaws - today it has a very good capacity for religious thoughts that can be made available to you. Just a few nights ago, I happened to see on television one of the great scholars of the seminary of Qom discussing pluralism, with a simple Quranic expression, a very good and short discussion; because there are some who want to attribute pluralism to Islam; because Islam said "Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day" (Quran 2:62), so Islam is "all-religion" and you can follow any religion you want; well, this is a wrong statement but well, it is a statement that with expressions and with intensity and with noise, claimants have expressed this for several years, and they have influenced some poor people. Well, I see a prominent religious scholar on television with a very simple and completely convincing expression - completely convincing - refutes this logic; well, this is valuable. Or another prominent scholar - incidentally, I saw this during these days of Ramadan; I happened to turn on the television for two nights; it was on, I watched - discussed the issue of the knowledge of the Imam and the knowledge of the prophets in a very good and convincing and clear manner. Well, these raise our religious knowledge; political knowledge is the same way. Increase your religious and political scientific awareness, reading books, listening to prominent seminary and university figures.

Scientific tours; many of you are really not aware of the country's progress; that is, your age does not require it; you were in high school and now you have come to university, you have not had the opportunity. We constantly said nano, you know that yes, there is a nano, some people are working; you have not gone to see the nano laboratory, you have not gone to see some scientific laboratories or scientific products, you have not gone to see the service works that some service institutions have done; really arrange scientific tours, sit down and agree, forty or fifty of the kids go here and there and see. Well, you see the free zones and you become sad - and you are right - but go and see these things too to become hopeful, to become happy; and see these things also exist in the country; this raises the level of awareness.

[Create] free-thinking chairs, of course, with the presence and guidance of prominent professors. In my opinion, this is another duty which is the third duty.

Another duty for organizations is to expand the audience at the student level; increase your audience. Of these five million students, the number of those who are your audience is very few, their ratio is very low; do something to increase this ratio; I do not say one hundred percent, I do not say eighty percent but finally increase the ratio. This also has a way; find the way. You who are so creative, talented, and enthusiastic, see how you can find a wider audience. Well, [this also] has requirements: a person must have ethics, patience, the ability to listen to opposing views - these things are necessary - be proficient in the subject to be able to. Sometimes it even becomes necessary for a person to talk to just one audience; that is, to convince one audience. [For] myself in those difficult times of oppression, it happened that I talked to one person for two or three hours on an issue to convince him; sometimes with two people, sometimes with five people, sometimes repeated sessions, sometimes just like that; these are things that have an effect. Therefore, expand your audience.

The fifth point - which I think is also necessary - do not practice dissimulation in defending the Islamic system and be explicit; the Islamic system is a source of pride. Yes, in the world and inside, there are those who want to belittle the Islamic system - there are people of this kind - but they are mistaken and are on the wrong path; some deliberately, some out of ignorance. The Islamic system is a source of honor, a source of pride; your enemy sees the deficiencies and constantly wants to hit the revolution by focusing on those deficiencies and shortcomings. In contrast to those deficiencies and shortcomings, there are many times more progress, success. The most important success is that today, for 37 years, 38 years, a great front of material power - from east to west and all kinds - has tried to bring this revolution and this nation and this system to its knees and has not been able to; is this a joke? They frown at such-and-such a boastful kingdom, they all tremble and try to win the other party's heart; they go, sit, talk, bind, bribe. For 37 years they have been working against the Islamic Revolution: they did military work, they did security work, they did espionage work, they did cultural work; they did a thousand things, [but] the Islamic Republic has become stronger day by day. Dear! Today your population and your quality - the group that supports the revolution - is many times more than at the beginning of the revolution; I have explained this before. What does this mean? This means that the revolution is a living entity and is growing day by day; isn't this honorable?

Of course, when I say defend the system, some are accustomed to taking the system to mean leadership; for example, in such-and-such an issue, he spoke against the system, meaning against the leadership, or he is being supported by the system, meaning [by] the leadership; I do not mean this. Leadership is part of the system; my intention in defending the system is by no means defending the leadership; it is defending the entire system which is a set of intertwined values that, thanks be to God, has remained steadfast like this. Know this, dear young people! The foundation of this revolution is very strong; its growth power and growth potential are very high; it requires force, it requires help, it requires ability, thanks be to God, it has it. Of course, there are problems; both internal problems and external problems. It cannot be assumed [this] without problems; all the reform events in the world have had some problems ahead of them; the Islamic Republic also has, the Islamic Revolution also has.

The sixth point, expand and continue the jihadist camps. I was pleased that this young man came here and talked about the jihadist camp and explained. Yes, all the things he said are approved by me; these jihadist camps are both practice, service, self-building, and familiarity with the community space; it is a very valuable thing. You can expand these day by day; it is also jihad, it is really jihad; it is work, it is jihad, it is effort, it is service to the deprived. Of course, these things that were said about the village are things that we have said for years in various governments. Now, that thing I said before the prayer that leadership cannot interfere in executive affairs except in specific cases, one example is this; about the villages, I have repeatedly recommended to various governments - this government, the previous government, the one before it, the one before it. There are also clear ways; now this young man expressed a few of them; [one] suitable industries for the village that if they start [they are effective]. There are small industries that are suitable for the village; suppose the orchards of Urmia, for example, have apple trees, their apples fall and rot on the ground - I have seen this - and become fertilizer. Their price is so cheap that it is not worth it for the orchard owner to pay to collect them and send them somewhere! [That is] it has no price; while if suppose a juice factory or a compote factory or such-and-such is established there, all this wealth becomes alive. The ways are like this; that is, there is no complicated difficult way; they are very easy ways, with small investments. Sometimes they tell us, sir! If we want to create a job, it requires a hundred million; these jobs I am talking about, not a hundred million, sometimes even ten or fifteen million is not needed. [These are] clear ways; well, they should strive and do it. Therefore, in my opinion, jihadist camps are very good; addressing the issue of villages is important.

Seventh, pursue the Islamic Iranian lifestyle in thought and practice; it is an important issue. Sit and think about it, specify its examples, then practice it yourself and publish it as a guideline; suppose a booklet is published about the Islamic lifestyle, for example, on the roads. Now, in the examples I gave two or three years ago about this issue, I also mentioned the issue of stopping at a red light; this topic can be expanded; it can be explained. It is your job; it is the job of you young people who have both patience, talent, brain, [and] ability; well, do these things.

Eight, the discourse of justice, knowledge-based economy, Iranian Islamic progress, acceleration in scientific findings; these are the main discourses; strengthen these discourses. The discourse of the resistance economy is a very important discourse. Yes, something may be implemented in the name of the resistance economy and in reality, it is not the resistance economy, but something can also be implemented in the name of the resistance economy and be completely the resistance economy; or at least part of it. Apparently, good work is being done now; as they reported to me; not the report of the officials themselves, reports outside the responsibilities of the officials have also been given to me, they are relatively satisfying reports. Probably good work is being done provided that these continue. I have always said that this hierarchy of action, from top to bottom, is a human hierarchy; all humans have brains, hearts, wills, determination; in this hierarchy of five or six intermediaries, [if] one of them does not want to do it, the work is not done. It is not like an electric wire that if you press the button here, a hundred lights turn on; no, all the wires in the middle have will, have determination; they are humans. It must be supervised, it must be controlled, it must be followed up, it must be monitored, it must be constantly demanded and you can play a role in this field. This is the issue of the resistance economy, the issue of justice is the same way, Iranian Islamic progress is the same way. I do not accept this Western development at all; its foundations are wrong, its principles are wrong, many of its branches are wrong, but I believe - I do not want to use the word development which is actually derived from the Western and English expression, I deliberately use the word progress - this Islamic Iranian progress can be presented as a discourse, as a public demand. Acceleration in scientific findings is of the same kind.

Another issue that I think you can do is to form a united anti-American and anti-Zionist front at the level of students of the Islamic world; do this. Sit down, think, then form an anti-Zionist and anti-American front. Today, communication means are easy, no need for correspondence and post and telegraph and the like. Contact in virtual space, as has been done in similar cases. As these Westernized people say, form public Islamic world campaigns against American domination, in terms of opposition to American and Zionist policies. Millions of members join this group, join this intellectual movement and prepare content for them; then they also prepare content for you, because in the Islamic world, after all, there are good student thoughts; create a large student population in the Islamic world.

The tenth point to you dear organizations is that do not accuse anyone of not being revolutionary just because they do not fully align with your thinking. Someone may not be one hundred percent aligned with your thinking, have some differences, be fifty percent aligned, but be revolutionary; being revolutionary ultimately has criteria, these criteria may exist in him; do not immediately accuse people of being anti-revolutionary or non-revolutionary. Just as I stated on the fourteenth of Khordad at the shrine of Imam (may God be pleased with him), being revolutionary is like faith and has degrees; the first degree, the second degree, the third degree; yes, some of its degrees are higher and better, some of its degrees are lower, but all are believers, the account of a believer is different from a non-believer, different from a hypocrite even if their degrees are not the same.

The eleventh point, revolutionary organizations should be synergistic with each other. Sometimes you have differences with each other; revolutionary organizations have differences over some things; well, let them have, at the same time with these differences, have synergy, take the common points; that is, differences should not lead to confrontation and these things; try to establish this in the university environment; tolerance and endurance; endurance of the opponent which is its complete example.

The last point, have a strategic view of the revolution; think for twenty years, thirty years ahead just as your enemy thinks. My dear! Today you are, for example, twenty-two or twenty-three years old, twenty-three or twenty-four years old, twenty-five years old; twenty years later you are a forty-year-old, forty-five-year-old man and probably the source of a great service, a great work in this country. I am not saying that you must have a government job. Now, our sister, our dear daughter repeatedly said that those who come out, think about a job for them; how can they think about a job for five million students? Is such a thing possible; is it necessary for someone who graduates to definitely become a government employee! No, go to the free market, go work, go find a job; of course, the government must help, there is no doubt, but it should not be that now everyone who comes out must, for example, be placed in a low or high government position. But after all, future presidents, future ministers, future parliament representatives, various future officials are among you; today's students; have a view that includes that day, imagine a world that you want to play a role in that world that day, like that world; have such an ideal image.

There is another thing, this issue of student associations which is a very blessed thing; I completely agree with these student associations; it has both a wide audience and is accompanied by spiritual matters.

Well, from here on, I have noted down two or three topics about the country's issues that I think it is late. (laughter) (Yes, well, you can sit until morning, you are young; when I was your age, sometimes we would stay awake all night in the long winter nights; we would sit and chat, for example, with friends; but now no, it is not like that.)

Well, about the country's issues, one of the things that is very important that now cannot be overlooked and must be said [is that] it has become customary to talk about the Imam and the system and the revolution but also cooperate with or support someone who says "elections are an excuse, the main target is the system"; this cannot be. My position on this matter is completely clear; I have said many times that for me these divisions of principlist and reformist and modern reformist and traditional and these things they say, are not important; I do not pay attention to these names at all; I care about the contents; but I am sensitive about the issue of sedition. Now, of course, most of those who participated in those demonstrations were ordinary people and had no fault, but a few were leading, a few also took advantage and said "elections are an excuse, the main target is the system"; is there anything clearer than this? Was this slogan given or not? Well, if this slogan was given, disavowal from this slogan was necessary that day and they should have done it, which they did not, now some of them support it, then they talk about the Imam and support for the Imam and support for the system and support for the revolution! This cannot be, this is not acceptable. This is a very bad phenomenon, it is an ugly phenomenon, we do not like this phenomenon at all.

I have noted down several topics here, one of them is this: the issue of rationality. Today, a lot is said about reason and rationality and the wise and the wise of the nation and the like. The wise of both factions should sit and talk with each other; rationality. Well, we are very much in favor of rationality. The Quran has also talked a lot about reason, Islam has recommended a lot about reason, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) was one of the greatest wise men in the world; he was a man of reason, a man of intellect, the revolution was also a rational revolution with strong foundations; therefore we agree. However, [we must see] what reason dictates. Those who today are in favor of leaning towards the West, in my opinion, have lost their reason, they do not reason. Those who say for the progress of the country we must rely on the West and seek refuge in the West and intensify our friendship with them, in my opinion, are not speaking rationally. Well, the West has given us experiences. The first thing reason does [is that] it must use experiences. Reza Shah was imposed on us by the Westerners, twenty years of that strange and unparalleled dictatorship and tyranny; then the Westerners imposed Mohammad Reza Shah on this country, the people had no role, the Westerners sat and said he should be in place of his father; then the Westerners helped him to overthrow a national government, the Westerners themselves directly overthrew the government of Mossadegh on the twenty-eighth of Mordad - which was a national government, I do not care about Mossadegh's beliefs, after all, it was a national government - the Westerners set up SAVAK in this country [as] a means for the strange and severe suppression of any opposing thought! I once said; (laughter) someone was imprisoned with me in Qezel Qaleh, his crime was that in his pocket calendar he had written a very nonsense poem - that is, really from a poetic point of view, low level - [the poem was]: Everyone say from young to old Curse be upon Reza Shah the Great

They sentenced him to six months in prison for this wrong nonsense poem; there were countless such cases. Having a leaflet that was against the desires of the regime was unimaginable for us. At the same time, one of our friends had come from Pakistan to Mashhad, he said that yes, we were sitting and reading such-and-such leaflet in the park. I said with surprise in the park! Can a person read a leaflet in the park? It was unimaginable for us that one could sit in the park and study a leaflet; the oppression was like this. Well, the Westerners created this. All these executions, all these killings, all these hardships, all these exiles, all these imprisonments; this until the revolution. From the revolution onwards, well, you have seen, it is clear: the first sanctions, the first attacks, the first betrayals, the first espionage, the first security infiltrations, the first extensive and comprehensive propaganda attacks against the Islamic Revolution were from the Westerners; from America and from Europe; and then come forward like this: before the imposed war, support for leftist groups; the groups were leftist, [but] their supporter was right-wing America! In the imposed war, support for Saddam, missile support, biological support - so-called chemical bomb support - they helped Saddam like this; they gave him military plans and helped him in every way; [because of this] the war lasted eight years! Eight years is no joke. After the war, the things they did: shooting down the plane; nearly three hundred people were killed in a passenger plane; that shameless man who was the President of America, came and said I will not apologize to Iran; well, to hell with it; do not apologize! They did not even apologize; who are these people? What does experience tell us? Then various events until today; until the issue of the JCPOA. Well, wasn't it this country of France whose foreign minister entered the field with that impudence and played the role of the bad cop, as they said that day; new strictness and pressures and excuses? The Americans also in another way.

I have also talked about the JCPOA itself; I talked in that session, (laughter) I also talked in the session of the government cabinet (laughter) and more than that I do not find it expedient to talk about it now, for reasons; but well, one thing was proven in the JCPOA and that is that the Americans are hostile to us, they are hostile; not only the US Congress which now plays the role of Shimer, so to speak, those who do not want to play the role of Shimer - that is, the US government - they are also hostile but their form of hostility is different from them; but they are hostile; this was proven. Well, let us use these as experience. Rationality is that a person with such an enemy, with wisdom, with prudence, with caution, with not being deceived, with not entering the field of his conspiracy, with not entering the field he has drawn, must respond with these. Yes, they really want to sit with Iran and coordinate in the issue of the West Asia region - the region of Syria and Lebanon and the like; they have said so; [but] we do not want. Their problem is actually Iran's presence, they negotiate with the intention of stopping Iran's presence; what should we negotiate with them about? They say Iran should not be at all and should not be present in this region, their problem is this; they want to solve this problem; why should we help solve this problem for them? We, on the contrary, want America not to be present. Therefore, rationality is also this.

Well, I think we have talked a lot. After all, my dear ones! We are standing; I, the humble servant, have a religious duty, a moral duty; I am standing in confrontation with the anti-revolution and the opponents of the revolution and as long as there is life in this body, this standing exists. And I also trust these people; among the elites of the country, including academics and students, there are so many faithful elements and supporters of standing on this path that it encourages even the most discouraged person; let alone someone like me who is already encouraged by himself. Therefore, this standing exists and the outcome of standing is victory.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings