The Office of the Supreme Leader

The Leader’s remarks in meeting with Iranian officials and ambassadors of Islamic countries to Iran


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

و الحمدلله ربّ العالمین و الصّلاة و السّلام علی سیّدنا محمّد و آله الطّیّبین سیّما بقیّةالله فی الارضین.
I congratulate you the esteemed and respectable participants and ambassadors of the Islamic countries, who are present in this meeting, and the entire great and faithful nation of Iran and the entire Islamic Ummah on the occasion of this great auspicious Eid. I ask the Almighty God to make this Eid a blessed occasion and an Eid for the Islamic Ummah in the real sense of the word.
As has been mentioned in the Qunut prayer of the Eid ul-Fitr prayers and we read it, it is a [spiritual] “reserve and cause of honor and dignity and elevated status for [Prophet] Mohammad (Peace Be upon Him);” [therefore,] it is a cause of honor and a cause of dignity and a [spiritual] reserve for the sacred being of the Venerable Prophet [of Islam], which means for Islam and the Islamic society. It seems that one of the most important factors and elements, which can be cause of honor and dignity for the Venerable Prophet of Islam and for the Muslim people and the Islamic society and Ummah, is the unity of the Islamic Ummah and settlement of disputes.
Dear brethren [and] dear sisters! At the present time, the policy of the [global] Arrogance is to create rift and difference among Muslim nations and even within nations [and to sow discord] among people that make up those nations; this is [their] policy at the present time. And this is a plan, which has been drawn up by planners and conspirators of the criminal America and Zionists for our region, which is one of the most important Islamic regions and you are observing its signs: regrettable developments in Yemen, developments in Syria, [as well as] developments, which took place in Iraq and the rest of the Islamic countries. The way [to overcome this plan] is for the Muslim nations to discover the main point; that main point is hostility of the [global] Arrogance against the Islamic society and Islamic Ummah; this is the basis of this issue.
[Muslims] must stand against the policies of the Arrogance; this is a duty for governments, is a duty for political officials, [and] is a duty for all religious and cultural and political elites anywhere in the Islamic world. And another basic point is the issue of the Zionist regime [of Israel], which was basically planted in this region [and] at the heart of the Islamic world in order to create discord, to stoke sedition, [and] to cause problems.
And the Zionist regime will not last long as well. This is dictated to us and understood from all historic experiences in a definite way. The Zionist regime has a basic problem. Americans and the officials of the Zionist regime and some governments, which are feeble and follow suit with America, currently think that by establishing overt or covert diplomatic relations with the Zionist regime [they] can solve its problems. No, the problem facing the Zionist regime is not having or not having diplomatic relations with government, and that if two governments [or] three governments – more or less – established relations [with the Zionist regime], shattered the indecency of relations with Israel, and shook hands of friendship with the officials of the Zionist regime, the problems facing the Zionist regime would be solved. No, the main problem facing the Zionist regime is the fundamental lack of legitimacy of this regime. The Zionist regime is not legitimate [and] establishment of this regime has taken place on a void foundation. They have expelled a nation, [and] a historical nation, from its own country with force, with massacre, with threats, [and] with [the use of] the armed force. The Palestinian nation was not a fake and nascent nation. The same is true about the country of Palestine. Is it possible for them to erase the map of Palestine from the historical memory of the world geography? Is this possible to do? [Therefore, even] if they now take steps and force a couple of feeble counties in the region to establish diplomatic ties with the Zionist regime, their problems would not be solved; their main problem is lack of legitimacy.
The pillar of the Zionist regime in this region is a weak and shaky and wrong pillar. This is not a problem the key to whose solution would be in the hands of governments so that they would be able to solve it. It happens that some countries in the region, which have a longer history in relations with the Zionist regime – [and] I do not mention them by name – their people’s sentiments against the Zionist regime are much sharper than other countries. The issue is the issue of nations. Illegitimacy of the Zionist regime has been carved out at the heart of the Islamic Ummah and cannot be washed away. They cannot solve this problem through the efforts made by the White House or through transfer of [the US] embassy [from Tel Aviv] to al-Quds and through such steps; this problem cannot be solved. And without a doubt, this regime, which has been established on a false foundation, will be annihilated and destroyed through the divine assistance and with the endeavor of Muslim nations.
Like all free countries of the world, the people of Palestine – original Palestinians – must be asked [about their future], both Muslims and Christians and Jews; [I mean] those who are [original] Palestinians, not those who have been taken to Palestine from other places. The votes of those people who are [original] Palestinians must be referred to and their opinions must be sought and they must determine the governing system of the country of Palestine. That system of government will make a decision about those who have entered this region [from other places], [that is,] the Zionists and their leaders and others. The solution to [the issue of] Palestine is nothing but this and this will amount to annihilation and destruction of the false and fake Zionist regime, which is in power at the present time, and this will certainly take place in not-so-far future – no definite time can be set [but this will take place] in a future, which will not be very far – through God’s power and assistance. If this happened, Muslim nations in this region would be able, God willing, to achieve their unity.
The [main] reason behind discord in this region is the existence of this enemy. A common enemy always creates unity, [but] it has acted the opposite way here. This enemy has become the source of discord, source of hypocrisy, [and] source of the existence of streaks of treason among some officials in the Islamic countries. When it is destroyed, [regional] countries would be able to get close to one another and would be able to maintain their unity and unanimity, and the dignity of Islam is [achievable through] the unity of the Islamic Ummah. The Islamic Ummah must, God willing, achieve the highest degree of exaltation through unity and will achieve it.
I hope the Almighty God would determine whatever is good for the Islamic Ummah in this Eid ul-Fitr and in all [other] blessed and auspicious days, and bestow upon all members of the Islamic Ummah and all Muslim nations the ability to move seriously on this path.

Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings