The Office of the Supreme Leader

The Leader addressing Basij forces:

Iran will overcome sanctions, slap US in face again

Addressing a huge and magnificent gathering of Basij volunteer forces in the 100,000 capacity Azadi Stadium, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei stressed that the youth are the solution to the country’s problems and made an analysis of the present sensitive situation. He added, “Through yelling, making cheap statements and [harboring] delusional assumptions, the Americans seek to portray a completely reverse picture of their power and the conditions in Iran; however, the youths of the great nation and homeland of Iran know that they should give the US another slap in the face by thwarting the last remaining ploy of the enemy, namely sanctions, and God willing, they will do it.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to the resplendent and magnificent epic feat by Hazrat Zaynab bint ‘Ali and Imam Ali Ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (Peace be Upon Them) in immortalizing the event of Ashura and to the upcoming occasion of Arba’een, reiterating, “The epic feat of Arba’een, which is repeated every year with the turnout of the Iranian nation, Iraqi nation and Muslims from other countries is an exceptionally important phenomenon that has taken place courtesy of God’s grace and at a time of great need by the world of Islam.”

He said yelling by the heads of the hegemonic US and authoritarian powers, the show of might by faithful youths and their successive victories in various arenas and at the same time economic woes and the livelihood predicaments of a large portion of the people as well as the elite growing sensitive and making efforts and endeavors to offer solutions to the problems are various aspects of the country’s current sensitive situation.

Ayatollah Khamenei described “Iran’s greatness, the might of the Islamic Republic and the invincibility of the Iranian nation” as three incontrovertible truths, adding, “These are not bluster but are realities that the enemy wishes that the Iranian nation did not know or neglect so that it would make false assumptions about the condition of the country and its capabilities.” 

Elaborating upon this tripartite truth, Ayatollah Khamenei said the greatness of Iran is a historical fact, adding, “Apart from the 200 years leading to the victory of the Islamic Revolution (namely from mid-Qajar era to the end of Pahlavi era), our beloved Iran has been the frontrunner among Muslim nations in various fields and at stages has even been the forerunner among all nations.”  

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said the salvation of Iran from the tyrannical domination of the US and UK suffices to prove the might of the Islamic Revolution, adding, “Saving the country from the evil of tyrannical rule and hereditary monarchy, resistance against all of the plots of the last 40 years and promoting Iran’s credibility and respect in the region and world are other manifestation of the might of the Islamic Republic.”   

He also recalled that “the Islamic Establishment triumphed in the eight years of the Imposed (1980s) War against the vast front of enemies and for the first time in recent centuries, through the preservation of the territorial integrity of the country, did not allow the aggressors to partition off a segment of our beloved homeland or humiliate the nation through maintaining a military presence in Iran.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the invincibility of the Iranian nation is courtesy of the blessing offered by Islam, adding, “This invincibility can be seen in the triumph of this great nation in the Islamic Revolution and the Sacred Defense as well as the resistance against all the plots of the last 40 years, because the nation has never sensed weakness and fatigue and never backed down in the face of the enemy’s plots and various actions.”

Ayatollah Khamenei likened the political and economic battlefield with that of a military war and described "arrogance" as the plight of victory in all of these arenas, reiterating, "Becoming vainglorious plunges us into inaction, lack of initiative and want of plans and arrangements and will lead to the victory of the enemy.”

The Leader of the Revolution added, "We are still in the early stages and must continue down the path of progress and reach the summit expected by the people and the Revolution through effort, struggle judiciousness,  courage, prudence, and the proper use of facilities."

He devoted a significant part of his remarks to elaborating upon the role of the youth in the developments of the past forty years, stressing, “Dear young people, you must know that you are the tip of the arrow of a great national movement [and] you have to clear the way. Veteran elders can also guide you, if they are not weary and ineffectual, but you youths are the locomotive of this train.”

The Leader of the Revolution pointed to the leading and the decisive role of the youth in the struggle against tyranny before the victory of the Revolution, the days of the victory itself, the struggle against separatists in the early years of the Revolution, the provision of abundant services to the people in Development Jihad, the struggle against hypocritical and traitorous terrorism in the early 1360s (early 1980s), eight years of Imposed War, efforts to restore post-war destruction, cultural struggle against the enemy's cultural invasion in the 1370s (1990s), and the scientific struggle and leap in the early 1980s. He added, “In recent years, youths have also been leading the struggle against Takfiri terrorism; and today also offer mature and productive proposals with a sense of motivation and duty and as part of an intellectual and practical struggle, and with the aim of undoing economic knots.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said the existence of tens of thousands of young diligent groups throughout the country and their unceasing services, especially to the poor, is a great asset that heralds a better future.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the youth as the owners of the country and making a special point, added, "Some people think that I am not aware of the deviancies of some of the young people, but these young people are among the outcasts which are prevailed upon by the outgrowths, and my praise and admiration for the youth stem from sufficient knowledge of such issues.”

Ayatollah Khamenei criticized those who disregard the absolutely decisive role of the young people in the country's present and future, adding, "Such people want to make the youth seem a problem for the country or turn them into a problem in the country; however, I stress with conviction that young people are the country’s solution and not the country's problem.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized that the path to the country's progress is clear, but this road contains obstacles and ups and downs which have to be surmounted. He said, "There are some conditions to treading the path to progress and removing the obstacles in this course, the first step of which is, ‘understanding and sensing the existence and presence of the enemy,’ because so long as one does not feel the presence of the enemy, it will not build a trench and equip itself with protection and weapons.”

Ayatollah Khamenei added, "Of course, the self-proclaimed hedonistic, hypocritical and insincere intellectual who basically denies the enmity of the US and writes out prescriptions for the Iranian government and nation to surrender to the US, if not a US agent, is not the man for the course of the country’s progress.”

He said the second condition for following the tortuous path of progress is "self-confidence and resolution to stand," reiterating, “Dispirited, cowardly, disheartened, lazy, opportunistic and self-deprecating people, even if they themselves do not become an obstacle for others in this field, can make no use of themselves.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “Of course, the youth of the country, whether during the Islamic Movement or at different stages during the past 40 years, have not been afflicted by this blight, and have always been self-confident and courageous devoid of any doubt, fear and cowardice.”

Ayatollah Khamenei cited "drawing the correct inference from the enemy's threat and having a correct understanding of the battlefield" as the third condition for moving along the path of progress and overcoming obstacles. He stressed, “The first battleground is ‘Islam and Islamic faith,’ because the US has been dealt a slap by Islam and the Islamic Revolution and the Revolution has deprived them, who ran all of the affairs in the country, of access to Iran.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated, “Some nagging people say no ill should be spoken of the US so it does not express hostility toward Iran; whereas, their grudge does not stem solely from the Iranian nation’s slogan of “Death to US”, but they are opposed to the very principle of Islam and the Islamic Revolution, because they are extremely afraid of the rise of a great Islamic and Revolutionary power in the region and are, therefore, trying to eliminate the elements of the country's might.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the goal of the hegemonic front is to deal blows to the elements of Islamic Iran’s power, saying, “Social establishment and stability, national security and unity, adherence to the principles and standards of the Revolution, the continuation of progress toward scientific development, the expansion and deepening of Revolutionary and Islamic culture, defensive and missile development and presence in the region are the elements of the Islamic Republic’s might, and enemies seek to harm these elements of power.”

He said "the correct understanding of the realities of Iran and the world and not falling for misrepresentations" as another condition for overcoming the obstacles to progress, adding, “Those wishing the Iranian nation ill and bearing grudge toward it seek to use media tools, especially modern media, to portray a false image of Iran, the region as well as themselves; and divert Iranian public opinion from the realities.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said one of these false illustrations is "the inculcation of the notion that the US is in a position of power," reiterating, "Despite the hard power of the Americans, the fact is that they are not in a position of power, because the main and decisive factor determining power in global showdowns is "soft power," meaning logic, reasoning, and new statements and the US is extremely weak in these areas, and speaks out of bullying due lack of logic and reasoning.”

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the disgrace that US "Liberal Democracy" has fallen into and the spread of criticism of it in the world, adding, "That is why the US, despite possessing atomic power and advanced technology and abundant financial resources, has failed in many regions, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and more defeat await the US.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed to the deceitful and unrealistic image portrayed by the enemies of Iran and said: "By giving false representations of the Islamic Iran, they are trying to force their false opinions upon the public opinion of the world and Iran.”

Referring to the economic problems in the country, he added, "By relying on these problems, the Americans are harboring some fantasies in their imprudent and dense head. Accordingly, the President of the United States (Donald Trump) recently told some of Europe's leaders that if they wait two or three months, the Islamic Republic of Iran done for.”

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated, “These fantasies remind people of the remarks 40 years ago by the Americans and their minions inside [the country] when they gave each other the glad tidings of the overthrow of the Islamic Republic in six months, but now the Islamic Establishment is more than four decades old.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said the yearning of the hapless US president is a result of his failure to understand the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian nation and the nation’s revolutionary and faith-driven spirit, stressing, “This misanalysis has misled the Americans in the past forty years and we must be grateful to God for choosing the enemies of the Iranian nation from the ignorant and the witless.”

Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated, “Indeed, we have economic problems and flaws like ‘oil economy’, ‘lagging culture of conservation’ and ‘prodigality’ in our society, but these are not real defects; the real flaw is "deadlock" and of course, there is are dead ends in the country.”

He stressed that some are trying the inculcate the notion in the minds of the youth that there is no solution other than turning to the enemy for refuge, saying, “The enemy wants to push the Iranian nation to the conclusion that there is an impasse in the country and that there is no way other than to kneel before and surrender to the US.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, "I explicitly declare that those inside [the country] who promote this idea favored and preferred by the enemy, are committing the highest acts of treachery against the country and the nation."

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, "Of course, this will not happen, and so long as there is life and strength in me, I will not let such a thing happen in the country with the help of God-granted power and with the accompaniment of the people and the youth.”

He emphasized the necessity of recognizing and presenting the true image and status of the country and the Iranian nation, saying, “Senior politicians and judicious political minds of the world admire the Iranian nation for forty years of resisting pressures and at the same time achieving progress and turning into an influential power.” 

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said the abundant geographical, climatic, manpower, and underground and overground resources in the country as one of the other realities of Iran, adding, "We have not used these capacities properly, and my perennial recommendation to authorities is to identify and tap into the capacities.”

Ayatollah Khamenei described faithful youths as the manifest capacity of the country and said, “The real image of the country is represented by these faithful youths who have shown their defensive, scientific, cultural and social abilities in different arenas.”

Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the issue of US sanctions, saying, “The imposition of sanctions means that the enemy has no other way of countering the Islamic Establishment than [through] economic sanctions, but even these economic sanctions are more fragile than our national economy.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “Iran’s national economy can defeat (overcome) the sanctions and we will defeat the sanctions with the help of God-granted strength, and the failure of the sanctions means the defeat of the US, and the US must receive another slap in the face at the hands of the Iranian nation via this failure.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the huge and popular body of Basij forces across the country, which has turned into a role model for some other nations, is another aspect of realities of the Islamic Iran, adding, "The popular Basij is one of the prominent points of the real image of the country that not only does not back down in the face of the enemy's threat but it also enhances his faith and that is why the enemy and its agents are strongly opposed to Basij.”

He cited brilliant and prominent assets such as diligent and faithful groups, Development Basij, Rahian-e Noor convoys (paying visits to former war zones), marches, hermitage ceremonies and mourning ceremonies for the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (Peace be Upon Him) as some of the other realities of Iran, stressing, “In order to properly understand the Iranian nation, these points should be attended to.”

In this part of the speech, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution tasked relevant authorities to assist and cooperate with the activities of the Basij, camps for diligent groups and Rahian-e Noor convoys (convoys visiting former war zones).

Ayatollah Khamenei dedicated the final section of his remarks in the massive gathering of Basij forces in the 100,000 capacity Azadi Stadium to a few points.

He pointed to the enemy's attempts to influence public opinion by using the means of media, saying, "Media is an important tool, and in the hands of the enemy it is a dangerous means which can be likened to chemical weapons in military conflicts." 

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution underscored the enemy’s employment of radio, television, the Internet, social networks and cyberspace against the nation's public opinion and in an address to those responsible for the communications sector, he said, “As has also been cautioned in face-to-face meetings, pay close attention to these issues and, by seriously fulfilling your duties, do not become a tool for the enemy to use its chemical weapons against the people.”

"The necessity of unity, steely resolve and a sense of power" constituted the second point of the final part of the speech of the Leader of the Revolution.

He stressed, “Through the strong presence of the nation, especially the faithful youths at the center of the stage, concurrence and accord among the authorities and harmony between the people and authorities, the enemy must be given a message of strength because if the enemy does not see itself facing a powerful body in the in the words, conduct and lifestyle of the people, it will grow insolent and bold.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphatically stressed, “The facts of the country indicate that the nation and its young generation have decided not to be humiliated anymore, not become a follower of foreign powers and the enemy, and take beloved Iran to the height of dignity and glory and by the grace of God, it has the determination and ability to do this.”

The Leader of the Revolution said today’s congregation at the 100,000 capacity stadium recalled the huge gathering of Basij community in the mid-1360s (1980s), adding: "That massive gathering turned into a great movement and many victories for the country, and, God willing, you beloved young people will also succeed in the fields of science, economic activity and progress, entrepreneurship, personal and social endeavors, social and cultural networking as well as necessary fire-at-will bids.”

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