The Leader of the Islamic Revolution met with thousands of people from various social strata on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Mab'ath. He pointed to Islam’s immense capacity for bringing about transformation akin to the dawn of Islam. In today’s society, it can turn societies plagued by ignorance, oppression, coercion, fear, and arrogance into communities endowed with righteousness, salvation, and dignity. He elaborated on the dimensions of the recent unrest and the stance of the Islamic Republic toward the designers and instigators of this American- orchestrated sedition. Praising the nation’s action on the historic day of 22nd Dey, he said, “The Iranian people broke the back of the sedition, but the nature, objectives and its trained and manipulated elements behind it must be properly understood.”
Ayatollah Khamenei extended his congratulations on what he called the most important Eid in human history to the Iranian nation, the Islamic ummah, and all freedom-seekers of the world. He described the appointment of Prophet Muhammad’s (s) mission (Bi‘that) as the day of the Qur’an’s birth; the day humanity became aware of God’s plan for nurturing the complete human being, the beginning of Islamic civilisation, and the day the banner of justice, brotherhood, and equality was raised. He said, “Of course, comprehending the virtues of the Prophet’s mission is beyond the capacity of the likes of us, and it must be expressed through the words of the Commander of the Faithful (as) and understood by studying the Nahj al-Balagha.”
In elucidating Islam's power for human development and civilisation-building, he pointed to the characteristics of Arabia before the mission, including moral decay and corruption, pervasive ignorance (jahiliyyah), brutality, oppression, tyranny, arrogance, fanaticism, and profound injustice and discrimination. He said, “Based on divine revelation and a divinely ordained program grounded in intellect and faith, the Prophet (s) raised people to exemplary honour, such as Abu Dharr, Ammar, and Miqdad, from among a backward and degenerate people. This unique capacity of Islam can still be transformative today.”
The Leader of the Revolution said that many of today’s societies, especially Western ones, despite their different outward appearances and rhetoric from the era of ignorance, are afflicted with the same deep moral corruptions, oppression, injustice, tyranny, and arrogance. He said, “Islam and faithful, committed Muslims, can steer today’s world away from the downward slide into an abyss of ruin and corruption toward the heights of righteousness, salvation, and dignity and from going in the direction of hell toward paradise, provided that they act with deep and widespread faith.”
Ayatollah Khamenei cited the verse, “Do not lose heart or grieve; you will have the upper hand if you are believers (Quran 3:139), and added that the main condition for Muslim ability to save humanity is in having an “Abu Dharr–like faith.” He noted that in the Islamic Republic, there have been people like Abu Dharr on an individual level among both well-known and even unknown martyrs, but what really matters is for such a faith to become widespread throughout society.
In the second part of his address, he commented on the recent sedition, which caused the people distress and inflicted harm upon the country. He said, “By God’s grace, the nation extinguished this sedition, through competent officials and skilled personnel.” He added, “But we must understand what the nature of this sedition was, why it was created, who its components were, and how our conduct toward the enemy will be.”
He described the nature of the recent sedition as American, and in explaining the Americans’ main objective behind their various plots, he said, “The goal and consistent policy of the United States, not just its current President, is to swallow up Iran and restore its own military, political, and economic dominance over our country. This is because a nation of this size, population, capabilities, and scientific and technological advancements and located in such a sensitive geographical centre, is intolerable to them."
The Leader of the Revolution said that in previous seditions, the level of intervention by Western officials was mostly limited to media figures and second-tier politicians. He said, “What was different about this recent sedition was that the President of the United States personally intervened in it, speaking, making threats, and inciting those behind the sedition by telling them to press ahead, not be afraid, and that they will ‘provide you with military support.’”
Ayatollah Khamenei called the U.S. President’s remarks that referred to vandals and murderers as the people of Iran, that this was a great insult against the nation. He said, “The U.S. President openly incited the rioters, while behind the scenes, the United States and the Zionist regime provided them with assistance. Therefore, we consider the U.S. President a criminal, both for the casualties and damage caused, and for the insult he levelled at the Iranian nation."
In explaining the nature of the field agents of the sedition, he said, “The active elements in the field fell into two groups. One group had been carefully selected by American and Israeli intelligence services and, in addition to having large sums of money, had been trained in matters such as how to move, set fires, create fear, and evade the police. A large number of these vicious, criminal agents have already been arrested through the effective work of the security and law enforcement forces.”
The Leader of the Revolution described the second group of field agents in the sedition as adolescents and young people who had been influenced by the first group. He added, “This group had no connection to the Zionist regime or to intelligence services. Rather, they were simply naive individuals whom the ringleaders swayed and, whipping them into a frenzy, they engaged in actions and mischief that they should not have done.”
Ayatollah Khamenei added, “These were the foot soldiers, and their mission was to attack facilities, homes, government offices, and industrial sites. Unfortunately, ignorant and unsuspecting elements, under the leadership of malicious, trained elements, committed many serious crimes, such as damaging 250 mosques, destroying more than 250 educational and scientific centres, and damaging the power industry sites, banks, medical facilities, and stores supplying basic goods, and in harming ordinary people, they murdered several thousand of them.”
He pointed to actions he described as shockingly inhumane and utterly savage, such as trapping and burning several youths alive inside a mosque, or murdering a three-year-old girl, as well as defenceless, innocent men and women. He noted, “These acts were part of a pre-planned sedition script. They were equipped with both bladed weapons and firearms that had been smuggled in from outside the country and distributed among the seditionists to commit such crimes.”
Accentuating that the Iranian people broke the back of the sedition, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “Through its multi-million turnout on 22nd Dey, the Iranian nation turned this day into a historic one in its annals of many triumphs and, by delivering a forceful blow to these loud-mouthed claimants, brought the sedition to an end.”
He said that exaggerating the small number of those fomenting the sedition in the Zionist-controlled global press and news agencies, while conversely denying or downplaying the massive turnout of the Iranian people on 22nd Dey, stems from their habitual practice. He added, “Reality does not change through these actions. The reality is what the nation witnessed with its own eyes in Tehran and other cities."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that America’s defeat at the hands of the Iranian people in the recent unrest is a continuation of the defeat of America and the Zionists in the Twelve-Day War. He said, “They launched this sedition with extensive preparations as a prelude to larger moves, which of course the nation put down. But this is not enough. The United States must be held accountable for its actions.”
He tasked the relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the obligation to follow up on America's recent crimes, stating, “We are not taking the country toward war. Domestic criminals cannot go unpunished, and even more so, international criminals. This must be pursued through appropriate means and in the correct manner.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed, “By God’s grace, just as the Iranian people broke the back of the sedition, they must also break the back of the instigators of the sedition.”
In the concluding part of his speech, he highlighted the round-the-clock self-sacrifice and dedication of officials and that of the law enforcement and security forces, the IRGC, and Basij (people’s mobilisation forces) in the victorious confrontation with the American-Zionist sedition, He said, "All the country's officials cooperated, and the nation had the final say, bringing the matter to a decisive end through its unity."
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated his consistent advice to safeguard national unity. He said, “Factional, political, and ideological disputes must not be allowed to spread among the people. Everyone should stand together, side by side and be united in defence of the Islamic system and beloved Iran.”
Referring to the efforts of officials in various sectors and to the President and leaders of the country who had been working in the thick of the fray, he said, “It should not be the case for some people to merely find fault while being unaware of what was being done. I strongly prohibit and forbid anyone, whether inside or outside the parliament, from insulting the country’s leaders, the President, and others at such a critical domestic and international juncture.”
The Leader of the Revolution emphasised appreciation for those officials who, at such a critical time for the country, were present on the scene and stood side by side with the people. He said, “In the past, there were officials who sometimes withdrew from the scene of struggle and the people, or even spoke against them, but this time officials acted along with the people and strove toward the same goal. This spirit should be appreciated and acknowledged.”
Ayatollah Khamenei strongly recommended that the President and the other heads of the branches of government should be allowed to carry out their work and the great service entrusted to them. He added, “Of course, the economic situation is not good, and people’s livelihood is truly hard. Government officials must work more earnestly and twice as hard as ever in some sectors, securing essential goods, livestock feed, and the foodstuffs and commodities people need. He said that if the people and officials fulfil their duties properly, God will certainly bless their efforts.”