In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
الحمدلله ربّالعالمین، و الصّلاة و السّلام علی سیّدنا و نبیّنا ابیالقاسم المصطفی محمّد و علی ءاله الطّیّبین الطّاهرین المعصومین سیّما بقیّةالله فیالارضین و علی صحبه المنتجبین.
I congratulate the auspicious Eid al-Fitr to you dear brethren and sisters who are present [here], especially to esteemed officials and also to guests, that is, esteemed ambassadors of the Islamic countries. I also felicitate the entire Iranian nation and all the Muslims around the world and I hope that the Almighty God – as we read in this prayer that “He who made it [this day] an Eid for Muslim” – will make this day an Eid for all Muslims. Today, unfortunately, this is not the case.
Today, in the world of Islam, problems are too many. Islam has put so much emphasis on the unity and integrity of Muslims and brotherhood among Muslims; even when we try [as ordered by the Quran] to “hold firmly onto the rope of Allah,” we can hold firmly onto the rope of Allah individually, [but] Islam does not recommend this; “… And hold firmly onto the rope of Allah all together;” hold onto the divine rope all together, [and] remain together. Despite all this recommendation(s) and all this emphasis, today we Muslims, unfortunately, do not act upon this order of Islam; [and] the result is what you observe [now]. I want to ask all the Muslim people, especially the ulema, intellectuals, state officials, politicians, pundits, [and] elites in all countries to see and observe the treacherous hand of the enemies of the Islamic Ummah in this division. This division is not natural, this division has been imposed [on Muslims], [and] this division is induced [from outside]. Muslims can naturally live together and experiences have shown that when the temptation of the enemy, the trickery of the enemy, [and] the viciousness of the enemy has not entered the scene, they [Muslims] have lived along each other. This [is something that] we have seen in our country, have seen in Iraq, [and] have seen in other Islamic countries [as well].
They inject this division into the world of Islam; why? Because this division meets the interests of the big powers. They don’t want the Islamic ummah to be united; [and] don’t want this huge power to hold its head high in the horizon of world powers and show itself; they don’t want [this]. If the Muslim Ummah was united, if it emphasized on its commonalities, [in that case] it could be a unique power in the sphere of global politics without any doubt [especially] with this huge population, with these countries [that are located] in sensitive regions of the world, with these resources and underground reserves, with this natural wealth and with this [immense] human power; if we were untied, such a phenomenon would have conquered the world. They don’t want this to happen. They have planted the Zionist regime in this region in order to sow discord; [and] in order to occupy regional countries with their domestic affairs.
Nations resisted against the Zionist regime, that is, they did not surrender; pay attention to this point! During tens of years that the Zionist regime, through support and assistance of Britain and then America, in this region, increased its material power day by day, during this period, some weak governments and some unsuitable people within Muslim governments became inclined toward these Zionists. Many Muslim states and some politicians in the Muslim world – including the previous ominous regime of our own country and some others – established contacts with Zionists who were usurpers, were hostile, were aggressor, were murderer, [who] followed [the policy of] expansionism, and said [the boundaries of Israel should extend] “from Nile to Euphrates;” [they established contacts] with such a government and totally overlooked hostilities; however, the nations [did] not [do this]; the hearts of the nations were still filled with a sense of hatred for the occupying Zionism and the Zionist government. The nations did not follow suit with the governments in this regard. And well, for the governments that were dependent on America and [were] friends and in the same league with the Zionist regime, this was difficult to tolerate.
They thought that they should destroy this and deflect the nations from Zionists. What did they do? They launched these civil wars; these Sunni-Shia wars; these criminal organizations like al-Qaeda and Daesh (ISIS) and the likes of them were manufactured and created in order to pit us against one another and pit nations against one another. This is also [a result of] their aggressor and treacherous hand.
Some Americans in their books of memoirs have admitted that they have played a role in the creation of Daesh, in development of Daesh, [and] in establishing Daesh, and today continue to support them as well. Now, an anti-Daesh coalition has been created. [Of course] I, for one, do not believe that there is really an anti-Daesh coalition; [however,] assuming that [it] is anything against this group, is Daesh the only [terrorist group out there]? Different groups with windfall riches [and] under various names around the Islamic countries are making effort, working, promoting terrorism, carry out explosions, kill people, and slay innocents in the alley, and market, and square, and mosque and the likes of them. They have kept the nations busy, [and have] preoccupied them; [they pit] Shia against Sunni [and] Sunni against Shia. They train one group on this side, radical and foul-speaking and extremist, and force them [so do such things] with money; [and] create another group on the other side [consisting of] radical and foul-speaking [people] so that they would fight each other and every one of them has a large group of people following them. What could be better than this for Zionists? What could be better than this for the Zionist regime? [Let’s] wake up! [We must] understand what is going on in the region!
The policy of arrogant powers in this region is [among] treacherous policies; it is clearly treacherous. In Iraq, the policy of arrogant powers is to topple a government that has come out of elections and the majority [vote] and democracy; they are pursuing this [goal]; [they want] to weaken [the Iraqi government], to disrupt [its functioning], don’t let [the government] work, and pit Shia against Sunni in Iraq. I have seen Iraq before these issues; Shia and Sunni lived along each other, lived side by side with each other, married each other and today, they have to stand against each other, and take up arms against each other! Finally, they seek to disintegrate Iraq. Our policy is quite the opposite of this policy; we believe that the government that has come out of elections in Iraq should be bolstered; we believe that those people who cause domestic differences should be stood against, resisted against, [and] territorial integrity of Iraq should be preserved. This policy is quite the opposite point of the policy of the [global] arrogance in Iraq.
In Syria, the policy of the arrogance is to topple at any price the government that is known for its resistance against Zionism; our policy is the opposite of this. Of course, in case of Iraq, in case of Syria, in case of Yemen, in case of Bahrain, in case of Lebanon, [and] in case of all countries, we believe that [the real] decision-maker are the nations of those countries; [therefore,] from outside, neither us, nor anybody other than us have no right to make decision on the fate of nations; they should make that decision on their own. This is what we believe in. The policy of the arrogance with regard to Syria is to sit, outside the nation’s will, this government and this nation that has been known that is standing against Zionists fast and strong – which both the incumbent president, and the previous president, had clearly stood against the fake Zionist regime – [and] say that this government should not exist. We say ‘No. A government whose motto, whose goal and whose intent is to stand against Zionists; this government is an opportunity for the Islamic world. We have no specific personal gain in Syria or in Iraq; we are concerned about the Islamic world, we think about the Islamic Ummah; our positions are as such the opposite of [the positions of] the arrogance.
In Lebanon; for many years the Zionist regime had occupied an important part of Lebanon and the arrogance and at its top, America, [had] kept silent; a silence combined with satisfaction. Then a resistant, faithful [and] devoted group emerged, which among the most noble of national defense groups is this resistance group in Lebanon and the Lebanese Hezbollah – these are among the most noble national resistance and national defense groups across the world; we have had few resistance group in countries, which would act so purely, with faith, with devotion and successfully – and are bent on killing them and accuse them of terrorism. Is Hezbollah terrorist? The huge force of national defense of Lebanon is terrorist? Can this [group] be called terrorist? Then resistance forces which you Europeans and others are proud of throughout history – in France and in other countries – which stood up in order to defend their country, were they terrorist [as well]? A force, which has stood up against aggression, against agents of the arrogance and is sacrificing, is terrorist? [And] at the same time, they press the hand of the infanticide, tyrant, [and] criminal Zionist regime as brother, [and] as friend; this is their policy.
The reason why we defend the Lebanon’s resistance [is this:] because these are a group of resistance– in the true sense [of the word] – against the enemy, [they] are a defense group, a brave group, [and] are devoted and have stood up against [them]. If it were not for them, Israel, which one day had advanced up to Sidon and beyond Sidon and [even] up to Beirut itself, would have occupied Beirut today, [and] there would be no Lebanon; it is the resistance group, which has blocked their way. Then Americans, the so-called honest and truthful politicians of America (!) call these [people] terrorist and call Iran supporter of terrorism due to its support for these [people]! You are supporting terrorism. It is you who create Daesh, it is you who train terrorist(s), [it is] you who keep the evil and terrorist Zionists under your wing; you are [true] supporters of terrorist(s); you must be tried for supporting and abetting terrorist [groups]. This issue is [also] true about Yemen, is [true] about Bahrain, [and] is [true] about other countries [as well].
In Yemen, that president who resigns his post in the most sensitive juncture [of his country’s history] in order to create political void [in the country], then flees the country clad in women’s clothes, does [he] have legitimacy? Does this president have the right to ask another country to attack his country and kill the people? Now, it is close to four months – or three-odd months – that they have been pounding Yemen. Who are they targeting? [They] target mosques, target hospitals, target cities, target [people’s] homes, kill innocent people, [and] kill children; what are they accused of [to deserve such treatment]? America is supporting these [criminals]. I said [to American officials] in [Eid al-Fitr] prayers that even now you are making a mistake. They point out the mistakes of their predecessors; they mention [the mistake they made on] the 28th [day] of [the Iranian month of] Mordad [August 19]; [and] say ‘we made a mistake’. Yes, you made a very big mistake, but you are also making a mistake right now; you extend the hand of friendship toward the most tyrannical of regimes; you are in cahoots [with them]; then you say that the Islamic Republic Establishment, [every part of] which from top to the bottom has arisen from elections, is a dictatorial system! Are you fair? You Americans, you American politicians speak and pass judgment with the utmost degree of unfairness, [even] with regard to obvious realities. One is astounded how shameless they are! With governments that do not let their nations to hear the name of elections – which in some of these countries if somebody speaks of elections on the street, they take him to prison and it is not clear what happens to them – [with such governments] they are friendly, sincere, brotherly, [and] have signed brotherhood pact, [and] then they say the Islamic Republic Establishment, which has held thirty-odd elections in [the past] 36 years is dictatorship! Can they be trusted? This is why I say they cannot be trusted.
They cannot be trusted; they are not people who anything true could come out of their mouths; there is no honesty in them. In this very tough test [of nuclear negotiations] to which Mr. President [Hassan Rouhani] referred – in which they really took [a lot of] trouble, both him and other involved officials –numerous and frequent [cases of] dishonesty of them [Western countries] was shown in this period [of time]. Well, [of course] our officials fortunately dealt with it; in some cases, they countered them in a really revolutionary way, worked [hard], and have achieved certain results so far; let’s see what happens next.
Today, the world of Islam has one prescription [for its ailments] which is unity. The same prescription exists for [the situation] inside the countries; nations must be united. Iranian nation must be united. Division must not come out of these nuclear and non-nuclear affairs which every group say something – after all it is a job which is being done, [it] has officials [in charge] [who] are following up [on this issue]; God willing they would recognize whatever that is [among our] national interests and pursue them – division must not be created among people. This is what the enemy wants. Now, if somebody follows this broadcasts by foreigners, [by] these radios [and] televisions and these websites which are being continuously developed by them and are continuously producing content, [they would see that] they seek to create division among people; don’t let division to come about; maintain [your] unity, [and] remain together.
And power must come from within. Public and social piety is like personal piety; in personal piety – which fasting is for piety; the fasting month is the month to gain piety – when you are pious, you would become immunized [to vice] from within; like somebody who has taken a vaccine and has immunized himself, that if he goes into an environment contaminated with a germ, that germ will have no effect on him; piety is like that; piety does not allow the external environment to affect you; at least, it does not allow it to affect [you] easily; personal piety is like this. National piety is also like this; if a nation strengthens itself from within, strengthens its [capacity for] science, its industry, its faith, [and] its culture, external forces will not be able to affect it. This is a prescription on the basis of which all of us must act now; the Islamic world must act according to this prescription as well.
O Almighty! You help us to recognize whatever that is the path of guidance and tread it.
Peace be unto you and so may the mercy of Allah and His blessings.