Supreme Leader’s Speech at Imam Ridha’s (a.s.) Shrine

Supreme Leader’s Speech at Imam Ridha’s (a.s.) Shrine
20/03/2012

The following is the full text of the speech delivered on March 20, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution to a group of pilgrims at Imam Ridha's (a.s.) shrine in the holy city of Mashhad.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate, pure and chosen household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.

I am thankful to Allah the Exalted from the bottom of my heart who gave me another opportunity to meet you dear people and youth - including the honorable people of Mashhad and the surrounding areas as well as the esteemed pilgrims who have travelled from other cities - at the spiritual shrine of Ali ibn Musa ar-Ridha (a.s.) and to enjoy the spiritual blessings of sitting in the shade of Imam Ridha (a.s.) and his holy shrine.

I extend my congratulations on Norouz and the arrival of the new year and I hope that for all the people of Iran, this new year will be full of happiness, blessings, joy, dynamism, activity and success in acquiring religious knowledge and achieving piety.

I would like to discuss a few issues with you dear brothers and sisters in this meeting. The first part of my speech is a brief look at the events that happened in our country in the year 1390 and at the regional and global developments that were related to us. The reason why I want to discuss the developments of the year 1390 - and particularly the achievements that were made by the Iranian nation last year - is that our enemies and ill-wishers are making threats against our dear nation. The leaders of the arrogant powers, those who have power and wealth and their followers in our region are doing everything in their power - their financial, propaganda and political power - to intimidate the Iranian people and to disappoint them. Anybody who has followed the political propaganda of the ill-wishers of the Iranian nation realizes that all the activities, all the economic and political efforts and all the security and military threats are aimed at stopping, disappointing and intimidating the vibrant, living, dynamic, determined and capable Iranian nation, a nation that is standing firm in the middle of the arena in a totally courageous way, a nation that is moving forward. In fact, aside from the slogan of "we can" which our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) taught us, the Revolution also gave us the courage to say, "We can". They want to convince us that we are incapable. They are doing everything in their power to achieve this goal and their activities reached full swing in the year 1390. I would like to stress that despite their will and much to their disappointment, in the year 1390 the Iranian nation once again convinced the enemies and the entire world - with its activities, advances and decisions - that it is capable.

The reason why we stress our strengths is to prove that the Iranian nation made use of its capabilities. The Iranian nation proved that it is capable in spite of the will of the ill-wishers who wanted to prove that the Iranian nation was incapable. We are aware of our weak points. We have our own weak points, but in general, our strengths are far more than our weak points.

The year 1390 was named "The Year of Economic Jihad". For this reason, I will start with economic issues. What is noteworthy is the economic movement of our government officials which was accompanied by the exemplary and praiseworthy cooperation of the people throughout the year 1390. Among the things that can be mentioned in this regard is the issue of redistributing state subsidies. All economic experts - both the ones who served in the previous governments and those who serving in the current government - unanimously agree that redistributing state subsidies is a necessity for the country. Everybody has acknowledged this. In spite of the fact that everybody agreed on the necessity of taking action, nobody had done anything due to the complexities and hardships involved. In the year 1390, the executive and legislative branches of government made efforts and carried out important stages of this work while we were under sanctions and while the hardships and complexities were more than ever before. The work is not finished yet, but what has been done so far by our government officials both in the executive branch and in the Majlis - which have been mostly successful due to the support and cooperation of the people - are very important and remarkable.

The subsidy law pursues a number of objectives which I will discuss briefly. All our honorable people are familiar with the objectives, but it is necessary to reflect on them. The work that has been done is great. It is important work. One of the objectives of this law is fair distribution of the state subsidies. I explained in a speech that state subsidies have always been distributed among the people in an unfair way: this is the nature of general subsidies. Through targeted subsidies, a kind of balance and justice has emerged in the way subsidies are distributed in the country. I have received reliable reports from across the country that targeted subsidies have played a significant role in improving living standards of the lower social classes. This is one of the goals, which is also the most important objective of the subsidy law.

Another goal is to reform the structure of production and the structure of our economy. The cycle of production in the country has been a faulty cycle. The process of production has been wasteful and expensive, and productivity has been low. Economic experts unanimously agree that targeted subsidies can resolve this problem. They agree that wasteful and low-yield production can be remedied and a balance can be created between input and output.

Another goal is to manage energy consumption. Because we have been an oil-rich country, we have been in the habit of using gas, natural gas, diesel and kerosene in a wasteful way. Our consumption has been more wasteful than many countries - and in a sense, more wasteful than all countries in the world. Targeted subsidies will encourage the country to economize on energy sources. Reliable statistics have been published which show that if the subsidy law had not been implemented, we would be consuming gas almost twice the amount we currently do. When we do not produce sufficient gasoline to meet our domestic needs, what do we have to do? We would have to import it. That is to say, the Iranian nation would have to be at the mercy of the ill-wishers and the enemies. The subsidy law encouraged us to economize on gasoline. Today our domestic consumption of gasoline is approximately as much as our production. We do not need to import gasoline, which is a great advantage for the country. This was done in the year 1390, exactly when our enemies increased their sanctions on us in order to bring our nation to its knees. But our youth made efforts and foiled the plots of the enemy with their actions.

Another important economic measure which was taken with the help of our people was in the arena of science and technology. Science and technology is one of the pillars of a nation's economic power. A nation that enjoys advanced knowledge and technology will achieve wealth, political independence, honor and power. I am sensitive to the issue of scientific and technological progress because of the key role it plays. I receive different reports from different channels on a regular basis and I can say with certainty that the level of our country's advances is much higher than what has been reported.

According to the reports prepared by reliable scientific centers of world - and not our own scientific centers - the fastest scientific growth is taking place in Iran. Reliable scientific centers of the world reported that in the year 2011 - which ended three months before the year 1390 - the scientific growth of the Iranian nation was 20 percent more than the year 2010. What is the meaning of this? The Iranian nation acted like that in a situation in which the enemies of the Iranian nation were betting on our collapse and were describing their sanctions as crippling.

Reliable scientific centers of the world also report that Iran is the top country in the region in terms of its scientific level and that it ranks 17th in the world. These reports are prepared by those who would not refuse to present false reports against us if they could, yet they acknowledge our growth like this. In the year 1390 we made progress in biotechnology. We made progress in nanotechnology. We made progress in aerospace and we launched the Navid satellite. We made progress in nuclear industry and managed to enrich uranium to 20 percent. In the year 1389 the Americans and others proposed certain preconditions for this 20-percent uranium. We had to prepare it for our research reactor in Tehran, which has been built to produce radiopharmaceuticals: we had run out of 20-percent enriched uranium. They proposed certain preconditions for providing this uranium. They said that we had to ship our uranium abroad to be enriched to 20-percent. But we did not accept their offer. The Americans used the Brazilian and Turkish governments as intermediaries in order to reach an agreement with us. We accepted their offer of negotiations. Turkish and Brazilian officials travelled to our country and arranged meetings with the President. They spoke and signed an agreement. After the agreement was signed, the Americans broke their promise: the agreement was not the kind of agreement they wanted. They wanted to win many concessions. They wanted to bully and blackmail us. Because the Americans broke their promise, the Brazilian and Turkish governments were embarrassed in front of us. This is the story of the 20-percent uranium.

Our youth said that they were prepared to produce 20-percent uranium in spite of all those problems and all that obstructionism. In the year 1390, they produced 20-percent enriched uranium for the research reactor in Tehran and they announced their achievement to the world. Our enemies were astonished. Although they knew the nuclear reactor in Tehran only produces radiopharmaceuticals, they refused to provide the 20-percent uranium we needed. The reactor in Tehran fulfills the needs of our hospitals and laboratories across the country and thousands of patients need these radiopharmaceuticals, yet they proposed preconditions to blackmail us. Our youth produced the uranium we needed. The work was complicated and difficult, but our youth managed to do it. Currently various kinds of radiopharmaceuticals are being produced at the research center in Tehran with domestically produced uranium. This was done in the year 1390.

In the year 1390 fuel plates were produced domestically in the nuclear industry. It would take a long time to fully recount the story in this meeting, but in short, they said that we should send our 3.5-percent enriched uranium to Russia in order to be enriched to 20 percent. Russia was supposed to give the 20-percent enriched uranium to France to be turned into fuel plates and sent back to Iran, a truly complicated process. Our scientists and youth said that they would produce plate type fuels on their own. They made determined efforts and produced the fuels. Then they announced the achievement and put it on display. This was done in the year 1390.

The sixfold increase in recombinant drugs and the increase in the export of knowledge-based products and services - these achievements were made in the year 1390. These are part of achievements which were made in "The Year of Economic Jihad". These are scientific advances. These are technological advances. These achievements are indicative of the scientific power of the country, but they also affect the economy of our country directly. This is economic jihad.

Last week at the end of the year 1390, I visited the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry. There were certain things in the institute which can be witnessed when touring different other research centers of the country as well: they convince one that these advances are the rule, not the exception. These important advances - which our people would not even dream about - have been made already and they have become the rule.

Now I would like to mention a number of the characteristics and phenomena that I witnessed at the institute. First of all, jihad-like spirit and thought were predominant in the institute. The scientists were working with a jihad-like spirit. They were working as if they were involved in jihad, as if they were fighting in the battlefield in the way of God. There is a big difference between those who work for the sake of money, social position, fame or knowledge and those who work for the sake of jihad in the way of God. This spirit is predominant in the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry as well as other scientific organizations of the country. This is very valuable.

The second characteristic is that our scientists consider the sanctions that are imposed on our nation as opportunities. During the visit to the institute, which lasted a long time, a few people told me, "Thank God they imposed sanctions on us. We were awakened and spurred into action." The feeling that the sanctions imposed by the enemies provide us with an opportunity is very valuable. As a result, they paid serious attention to domestic production. They provided opportunities for our youth. They provided opportunities for innovation and creativity. And the work still continues like a continuous stream.

The third characteristic that I noticed among the employees of the institute was their great self-confidence. Certain parts of the oil industry have been monopolized by three, four countries in the world: they do not allow other countries to access their technologies. Over these years, our country has always asked them to do such important and complex things for us and we have paid for their services. I realized that they were determined and they were saying, "We can. We will do this on our own. We will build these things on our own." This self-confidence is very valuable for a nation, for the scientists of a nation, for the youth of a nation.

Another characteristic is the tendency to employ young people. The work is being done by the youth. It is the youth who are in charge. The youth are a source of innovation and creativity.

Another characteristic is the relationship between industry and university, which has always been among my wishes. I used to advise the officials in charge of the relevant sectors in the previous governments that they should try to establish a relationship between industry and university. Fortunately I saw at the institute that the relationship has been established. Of course, the relationship should be prevalent and all our industries should be linked to our universities. Then both our knowledge and our industries will grow. I saw these characteristics at the institute, but the characteristics are not particular to the Research Institute of Petroleum Industry: I have noticed the same characteristics during my visits to other research centers as well, which shows that this is the rule in the country and that our movement is such a movement.

This was the situation of the economic sector in the year 1390, a year in which the enemies and ill-wishers of the Iranian nation were constantly trying to intimidate us. Sometimes they made threats. Other times they mounted political pressure on us. Yet other times they imposed sanctions on us. The agents of the US government are making efforts throughout the world to implement the sanctions, hoping that they will harm the Iranian nation and create a rift between the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic.

In the year 1390 we made other great achievements as well, including the active diplomacy that we employed in case of the regional issues. The Conference on Islamic Awakening, the Conference on Palestinian Intifada, the Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, the World Without Terrorism Conference and the Islamic Awakening and Youth Conference were among the activities which were carried out in Tehran. The Islamic Republic became the center of attention in the world of Islam which has awakened today.

In the area of economic services, tens of thousands of houses were built in the country and were made available to the people. These statistics are great. They are important statistics. Houses were built in rural areas. Roads were built. Highways and freeways were built. These are the preliminary stages of "The Decade of Progress and Justice". We named the current decade "The Decade of Progress and Justice" and these things are the preliminary stages. Three years of this decade have passed. In spite of the efforts by our enemies, in spite of the efforts by our evil and spiteful ill-wishers, our vibrant and dynamic nation has managed to achieve these advances.

One great example of the praiseworthy movements which were carried out by the Iranian nation in the year 1390 was the parliamentary election that was held on the 12th of Esfand. Of course, I would stress that the election is not over yet. Our people should show the same magnificence in the second round as well. The election was extremely important. As I have pointed out before, the enemies did everything in their power for around six months in order to discourage the people from taking part in the election. Sometimes they said the election would be rigged. Other times they said if the people did not take part in the election, the enemies would become less hostile, and they broadcast various kinds of propaganda in order to drive the people away from the polling stations and ballot boxes. Yet other times they tried to intimidate, discourage and disappoint our people by assassinating our scientists. They carried out three assassinations in less than six months.

The election was held in such an atmosphere, yet the voter turnout was so large. The turnout rate of more than 64 percent is a significant rate. You should know that this rate is higher than the average rate of voter turnout in parliamentary elections throughout the world. In America the average rate of voter turnout in congressional elections is thirty five percent. Over the past ten years, the rate of voter turnout in the congressional elections - the Senate and the House of Representatives - has never reached forty percent. If you compare this with the turnout rate of the Iranian people and their dynamism and presence, then the significance of the matter will be revealed. Through those pressures, through that psychological warfare, through those threats, through those assassinations, they wanted to make the 12th of Esfand a day of disappointment for the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic, but despite their will and much to their disappointment, the 12th of Esfand became a day of honor and glory for the Islamic Republic and the people of Iran. The parliamentary election acted as an honest and powerful media outlet. They distort the news related to Iran. They report events that have not happened in Iran and they do not report the events that have happened, but they cannot deny the election. It happened in front of everybody's eyes. The election presented an accurate picture of the Iranian nation to the world like a great and powerful media outlet.

These were the events that took place in the year 1390, a year in which the enemies made so many investments in order to harm the people of Iran and the Islamic Republic. These things are only part of the achievements made in the year 1390. Why are they so hostile? I would say that on different occasions they have different pretexts for hostility. Since the time the nuclear issue was brought up, the pretext for their enmities has been the nuclear issue. Of course, they know and they acknowledge that Iran is not after nuclear weapons, which is true. We have our own reasons not to go after nuclear weapons. We have not manufactured any nuclear weapons and we never will. They know this and the nuclear issue is just a pretext. One day their pretext is the nuclear issue, another day their pretext is human rights and yet another day their pretext is other domestic issues of our country, but they are all pretexts. What is the real problem? The real problem is that the Islamic Republic is safeguarding the great oil and gas resources of the country in a powerful way. As has always been the case, economic and political power - and the resultant scientific and military power - depend on energy sources, on oil. The world will need oil and gas for decades and this is an undeniable truth. The arrogant powers know that their survival depends on oil and gas. The day they fail to acquire oil at a cheap price, the day they are forced to make concessions and stop bullying for the sake of oil and gas - that day will be a tragic day for them.

On the other hand, western countries have faced problems in terms of oil resources and their problems will increase on a daily basis. Some of the European countries - and western countries in general - will run out of oil in four years. Some others will run out of oil in six years. Yet other western countries will run out of oil in nine years. As a result, they have to use the resources of other countries. According to the calculations of our experts, which are based on the statistics presented by the Americans themselves, the US currently has oil reserves of thirty-something billion barrels and it will run out of oil by 2021. That is to say, the US will run out of oil in nine years.

Currently more than fifty percent of the world's oil flows out of the Persian Gulf and in the future the global flow of oil will depend on three oil-rich countries in the Persian Gulf region. Of course, Iran is one of the three oil-rich countries and I will explain this point later. Among all the countries of the world and not just the Persian Gulf region, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the greatest sources of oil and gas. Some countries have more natural gas than we do and some others have more oil than us. We are the second country in the world in terms of our gas reserves and Russia is the first. In terms of our oil reserves, we are the fourth country in the world. There are three countries in the world which have more oil than we do. However, in terms of total amount of oil and gas reserves, the Islamic Republic, your dear homeland, has more proven oil reserves than any other country in the world. This is very interesting for the consumers of oil in the world and for the arrogant powers whose survival depends on energy sources, on oil and gas. This is the wealth that Iran enjoys. They will run out of oil in four, ten, fifteen years, but considering the proven oil reserves, the Islamic Republic will have oil and gas for another eighty years. A country that ranks first in terms of its oil and gas reserves is very interesting.

What do the arrogant powers want? They want our country to be ruled by a government whom they can easily control, just like certain countries in the region which have a lot of oil, yet they are like putty in the hands of the Americans. The Americans order them to produce certain amounts of oil and they say, "Yes, sir." The Americans order them to sell their oil at a particular price and they say, "Yes, sir." The Americans tell them where and where not to sell their oil and they say, "Yes, sir." In our oil-rich country, which has the largest proven oil and gas reserves in the world, they will oppose any government that safeguards this national wealth in a proud way, does not allow other countries to plunder this wealth and does not follow the policies of the enemies. This is why Islamic Iran is faced with so many enmities.

Those who think that if we had backed down in the case of the nuclear issue, America would no longer be hostile - they are unaware of this truth. Their problem is not the nuclear issue. There are certain countries in our region that have nuclear weapons, but they do not care at all. The problem is the issue of nuclear weapons or nuclear industry. The problem is not the issue of human rights. The problem is the Islamic Republic which is standing firm against them like a lion. If the Islamic Republic had agreed to betray its own people like certain regional regimes, if the Islamic Republic had surrendered to them, they would not be bothering it. The problem is their arrogant greed and this is the reason behind their enmity towards the Iranian nation.

Of course, the Americans are making a mistake. It is a big and fatal mistake to think that they can force the Islamic Republic to retreat or back down through hostility, enmity and threats, and they will be punished for this mistake. They should treat the Iranian nation respectfully. They should be satisfied with their rights. They should see the tragedy that is awaiting them. Western countries do not allow their people to learn about the future oil tragedy. They do not want their people to realize what is awaiting them in the case of oil and energy sources. They do not want to tell this to their people. They think that they can move things forward by being hostile to the Iranian people, but they will not succeed.

Dear brothers and sisters, dear people of Iran, you should know that today the situation of America is precarious in spite of all its muscle-flexing, in spite of all the uproar it causes. I do not want to use confidential reports or superficial things as evidence: what I am saying is simple mathematics. Notice that the America President came to power with the slogan of change. What does change mean? It means that the existing situation is very bad and that we are determined to change it. He stepped in with this slogan and the people of America voted for him because of his slogan of change, otherwise racist people were not prepared to vote for a person from an African-American background. But they did, hoping that there would be change. The fact that the slogan of change affected the people like that shows that the situation was very bad. That is to say, on the admission of the American people, the situation of America was very bad when he decided to run for president. And he promised to bring about change. Therefore, it is an undeniable truth that the situation of America was very bad. This is not what we say: it was the American people themselves who admitted that their situation was bad. Then he came to power, but did he bring about change? Did he manage to change the situation? Did he manage to change that bad situation? Today America has a debt of fifteen trillion dollars. This debt is equal to - or bigger than - their gross domestic product. This is a big problem for a country. As for their political situation, they were forced to leave Iraq without any achievements and in Afghanistan their situation is becoming worse on a daily basis. They are becoming more disgraced on a daily basis in Pakistan, a country which used to be their ally. In Muslim countries, in Egypt, in North Africa, in Tunisia, the Americans have completely lost their original awe. Besides all these things, the Occupy Wall Street movement has started in the cities of America. Is this situation good? This is simple mathematics. It is not complicated. The people of America accepted that they needed change, thus admitting that their situation was bad. And that bad situation has not changed so far. Therefore, America is in a dire situation.

America might pose threats to other countries. It might do crazy things. And I would like to take this opportunity to say that we do not have atomic weapons and that we will not build such weapons, but in case the enemies attack us - be it America or the Zionist regime - we will attack them on the same level that they attack us in order to defend ourselves.

The Holy Quran has promised us, "And if those who disbelieve fight with you, they would certainly turn (their) backs, then they would not find any protector or a helper. Such has been the law of Allah that has indeed run before, and you shall not find a change in Allah's law." [The Holy Quran, 48: 22-23] Nowhere in the Holy Quran is it said that if you start a war, you will definitely win it. You might win or lose the war you start, just as the Muslims did not always win the wars they started during the early years after the introduction of Islam: they were defeated in certain cases. But it has been promised that if the enemy attacks, he will definitely be defeated. You should not say that this is only true of the early years after the introduction of Islam. No, "Such has been the law of Allah that has indeed run before, and you shall not find a change in Allah's law." This is a divine law. The Iranian people are determined and dynamic and they are not thinking of attacking other countries, but they are firmly attached to their identity, to their wealth, to their religion, to their Islamic Republic.

This year's slogan is "National Production" which has been explained in the rest of the slogan: "Supporting Iranian Labor and Investment." That is to say, when you consume domestically produced products, you help Iranian laborers, you create job opportunities, you contribute to Iranian investment, you give rise to growth and development. Consuming foreign products is a wrong cultural norm, which has unfortunately become prevalent in certain portions of our society. Consuming foreign products will harm us. It will stand in the way of our progress. It will harm our future. Everybody is responsible in this regard. The government is also responsible: it must support and strengthen national production.

Fortunately the "National Development Fund" was approved by the Majlis. Today a valuable source of money is available to our government officials who can channel the money into national production. They should facilitate national production. The Majlis should cooperate and the executive branch should make efforts in this regard so that they can boost national production. And the people should also cooperate: both those who have capital and those who have the power to work. We should manufacture high-quality and durable products inside the country. We must try to decrease the cost of production as much as possible. This requires cooperation from everybody. Different parts of the government should cooperate - both the parts that are in charge of financial and monetary affairs and the parts that are in charge of other economic affairs. The Majlis should also cooperate so that this goal is fulfilled in our country.

The people have the most important role to play. You dear people should develop a tendency towards Iranian products. It is wrong to prefer foreign brands - in the case of clothes, utensils, furniture, foodstuffs and other things - to domestic brands while in many cases our domestic products might be far better than their foreign equivalents. I have heard that the clothes which are produced in certain cities across the country are taken abroad and foreign brand names are attached to them, and then they are shipped into the country to be sold as foreign products. If these clothes do not go through this process, Iranian customers might not like to pay for them, but simply because the clothes bear French brand names, Iranian customers buy them. This is wrong. Domestic production is important. Pay attention to what Iranian laborers produce. Pay attention to the investments made by Iranian investors. In the area of consumption, the people play the main role. This is part of the effort to reform the norms of consumption, which I discussed with our people in this place two years ago. It is also part of economic jihad, which I discussed last year. National production is important and it must be the goal.

Now I would like to make a recommendation regarding political issues. Dear people, dear brothers and sisters, today we need unity and solidarity across the country. There are many pretexts for discord. In the case of certain issues not even two people have the same opinion. This must not become a pretext for discord. Sometimes a person might have a certain tendency that might not be shared by other people, but this must not become a source of discord. All opinions should be treated with respect. Internal disagreements and conflicts would cause weakness. The Holy Quran teaches us, "And do not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart." [The Holy Quran, 8: 46] If we quarrel about different issues - political issues, economic issues, personal issues - if we fight with each other, our enemy will be encouraged. Some of the courage that our enemy has found in the past years is due to our quarrels. The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) teaches us a lesson. He says, "A person who seeks the truth but makes a mistake is not the same as a person who seeks falsehood and achieves it." Opponents are of two kinds. One kind of opponent wants the truth, the Islamic Republic, the Revolution, Islam and God, but he might choose the wrong path. We must not be hostile to such opponents. Such opponents are different from those who work against the Islamic system and pursue hostile objectives. Make hearts tender towards each other and treat each other with more kindness.

Unfortunately these electronic and internet media outlets have prepared the ground for widespread slander. Our government officials should take certain measures in this regard. However, the most important factor is that we should feel committed to observing the Islamic rules of conduct. We should feel committed to observing the law. My statement must not be used as a pretext to criticize and persecute our revolutionary youth as extremists. No, I consider all our proud youth and all our faithful and revolutionary youth as my own children and I support them. I support our revolutionary, faithful and proud youth, but I also advise everybody to observe the Islamic rules of conduct and the law in their behavior. Everybody must observe the law. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic embodies the values of the Revolution.

The same is true of our government officials. The executive branch must not undermine the authority of the Majlis. Similarly the Majlis must not undermine the authority of the executive branch and the President. They must work together and cooperate. This does not mean that everybody should think in the same way. It just means that two people who think differently must not fight each other. Any internal quarrel and any internal fight would make the enemies hopeful and happy.

I hope the year 1391, which starts from today, will be full of dynamism, activity, success and happiness for the people of Iran.

Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household, make our dear youth and people steadfast on the straight path. Dear God, suppress and defeat the enemies of this nation. Dear God, help our dear, self-sacrificing and resistant people achieve their great wishes. Make the holy heart of the Imam of the Age (a.s.) satisfied and happy with us and help us benefit from his prayers.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

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