The Office of the Supreme Leader

Leader addresses people in Mashahd

Mashad, March 21, 2006 - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei Tuesday evening addressed thousands of pilgrims of the holy shrine of the eighth Shiite Imam, the revered Imam Reza (A.S.), in this northeastern city.

Drawing up the prospects of the Iranian nation and governments in the new Iranian year of 1385, named after the exalted Prophet (S), the Leader elaborated on the positions of the Islamic System on issues like nuclear energy and technology, the Security Council as well as certain comments about negotiation with the United States on Iraq, adding that the nation and the statesmen will steadfastly guard their rights by means of resolve, hope, solidarity and reliance on Divine Graces.

At the beginning of the meeting, held in the grand Razavi courtyard in the holy shrine of Imam Ali-ibn Mousa al-Reza (A.S.), the Leader called the coincidence of the Nowrouz (Iranian New Year's Day) and the Arba'in (the mourning ceremony commemorating Imam Hussein (A.S.)) as conducive to spiritual boom for the new year, adding that the Arba'in was the first manifestation of affection for the grave soil and tomb of the Master of Martyrs (Imam Hussein) and the outset of his magnet which even after prolonged centuries, it still continues to attract the hearts of the lovers of the Prophet's household as well as the hearts of all the world's free men toward salvation, dignity and pride.

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the blessed naming of 1385 after the exalted prophet of Islam (S), noting that the exalted prophet was a perfect collection of the virtues of all divine prophets and God's friends throughout the history and the brightest galaxy in the world being which has encompassed thousands of shiny systems and suns of virtue and magnanimity.

Describing the characteristics of the exalted prophet, the leader of Islamic Revolution pointed to knowledge together with moral, rule together with prudence, worship together with serving people, Jihad together with compassion, dignity together with modesty, keeping abreast of time together with farsightedness, and sincerity together with political complexity. Ayatollah Khamenei said that besides these virtues which show to the Itanian nation and government the path of guidance and salvation, the very existence of the exalted Prophet of Islam presents a linkage point in the beliefs and feelings of all Muslim nations and the overall Islamic ummah.

Ayatollah Kahamenei expounded on the heavy responsibilities of the officials and the people in the year of the Exalted Prophet, adding that the entire history and all the years over belong to that unique being, but the special naming means that the Iranian nation and government has decided in this year to take a giant stride toward a community and civilization which was minded by the holy prophet and make the new year into a year of hope, work, serving, intelligent planning for the future and moving forward.

Ayatollah Khamenei then turned to the general situation of the country and described the firm resolve for tirelessly serving people as the key feature of the incumbent administration. He said that the cabinet and the people-elected president by sticking to revolution's slogans and the revered Imam Khomeini's thoughts, is trying to exhaust all its potentials to unravel knots from public life. He said that the cabinet besides promoting infrastructures to reach the desired condition, makes efforts to protect the national dignity and independence abroad.

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the country's ample possibilities in different fields and said that as per the logic of the Islamic Republic of Iran, development and progress is meaningful only together with justice, adding that the serving administration is determined to take a giant stride in the great movement which was kicked by the advent of the Islamic Revolution. The grand leader of the revolution described "innovation and production in the broad sense" as the immediate necessity of the country, emphasizing that the key to the salvation of the nation is to produce "labor and goods," to produce "science and technology," to produce "wealth and gnosis of God," and to produce "dignity and caliber people." He said that efforts in any of these fields equals to struggle in the way of Allah.

Ayatollah Khamenei urged for university students and professors to launch an extensive drive in seeking knowledge and producing science and technology, noting that Iran must become a scientifically-driven country and the young generation must link science to technology to industry to the country's development through a struggling drive.

The leader called on all public strata to a general movement toward "progress together with justice," saying that in the year of the Exalted Prophet, every Iranian national, residing anywhere and being busy doing anything, takes a stride forward, as per the logic and tenets of the Exalted Prophet of Islam, no let-up, fanaticism, and frustration is allowed in, rather the heart of every Muslim is filled with prophet-like hope.

Ayatollah Khamenei then touched on the attempts of the nation's enemies to torpedo Iran's bright and hopeful movement. He noted that American officials make many allegations about Iran concerning human rights, democracy, atomic energy, and terrorism, but their true say is that the Iranian nation must let the economic, political and cultural dominance of the Unite States be restored in Iran and like the Pahlavi era, the Americans take the reins through installing the country's administrators.

Elaborating on the US methods to that effect, he touched on threatening and intimidation, propaganda and psychological warfare, frustrating people, sowing discord, inciting sectarian feelings, creating the impression of insecurity and doubt over the future, and finally attritional pressures to force officials to give up. "All of these methods and attempts will reach nowhere through vigilance of nation and administration."

The leader of revolution downplayed US threats to impose sanctions on the Iranian nation and said that how come they threaten the Iranian nation with sanctions while it has already experiencing some. "Our nation has achieved its scientific, medical, military and industrial advances at a time when you had imposed sanctions on it, so do not blackmail it by sanctions," he advised American officials.

Recalling the contempt of the world nations, especially the Islamic ummah for the US government, Ayatollah Khamenei rejected the claims of US officials that Iran is isolated. "In order to determine which one, Iran or America, is isolated, we suggest unveil realities by holding a plebiscite in the Islamic world to appraise the ratings of the Iranian president and the American president," he said, daring the American rulers take the suggestion but prepare for its humiliating results.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the allegations on Iran violation of human rights as risible joke of the time, adding that an America of Hiroshima, an America of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, and an America of censorship and tyranny, calls itself the flag-bearer of human rights. He suggested a global plebiscite in order to reveal realities and prove that in world public opinion, the incumbent US president is in the same position with Saddam and Milosevic as the statutes of evil.

Concerning comments on the negotiation with America about Iraq, Ayatollah Khamenei reaffirmed Iran's previous positions and said: "We declare that we will not negotiate on Iran-America's grounds of contentions, because in their logic, negotiation lacks its true meaning, rather it is just a to ol to impose their demasnds on the other side."

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to an impudent, distortional and improper treatment of American officials toward the subject, adding that American officials inside Iraq or outside have repeatedly called on Iran for negotiation which fell on deaf ears. However, as the calls were repeated more, the Iranian officials considered the possibility that negotiation about Iraq may be effective to defuse tragic insecurity in the country and agreed to transfer their views to the United States.

Touching on the role of American, British and Israeli intelligent bodies in creating insecurity in Iraq, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "Our specified viewpoint about Iraq is that the American government must hand off the country and give up inciting sectarian feelings and creating insecurity there so that calm and security is restored to the country and the Iraqi nation itself run it."

Referring to the allegations of the American officials that Iran wants to negotiate with America on various issues, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "American officials demonstrated their domineering trait in the recent event and said that the negotiations equals to summoning Iranian officials. We tell them that you are damned wrong to summon Iranian officials."

Ayatollah Khamenei asserted that negotiations on Iraq is allowed provided that relevant officials can make Americans understand Iran's views about the issue, but if by the subject it is meant to provide the ground for deceitful Americans to continue their bully, any negotiations with them on the Iraqi situation will be prohibited like in other issues.

Ayatollah Khamenei devoted the last section of his speech to nuclear energy issue, saying: "The gist of the enemy's idea is that the Iranian nation must not possess nuclear energy, because it will become powerful and no longer accepts bully."

Underscoring the dire need of the Iranian nation to nuclear energy, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "If the nation today fails to obtain nuclear energy, it will go backward tens of years and in the near future, whenever energy is needed in a field, it has to stretch out hands to aliens and enemies and they may satisfy a small part of demand through a volley of humiliation and insult and trampling its dignity and face."

Touching on gradual finish of oil resources and the ensuing attention of world countries, including the United States and the European countries to new and clean energies, especially nuclear energy, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "The entire world utilizes nuclear energy for advancing and future assurances and we consequently stress that nuclear technology is the undeniable right of the Iranian nation and our nation, me and no official else may give in to America's bully say at any cost."

Concerning the threatening of the Iranian nation by the specter of the Security Council, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "Our nation has experienced the Security Council and during the (Iraqi) imposed war the council at time when the enemy had occupied thousand kilometers of Iran's soil issued resolutions in order to put an end to resistance and defense of the Iranian nation, but the Islamic System rejected them for it was against the country's expediencies. We will not accept any other decision by the Security Council which is against our expediencies either."

Concluding his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized: "Our nation and youth, along with officials, stand against any pressure and their common resolve together with Divine Blessings and the assistance of the Patron of the Age (the last Shiite Imam who is alive, but hidden) heralds a bright future fir the country."
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