Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei, met with hundreds of people from Isfahan province on Saturday, November 19, 2022. In this meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution spoke about how the Arrogant Powers have been marshalling their forces against the Iranian nation.

He explained that the Arrogant Powers are lining up against the Iranian nation by intensifying anti-Iranian sentiments and that they have used all their capabilities to induce despair and deadlock in the minds of some people, especially the youth.

He said that the main problem that the Arrogant Powers have with the Islamic Republic is that if this system makes advances and shines in the world, then the West’s claims about liberal democracy will be invalidated.

The Leader continued by raising the question of how Iran can achieve progress adding that various methods are required to achieve progress, but the most important means for achieving progress is hope. That is why the enemy is using everything it has in its power to focus on inducing despair and the feeling of being in a deadlock.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the creation of hope as one of the basic indicators of patriotism towards Iran, saying that those who induce despair and the feeling of impasse are in fact anti-Iranian and cannot claim to be patriots.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also referred to the domination of the Western world over various countries using claims made about liberal democracy adding that over the last three centuries, the West looted the resources of different countries under the pretext of lack of freedom or lack of democracy. Europe which was poor, became wealthy at the price of demolishing many wealthy countries.

He added that at present, there is a system based on religion and real democracy in Iran, which has given identity to its own people and revived them and it has refuted the claims made by the west about liberal democracy.

He also identified the ways in which westerners use the terms ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ to act against freedom and democracy in other countries explaining that Afghanistan is a nearby and obvious example of a country that the Americans invaded under the pretext of it not having a democratic government. However, after the Americans spent 20 years committing crimes there and looting the country, the same government that they were initially fighting against, returned to power and the Americans left the country in disgrace.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution underlined that if the Islamic Republic had failed to confront the US and Arrogant Powers and had accepted their coercive, despotic behavior, there would have been less pressure, but they would have dominated the country clarifying that during these years, whenever the strength of the Islamic Republic has been more pronounced, the enemy’s efforts to claw at it have also increased.

Ayatollah Khamenei further noted that the country’s main challenge today, are the challenges of progress and obstruction, recession and resilience, because Iran is making progress but the Arrogant Powers are anxious, upset and frustrated about the progress that is being made by Islamic Iran. Because of this frustration and anger, the Americans and Europeans are getting involved, using everything at their disposal, but they cannot do a damn thing. They have not been able to do anything up until now nor will they be able to do anything from hereon either.

The Leader emphasized that in the battlefield consisting of Iran and the Arrogant Powers, the US is at the forefront with Europe following behind the US, explaining that during the years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, all the US presidents stood up to the Islamic Republic of Iran and sought help from whoever they could, including the Zionist regime as their leashed, rabid dog and some other countries in the region. Yet despite all these efforts, the enemies of the nation have failed.

The Leader of the Revolution further underscored that the main goal of those who have organized the riots was to bring the people out onto the scene and that they were not able to bring out people, so instead they are creating mischief in the hope of wearing out the country’s officials. He added that they are making a mistake, because people are getting tired of this mischief and it is causing people to loathe and despise the enemies even more than before.

In this regard, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that without doubt, this evil apparatus will disappear and that the Iranian nation will then enter the field with more strength, a fresher spirit, and will continue to make even more progress.

He considered the ability to create opportunities from threats as part of the characteristics of a nation that has faith. He referred to some examples of the progress and advancements that have been made in recent weeks such as Iranian scientists discovering a new method to treat leukemia, engineering new innovative equipment required for oil and gas extraction, the inauguration of a strategically important railway link in Sistan and Baluchistan Province – which is an important part of the North-South transportation corridor – as well as the inauguration of a number of new factories, the inauguration of the country’s first offshore refinery, six new power plants, one of the world’s largest telescopes, as well as the launch of a new satellite carrier rocket.

These are all examples of the country’s advancements, especially at a time where the enemy is trying to prevent this progress with riots.

The Leader of the Revolution noted that another opportunity that has been created by the riots, is the revelation of the true colors of those who organized the riots, who claim to be supporters of the Iranian people, adding that the enmity displayed towards all the wants and sanctities  of the Iranian nation – enmity against Islam, burning the Holy Quran, burning mosques, enmity against Iran, burning the Iranian flag and disrespecting the national anthem – all these revealed the true colors of those behind the scenes of the riots.

In this context he also added, that they claim to be on the side of the Iranian nation, yet the Iranian nation is a Muslim nation, the nation of the Holy Quran, the nation of Imam Hussain, asking how can those who insult Imam Hussain, who disparage Arbaeen and the Arbaeen Pilgrimage March attended by millions of Iranians, claim to be supporters of the Iranian nation?

In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the heroic establishment of the “Imam Hussain Army” and the “Najaf Army” as the two battle armies of Isfahan province during the Sacred Defense saying, that the offering of 24 thousand martyrs, tens of thousands of veterans, thousands of freed war captives, and the existence of proud families who have dedicated two and up to seven martyrs to Islam, the revolution and Iran, is proof and a sign of the honor and revolutionary and jihadi identity of this province and that all conscientious human beings have a duty to safeguard this magnificent legacy.

The Leader of the Revolution also referred to the funeral of the 360 martyrs who were buried in Isfahan on November 16, 1982 during the imposed war recalling that all those blood-drenched bodies of those young men could have paralyzed a city from pain and grief, but on that same day, the people of Isfahan sent more young men to the battlefronts and they sent an impressive aid convoy to the warzone, displaying intensified spirit and motivation.

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