Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued on Thursday his first statement, highlighting his attitude towards the latest developments of the US-Israeli war on Iran and his election.
Ayatollah Khamenei said ,”We are keen on friendly ties with regional states, yet we target US military bases exclusively.”
Recommending that the regional states close the US military bases, Ayatollah Khamenei affirmed that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed.
His Eminence also praised the Resistance Front and the cooperation of its components, stressing that unified it will shorten the path to liberation from the Zionist sedition.
The full text of the message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei:
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it.” (Quran 2:106)
Peace be upon you, O caller to God and guardian of His signs,
Peace be upon you, O gate of God and judge of His religion,
Peace be upon you, O vicegerent of God and supporter of His right,
Peace be upon you, O proof of God and indicator of His will;
Peace be upon you, O foremost and hoped-for one;
Peace be upon you with all the greetings of peace;
Peace be upon you, O my master, the Master of the Age.
At the beginning of my speech, I must express my deepest condolences to the Imam of the Age, may God hasten his noble appearance, on the occasion of the martyrdom of the great and wise Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. I also request his prayers for the well-being of every individual of the great Iranian people, indeed for all Muslims in the world, and for all those who serve Islam and the revolution, and for the martyrs of the Islamic uprising, especially in the recent war, as well as for this humble servant.
The second part of my speech is addressed to the great Iranian people.
First, I must briefly explain my position regarding the decision of the esteemed Assembly of Experts. This servant of yours, Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei, learned of the result of the voting in the Assembly of Experts at the same time as you, through the state TV of the Islamic Republic. Sitting in the place where the two great leaders of this nation, Imam Khomeini and the martyred Khamenei, sat is a difficult task for me. This platform has witnessed the presence of a man who, after more than sixty years of struggle in the way of God and sacrificing all kinds of pleasures and comfort, became a shining jewel and a distinguished figure not only in our era but in the history of the rulers of this country.
His life and the nature of his death were intertwined with greatness and dignity stemming from reliance on truth. God granted me the opportunity to visit his body after his martyrdom; what I saw was a mountain of solidity, and I heard that his uninjured hand was clenched in a firm fist.
As for the various aspects of his personality, knowledgeable people should speak about them at length. In this context, I will suffice with this brief mention and leave the details for other occasions.
Hence, the difficulty of taking on the position of leadership after such a man; filling this gap can only be achieved with the help of God and the support of the people.
It is necessary here to emphasize a point directly related to the essence of my speech, which is that one of the arts of the martyred Leader and his great predecessor was to involve the people in all fields, to enlighten and make them aware, and to practically rely on their strength. In this sense, they embodied the reality of “the people” and “the republic,” and they were believers in it from the depths of their hearts.
The effect of this was clearly evident in these few days when the country was without a leader and without a supreme commander of the armed forces; the great Iranian people’s awareness, steadfastness, bravery, and presence in the recent incident amazed the enemy and earned the admiration of friends.
You, the people, are the ones who have led the country and ensured its strength. The verse with which I began this speech means that no verse of God is abrogated or forgotten but that God brings a better one or similar to it. The purpose of citing this verse is not to suggest that this servant is at the level of the martyred Leader, let alone better than him; rather, it is to draw attention to the great role of you, the dear people.
If that great blessing is lost, this system has been given the presence of the Iranian people with an ‘Ammari spirit once again.
Knowing that if your strength is not evident in the field, neither the leadership nor any other institution of the state, whose true role is to serve the people, will have the required effectiveness.
To achieve this in a better way, it is necessary:
First: to regard the remembrance of God, reliance on Him, and seeking the intercession of the infallibles, peace be upon them, as the greatest elixir that guarantees all kinds of victories and certain triumph over the enemy, which is a great advantage you have and your enemies lack.
Second: to maintain the unity of the people and their various groups, which usually becomes clearer in times of hardship, by overcoming differences.
Third: to maintain an effective presence in the field, whether as you have shown in these days and nights of war, or through active roles in social, political, educational, cultural, and even security fields. The important thing is that everyone should realize their correct role without harming social unity.
In this context, I remind you of the importance of participating in the Quds Day ceremonies for the year 1447 AH, where the element of breaking the enemy’s backbone should be present.
Fourth: to not hesitate to help each other. This is one of the known characteristics of Iranians, and it is expected to manifest more in these difficult days that some people may go through. I request the service agencies to provide all possible assistance to the affected individuals and to the people’s relief institutions.
If these matters are taken into account, the path will be paved for you to reach days of greatness and glory, and the closest example of this – God willing – is the victory over the enemy in the ongoing war.
The third part of my speech is a sincere thank to our brave fighters who, in circumstances where our beloved country was subjected to an unjust attack by the leaders of the arrogant front, blocked the enemy’s path with their strong blows and removed the illusion of controlling this country or even dividing it.
O mujahid brothers! The will of the masses of the people is to continue effective and deterrent defense. It is also necessary to continue using the card of closing the Strait of Hormuz. Studies have been conducted on opening other fronts where the enemy lacks experience and is very weak, and this will be activated if the state of war continues and as circumstances dictate.
I also extend sincere thanks to the mujahideen of the resistance front. We consider the countries of the resistance front to be our best friends, and the issue of resistance is an integral part of the values of the Islamic Revolution. There is no doubt that the cooperation of the components of this front together will shorten the path to liberation from the Zionist sedition.
We have seen how brave and faithful Yemen has not abandoned defending the oppressed people of Gaza, how Hezbollah has supported the Islamic Republic despite all obstacles, and how the resistance of Iraq has bravely followed this path.
In the fourth part, I address those who have been harmed in these days; whether they have lost loved ones to martyrdom, or have been injured, or their homes and workplaces have been damaged.
First, I express my deep sympathy with the families of the noble martyrs. This comes from a shared experience I have with them; in addition to my father, whose loss was a general affliction, I have also lost my loyal and dear wife, my sacrificing sister who devoted herself to serving her parents and received her reward, her young child, and my other brother-in-law, the noble scholar, to the caravan of martyrs.
But what makes patience in the face of calamities possible, even easy, is the certainty of God’s promise of great reward for the patient. Therefore, patience and reliance on God’s kindness are necessary.
Second, I assure everyone that we will not overlook revenge for the blood of your martyrs. This revenge is not limited to the martyrdom of the Leader of the Revolution; every individual of our people who is martyred by the enemy’s hand is a separate case in the file of revenge.
A limited part of this revenge has been achieved so far, but it will remain open until it is fully achieved, especially regarding the blood of our children. Therefore, the crime committed by the enemy deliberately in the “Shajarat al-Tayyiba” school in Minab and elsewhere has a special place in this pursuit.
Third, the wounded of these attacks should receive appropriate treatment for free and benefit from some other privileges.
Fourth, as much as possible in the current circumstances, sufficient measures should be taken to compensate for the financial damages to private property. These two matters are a duty on the responsible authorities, and they should report to me on this.
I affirm that we will demand compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take from their assets as much as we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy their property to the same extent.
The fifth part is addressed to the leaders of some countries in the region. We have land or sea borders with fifteen countries, and we have always wanted warm and constructive relations with all of them. But the enemy has established military and financial bases in some of these countries for years to ensure its dominance over the region.
In the recent attack, some of these bases were used, and therefore – as we warned before – we targeted those bases only, without attacking those countries.
We will be forced to continue this if the use of those bases continues, while affirming our constant desire for friendly relations with our neighbors.
We advise these countries to quickly close those bases, as it has become clear to them that the United States’ claim of achieving security and peace was nothing but a lie.
Finally, I pray that the special divine care in these blessed days will encompass the Iranian people and all Muslims and oppressed people in the world.
In conclusion, I ask our Master, the Imam of the Age, may God hasten his noble appearance, to pray for our people in the remaining nights and days of Qadr in this blessed month for a decisive victory over the enemy, and for glory, prosperity, and well-being, and that our martyrs may attain high ranks in the hereafter.
Source: Al-Manar English Website