Leader extolls IRGC’s vital role in Iran and abroad (2)

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, gave an audience on Wednesday October 2 to members of the Congress of Commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), during which he assured the gathering and the nation of the ultimate victory of Islamic Iran over its enemies.

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “The fifth word of advice is that you should cooperate and collaborate with all the great parts and pieces that have formed the Islamic Republic: this cooperation and collaboration with the administration, with the judiciary branch and with the Islamic Consultative Majlis, the legislative branch and with various divisions, is necessary. This is a duty which is not particular to you. I advise this to everyone and I wish to advise it to you as well. Of course, this cooperation and overlap does not mean getting separated from the IRGC’s elements of identity. You should pay attention to this point. The elements of identity should be preserved one hundred percent in all dealings and conducts and in all cases of cooperation and overlap.

“The sixth word of advice is that you should be popular. You should love the people, you should receive the people warmly and you should behave like the people. The IRGC is a popular force after all. Since its establishment, the youth who joined it were from universities, from the bazaar, from workshops and from everywhere. They came here and they grew. They became well-known figures and they reached such a point that the likes of us look at them with envy. The IRGC was formed with a popular spirit. Therefore, you should be with and from the people. You should behave like ordinary people. Condescension, materialism and aristocracy are against this conduct. This is a firm word of advice. Of course, there are many points in this sixth word of advice. I always offer the same word of advice to all the officials of the country and I would like to stress it.

“The seventh word of advice is that you should place jihadi work and jihadi spirit in various arenas at the top of your agenda. Jihadi work is against indolence, against indifference and against putting things off to the future. When I sometimes meet with officials in different sectors, they say that they would carry out a task. They confirm that it is urgent and necessary, but they put it off to tomorrow and when tomorrow comes, there will be another tomorrow. I sometimes warn them, saying, “I asked you to do something six months ago. You issued a written edict to your agent and he passed it on to another, but six months have passed and no move has been made.” This is because they do not pursue jihadi work. Jihadi work is very important. You should pursue jihadi work in all arenas.

The Leader said: “And the last word of advice is that you should never abandon reliance on God, spirituality and praying. You should never abandon your relationship with the Holy Qur’an. You should never stop being in contact with the Ahl al-Bayt. You should never forget about avoiding sins. Those people for whose each and every word we held great admiration and respect, always offered this advice.  Perhaps it can be said that it was the most important piece of advice: avoiding sins. This is the basis of the work. You should instill these points in yourselves, in your family members, in your children and in all your relatives. These issues were about the IRGC. There are other issues I would like to discuss.

“As for international issues, there is an important point. If we pay careful attention, we reach a certain point which is the fact that the more investments our enemies make, the more losses they suffer. Take a look at the region and notice how much money they spent, for example, in Afghanistan. They are still stuck there. They are still incurring losses in West Asia – in Syria, in Iraq and in other places. They spent a huge amount of money to create DAESH. Of course, they claim that they destroyed DAESH, but they didn’t! Was it you who destroyed it? It was Syrian, Iraqi, Iranian and Lebanese youth who destroyed DAESH, not you!

“First of all, it was you who created DAESH. Secondly, you invested heavily in them. You gave them weapons, resources and money. Your spending was massive and you gave them promotional resources. Those who are experts in the area of promotions would say that the promotional resources of DAESH were among the most advanced broadcasting and promotional resources. How did they obtain them? It was arrogance which gave them to DAESH: the same “excellencies” who were apparently not connected to them, but who are still supporting them.

“On many occasions, Daeshi elements were trapped in a siege, but then they would come with their helicopters and they would save and take them away so that they would not be destroyed in the siege. They used to sell Iraqi oil for a long period of time. One of the heads of countries said to me once that they used to see with satellites, the row of vehicles that would transport oil with the purpose of selling it for DAESH. And he said that American planes were escorting them from above. Not only did they not attack them, but they also protected them in certain cases!

“But as I said, it was the determination of pious youth in those countries and in ours that destroyed DAESH. Now, they say that it has not been eradicated completely. Very well, if it comes again, there is the same story: “If the scorpion returns, we will strike it again. The saying goes: He crushed the scorpion with his shoe and then said, “If it returns, I am carrying the same shoe and I will crush it.”

Ayatollahs Khamenei said: “Therefore, the more investments they made, the more losses they incurred. The current US President said that they have spent seven trillion dollars in the region, but what have they gained from the region? What have they earned? What do they have? The more money they spent, the more losses they suffered. And it will be the same from now on too, God willing.

“They have been defeated in their maximum pressure policy – which was the U.S. policy – until today as well. They used to think that if maximum pressure would be exercised over Iran mostly in the area of economic matters, and some other issues, Iran would be brought to its knees and would be forced to show some flexibility. By Allah’s favor, grace and assistance, they now admit that this maximum pressure has created problems and caused serious trouble only for themselves!

“Lately, in order to continue with their pretensions, fabricate a symbolic surrender of Iran and force the President of our country into a meeting with him, they have resorted to begging! They have used their European comrades as go-betweens, but all of them have come and gone and they did not succeed until the end. Therefore, the policy of maximum pressure has failed until this very hour and I will definitely tell you that it will continue to fail until the end.

“Therefore, this is our condition in confronting international issues. We have thankfully continued our path with power and strength. They insist that the Islamic Republic should abandon its revolutionary outlook – which is what we strive to keep. They say that we should become a “normal country.” A “normal country” means a country that is compatible with the requirements of the domineering system. I have frequently explained what a domineering system is. The domineering system means that the whole world should be divided into the oppressor and the oppressed. This is the way of the world at present. Some governments are oppressors and some are oppressed. Of course, not all the oppressed are necessarily servile, but they have accepted domination.

“If they say to them that they should do something, they do it. This is the current system of domination. They say that the Islamic Republic should enter this system as well. In other words, it should become one of the oppressed.

The Leader said: “Since the first hour of its birth and its establishment, the Islamic Republic has moved against this domineering system. So, how could it abandon this policy? We are opposed to the domineering system. We are opposed to the division of the world into the oppressor and the oppressed. We will confront it and we will never surrender to its impositions. And we have succeeded in making great progress in this area. We have managed to encourage many persons, thoughts, intellectuals and groups of people to accompany us on this path and we will definitely continue on it: the path of being revolutionary and the path of confronting and opposing the domineering system.

“Another issue that I intend to discuss briefly is the issue of nuclear energy. We will continue to reduce the commitments related to the nuclear deal (JCPOA) and this should continue. It should continue with complete seriousness. And this falls on Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. They should comprehensively, thoroughly and completely go ahead with the reduction of commitments that the government of the Islamic Republic has announced. This should continue until the desired results. By Allah’s favor and grace, we will definitely reach the desired results.

“We have found the cure for the enmities towards the economic sector of the country in relying on domestic capabilities. This is the cure. Our domestic resources are very good, as you can observe. Now, the officials of the country point out that we have had relative economic growth this year. Of course, the people are in a difficult situation. They have livelihood problems, but if officials make their moves in a strong, reasonable, perseverant and jihadi manner, this will certainly impact the people’s livelihood condition little by little.

“An important point is that sanctions – primarily the ones on selling oil – and their maximum pressures, which are focused on the issue of oil, are undoubtedly a problem for the country. However, it is a short-term problem. A long-term profit can be obtained from this short-term problem and that is getting detached from oil. A few days ago, government officials announced that we are going to eliminate oil revenues from the budget from a specific date – they have set a specific date for this. Well, this is very good news. This is a great achievement!

 “If we keep selling our oil in return for dollars, we will never think of separating the country’s budget, expenditures and costs from oil revenues. We would never think of this. When selling oil is prevented, when this easy source of income is taken from the government, then we will think of doing something important.

“Presently, many countries have a better rate of economic growth than us. They are in a better economic situation while they do not have a single drop of oil and they are not selling oil. So, this is possible. The resources of our country are better than some of the countries which I mentioned. We can conclude that this pressure that is being exerted on us in terms of tactics will end to our advantage in terms of strategy and it will come to our help.

At the end of my statements, I wish to say that when I look at every direction and when I consider things from all perspectives, I see that in the confrontation of the Iranian nation in the shade of the Islamic Republic – with the world of oppression, arrogance and infidelity – the Iranian nation is the final victor. We will win strategically, Insha Allah (God Willing).

Qur’anic ayahs and divine promises have enlightened us about this and our 40-year experience is a living proof of this. As mentioned in ayah 260 of Surah Baqarah on Prophet Abraham’s pleas to the Lord Most High to show him how the dead are revived: “And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Show me how You revive the dead,’ He said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He said, ‘Yes indeed, but in order that my heart may be at rest.’

Now, when the people of Iran look at these 40-year achievements and when they see the thin sapling that had been attacked from all sides, grown into a lofty tree bearing fruits, they will experience Abraham’s feeling: “my heart may be at rest”.

AS/SS