Leader highlights Iran’s scientific achievements, rules WMD haraam (1)

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday October 9, granted audience in Tehran to outstanding students and members of knowledge-based companies, and quoted the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini’s famous saying that the Islamic Revolution gave us the courage to enter the most difficult scientific areas with complete confidence.

He also said that despite mastering the despite mastering the nuclear fuel cycle for peaceful use of this technology, Iran will never build the bomb, since Islam forbids manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution praised Allah Almighty for His Favours, and saluted the Master of the all Divine Messengers, Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). He paid tributes to the Immortal Martyr of Karbala, Imam Husain (AS), his martyred sons and companions, and then greeted the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS) – may God hasten his reappearance for establishment of the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.

He said: “My dear ones, you are the bright future of the country. I am glad to hold this meeting with you and to hear from you. The statements that you made were very good, and there were noteworthy points in them. Though I might disagree with some of these points, the fact that you youth think about important subject matters, produce ideas and engage in a very lively discourse is very pleasing to me.

“Friends! In today’s meeting you raised certain points which should be followed up. One or two issues were about the Ministry of Health, including the hepatitis vaccine. One issue was about the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, while another concerned the High Council of Education. The Secretary of the Supreme Council as well as the Minister of Education are present here, and hopefully they will pursue these matters.

“My dear ones, what is important is that scientific progress – which was launched in Iran over the past two-and-half decades – should continue to move forward. We are among the top countries in the world in some new scientific fields. We are among the first ten countries in these fields: we are fifth, sixth. Well, this is a source of pride, but this does not satisfy us in any way. We are advanced in nanotechnology, in biotechnology and in some other fields, but this is not enough.

“The scientific movement in the world advances at a frenetic pace, and since in the past we had suffered from serious backwardness, this brisk pace in scientific progress should continue. Over the past 16 or 17 years that we have been active in these areas, we can see that both science and related technologies have progressed.

“Moreover, the cycle of producing wealth – which involves commercialization – has progressed as well. The day before I was at an exhibition. For two hours I saw the works they have produced. I witnessed enthusiasm and self-confidence in the statements and actions of knowledge-based companies. This is a very auspicious. They believe they can move forward and they are motivated to make progress.

“Of course, there were 30 companies there out of the several thousand companies which exist in the country. The statistics that I have received show that there are about 4,000-plus knowledge-based companies, but this is not enough. This should reach at least 400,000 companies at a specific period of time.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said: “First of all, the legal infrastructure of these knowledge-based companies should be provided, since many of these legal infrastructures are not transparent, as some of you mentioned at today’s meeting. This falls on the administration, the Majlis and the officials in charge. They should determine these infrastructures. As one of you pointed out, profit-based companies should be distinguished from duty-based companies. They should determine what tasks should be carried out by them and define regulations for them.

“Obstacles in the way should be remove. Bureaucratic hurdles should give way. One knowledge-based company stated that it had produced a certain product – a very outstanding one – in the course of eight months, which is very short time for such a product, but it took six months to obtain a permit – a permit that required less than a week was delayed by six months! These obstacles should be removed for the sake of business, which ought to be improved. I have constantly stressed this. Wrong cases of parallelism, including monopolization, should be removed.

“We have a strategic plan for elite affaires which has been ratified by the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution. It is an important document, and should be seriously pursued and implemented. If this document is fully implemented, many of the problems, ranging from scientific progress to the commercialization of scientific and technological products, will be eliminated.

“The Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution is a prominent body, where heads of the three branches of government are present. Several ministers and competent persons are present as well. They should update and implement it fully.

“The second point is that there is unfortunately an orientation in the country which views the scientific movement with suspicion. This is malicious and mischievous.

“Recently, I raised the issue of the Stanford University, which claims that nothing has happened in Iran. They deny it, when you yourselves are witnessing this achievement in front of your eyes and you yourselves have launched this scientific movement. Scientific progress and the scientific movement is a reality.

“Another negative attitude is that these elements discourage outstanding students from staying inside the country by saying: Why makes you stay here? You are wasting your time and your life, when there are bright opportunities abroad. As a matter of fact, these outstanding students belong to this place. They are Iran’s flesh and blood. With the growth of the country, they grow as well and with their growth, the country grows too. They are diligently doing their duties, but the malicious persons discourage them from staying, and try to find a place for them in a university abroad with certain allures – either monetary or non-monetary, some of which are fake. The responsibility of the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Health is to protect universities. They should purge universities of these elements and they should take care of them.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said: “I remember that a few years ago a Zionist scientist had written something in a Zionist journal. They brought the exact text of the article for me. At that time, we had tested a certain missile. He had written that though he was an enemy of Iran, he bow in respect to the man who has built that missile. This is the judgement of our enemies Our youth have achieved such a feat despite sanctions, despite all these problems and despite them shutting scientific doors to them.

“Over 200 Iranian researchers and scientists are among the one percent of elite scientists in the world. These are a source of pride. Of course, talents and capacities are much more than what has already been achieved. In five years’ time, these capacities will definitely be more. In ten years’ time, they will certainly increase by several times. Notice that these are very important figures: the growth of highly quoted articles, not mere articles, rather articles which are referred to in the world frequently. In the year 2010, the number of highly-quoted articles written by Iranian scientists was 78. In the year 2018, it has reached 461 articles. It has increased by several times in the course of a few years.

“Our population is one percent of the overall global population and our geographical area is one percent of the world, but our scientific production is two percent. It is about two percent at a global level. In other words, our scientific productions are two times larger than what is expected of the country. This scientific capacity has naturally been utilized in the direction of moving the affairs of the country forward.

“Of course, science has been used to improve the defensive power of the country. Another example is having an advanced and modern medicine. Today, our medicine is unique in the region. We are able to control and cure diseases. Another example is technical and engineering projects. Great engineering projects are being carried out in the country. Other examples include biotechnological achievements, manufacturing long-lasting products by using nanotechnology and working on peaceful nuclear technology and many other achievements.

“Today, we have managed to utilize science at the service of the benefit and the progress of the country in several areas. All of these are the blessings of the Islamic Republic. The next point is that the Elite Foundation and all other elite foundations attend to different sciences, but I want to insist and persist that they should attend to humanities - economics, law and management - as well. We need these fields. We need the presence of outstanding personalities.”

Ayatollah Khamenei remarked: “At the scientific exhibition, I was shown a newly built device, which the inventor said only exists in the US and nowhere else. The outstanding youth who can carry out such prominent tasks in technical and engineering areas and many other tasks that we have seen with our own eyes and that we are aware of can think and present ideas on the social and economic problems of the country as well.

“Some of the economic problems of the country result from lack of scientific research. Our youth should enter this arena. Today, for example, we have problems in the area of the economy, inflation, the devaluation of national currency, occupation, housing and accommodation, social matters, marriage, addiction and the like. Our knowledgeable youth can present good solutions to these issues.

“My dear ones, the important point is that if science is not accompanied by a true culture, it will disastrous. A very complex and very beneficial science is nuclear science, but because it was not accompanied by a correct and humane culture and because it was dominated by a wrong culture of seeking power, it culminated in atomic bombs. Today, atomic bombs continue to threaten the world and humanity, as one day this threat was carried out. Today too, the whole world is afraid of it and it feels unsafe.

“Despite the fact that we could take this path, we decisively and courageously stated that we do not wish to tread that path because of Islamic rules. Both building and stockpiling atomic bombs are wrong because using it is haraam. If somebody manufactures a product that cannot be used, that product should stay there. In other words, it is definitely haraam. If we had a nuclear weapon, it would be obvious that we could not use it anywhere because it is definitely haraam according to Islamic criteria. Well, why should one invest in something that is haraam? Why should one spend money on keeping it? This is because keeping it is very costly, but there are some countries which spend lavishly on keeping it.

“Notice that it was science without culture that dragged the very beneficial and sensitive nuclear industry into a dangerous path: a wrong path which led to nuclear bombs. This is how science works. If it is not accompanied by a proper culture and a correct guideline, it will become a dangerous beast. For this reason, we believe that in elite organizations, religion and nationality – in other words, serious religious commitment and serious national dignity – should be pursued in a diligent manner.

AS/SS