In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Greetings upon the revolutionary people of Iran who severed the hands of external and internal criminals through their uprising and established the Islamic Republic! May the blessings of God Almighty be upon the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the way of freedom, independence, and the Islamic Republic! And greetings be upon our valiant combatants who are engaged in the honorable defense of their dear homeland and Islam! Peace be upon the families of the martyrs and the war-destitute! And may God's blessings be upon the supporters at the warfronts!
I felicitate everyone at the onset of the third year of the official establishment of the Islamic Republic, which has by the grace of God Almighty, the Sole Supporter of the oppressed, put behind itself great challenges and the conspiracies of the superpowers and the satanic forces- headed by the criminal America- with dignity for the great Iranian nation, power for the revolutionary institutions and the heroic armed forces, and has attained the victory of truth over falsehood and Islam over kufr. Presently, we are powerfully and jointly facing the world-devouring enemy as well as the internal traitors with a singleness of purpose. Last year we faced the conspiracies of America and its lackey, Sadat, who intended to cause turmoil by granting refuge to the deposed Shah. However, by the grace of God Almighty, the Shah met his disgraceful end and the conspirators shamefully headed for the dustbins of history. This year we are confronting the evil and criminal pawn of the East and the West. With the grace of God Almighty this imposed war has strengthened the unity of our valiant nation. The Ba`athist regime of Iraq was deceived by the miscalculations of those who instigated it and it is now caught up in an impasse. On the one hand, the Iraqi nation has turned its back to him (Saddam), thus, making his position shaky, and on the other hand, the brave armed forces of Iran have made life difficult for him. He is now trying in vain to free himself from his self-made traps, naively thinking that he can regain his lost reputation by covering up the unprecedented crimes against the noble nations of Iraq and Iran. Least does he know that it is too late and he and his oppressive supporters will face the same end as the deposed Shah did." Is not the morning nigh?" «1» Saddam and his tyrannical supporters should know that this year the brave Iranian army, the gallant Revolutionary Guards, and the other armed forces enjoy better strength and solidarity than they did during the previous years. Today, our heroic nation is even more supportive of them and the number of martyrdom-seekers in the way of God Almighty, who are waiting for the divine command, is increasing day by day. The economic sanctions imposed on this country have prompted the experts of this great nation to apply their minds and, to a great extent, eradicate shortcomings and to compensate for the losses caused by these sanctions through round-the-clock efforts.
Backed by the nation, today, the government of Iran can withstand its enemies more powerfully than ever before. The criminal Saddam and his friends should not forget that the losses inflicted upon Iraq and Iran at the hands of his criminal officials are beyond comprehension. The material losses amount to billions of dollars and the human losses are much greater than the financial losses. On the one hand, they have martyred the best of our youth who could instead have been working for the sublimation of Islam throughout the world and, on the other hand, instead of inspiring the Iraqi military to combat the criminal, Israel, they forced it to invade a country whose only aim is the exaltation of Islam, killing thousands of its personnel in the bargain. Let the world know that Iran today is not like the superpowers and the corrupt puppet regimes in which a suppressive and tyrannical minority rules over an oppressed majority, dictating their destiny. Iran today is one nation, a group from which is serving the nation by managing the affairs of the country and by defending it; and the entire nation considers it their duty to support them. In the same manner that every man, woman, young and old of this nation supported this government and the military during the course of the Revolution, even today, they contribute to the defense of their country at the warfronts and behind the warfronts, resting assured that the will of such a nation is decisive in war and in peace. All those who intend to mediate in this war should make a thorough investigation and should make a distinction between the oppressor and the oppressed, the plunderer and the plundered, and the criminal and the victim if they are truly well-meaning and well-intentioned and if they have risen up to settle the issue for the cause of Islam.
Our nation has submitted to truth and justice and will stand against oppression and tyranny. Our expectation is that a commission be appointed, in order to thoroughly investigate the aggressions and crimes that have taken place and to introduce the oppressor and the aggressor accordingly and to punish the aggressor as a lesson to all those who transgress human rights. Only in this manner would it be possible to return peace and harmony to the world.
Overlooking the crimes of the criminals and the tyrants will only end up paving the path for the oppressors and will lead the world to destruction. I, therefore, consider it my responsibility to clarify certain points to the noble nation of Iran:
1. I warn all the political groups, organizations, parties, etc. throughout the country to surrender the arms that they have in their possession and to offer a public penitence for their previous actions. Their safety shall be assured and all their past actions shall be pardoned. However, if they continue with their crimes, no excuse will be accepted from them later on; and I am certain that their day of regret shall soon arrive. The opponents of the Islamic Republic should have realized in the past two years that they will never succeed in threatening a nation that is ready to sacrifice its lives and property for the cause of Islam and this country and that they shall have to give up sooner or later, after having gone through a lot of unnecessary suffering and after committing countless futile crimes. It is, thus, in their own interest that they join the mainstream of the nation and keep away from any inclination toward the East or the West. Declare your return to the nation and Islam and the nation shall extend its support to you!
2. In the past few days as differences had decreased, by the grace of God, since the newspapers were on holiday and were, thus, unable to cause differences, «2» and since they abstained, to some extent, to fan existing differences «3» even after resuming services, the nation could take a break from having to suffer all the hue and cry that is normally created by the deviant groups, and the brave combatants on duty at the warfronts were given a breather from having to worry about unnecessary issues, and since the commanders were also busy carrying out their duties with enthusiasm, our country achieved significant victories by the grace of God. Therefore, it is necessary on the part of those who are concerned about the country, the nation, and Islam to continue on this path, which is the path of truth, and to please God Almighty and to refrain from escalating differences, which is the path of the Satan and works against divine satisfaction. This will pave the path for the reconstruction of the country and salvation in this world and the hereafter.
3. It is the religious obligation of all the orators and writers to refrain from saying and writing or even implying things, both in public and in private, that can lead to conflict, for at this juncture any divergence could act like fatal poison for the Islamic ummah. And they should bear it in mind that causing conflict in the existing environment is nothing but following the desires of the carnal self and serving the interests of the superpowers, especially the world-devouring America. It is, in fact, an evil that the Satan prompts them do in the name of Islam. These people should know that the Islamic Revolution cannot tolerate such acts and will punish the guilty. The Attorney-General is instructed to put an end to this dangerous trend. Wholesome speeches, in constructive, healthy, and tension-free environments, with the purpose of fostering unity and understanding as well as preventing divergence and tension are useful and earn the satisfaction of God Almighty.
4. I am concerned about the clergy, which is vested with the responsibility of guarding Islam in its pure form. I fear lest those in charge of affairs, particularly in the courts, the (revolutionary) committees, and the judiciary tarnish the reputation of the clergy- which is the main guardian of Islam- before the nation by neglecting Islamic criteria. I fear that such negligence on the part of the clerics, even some of them, could give the opponents of Islam and the clergy the excuse to magnify their negligible errors manifold by spreading rumors and accusations. Unfortunately, even some Islamic scholars are influenced by the rumors, and with the intention of supporting Islam, they have started criticizing the Islamic Republic, all the courts, and the government bodies and in this way, are unknowingly, helping and sharing in the crimes of the deviated groups. I categorically instruct the Chief Justice, the Attorney-General, and the Supreme Judiciary Council to form a number of commissions with the help of scholarly, faithful, and committed individuals to investigate into the functioning of the courts throughout the country and to dismiss any unqualified judges and deviated prosecutors. And if these commissions discover that any of the judges have violated the property or the reputation of the people, let them be put on trial. Any negligence and laxity in this regard is a great threat to the Islamic Republic and any delay in handling the issue will only escalate the grievances and the threats.
5. It is sometimes heard that some revolutionary guards, in certain parts of the country, deviate from the path of justice, religion, and their legal responsibilities and unnecessarily interfere in the affairs of the courts of law and the other government institutions. It is obligatory on the part of the commanders of the revolutionary guards to prevent such illegal and unlawful interferences and if they find that the people who indulge in such interferences are influenced by deviated groups, their services should be terminated and they should be handed over to the courts of law, in case they have committed any crimes. It is also mandatory on the Supreme Council of the Revolutionary Guards Corps to keep an eye on such activities and not to allow this faithful and committed organization to lose its reputation before the nation. The infiltration of deviated groups into such bodies and their unlawful and irrational acts could, God forbid, even defame our dear revolutionary youth. The commanders of the Revolutionary Guards Corps are instructed to check out for any deviation on the part of their personnel.
6. It is incumbent on the government to support the agricultural sector and the agriculturists more than before and not to leave any stone unturned in this regard. The government should also prevent red-tape that slows down affairs within this significant sector and the provincial governors should emphatically know that agriculture is one of the most important interests of our country and its proper implementation could strengthen the foundations of the economy of the country.
7. I request our dear nation to ignore false and baseless rumors spread by groups associated with the previous regime or the superpowers. Since the opponents of the Revolution have lost hope in their earlier conspiracies they have now begun a trend of spreading false rumors and lies with a view to creating despair among the people and with the hope of luring our country toward the superpowers of the East and the West.
I pray to God Almighty for the victory and grandeur of Islam in this New Year and I am hopeful that He will protect this Islamic country from the evils of the ill-wishers with His absolute power! Peace and greetings be upon the great nation of Iran and peace be upon the martyrs and those who have suffered losses for the cause of Islam! May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini