Leader Underlines Need to Preserve Hope, Faith

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called on all lovers of Iran to promote and preserve “faith and hope”, which were the chief instruments of success for the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini. 
“The Iranian nation needs to be equipped with the same tools of faith and hope to counter [its enemies],” he said at a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of Imam Khomeini’s demise on Sunday, Leader.ir reported.
Promoting and preserving the two soft skills is a task for whoever loves Iran and its interests, seeks the betterment of its economic and livelihood conditions and hopes for an honorable position for the country in the future world order, he stated.   
“Safeguarding national independence, dignity and interests is contingent on preserving faith and hope,” he said, highlighting enemies’ efforts to undermine people’s faith and shatter their hopes. 
The latest attempts by enemies were made during last year’s unrest, according to the Leader. 
Different cities in Iran saw protests following the death of a young girl in police custody last autumn, which later developed into violent clashes between security forces and rioters. 
Ayatollah Khamenei said the turmoil was planned in western think tanks and implemented by traitors in the country who received financial, arms and media support from the West. 
“They thought that the Islamic Republic was finished and that they could use the Iranian nation to achieve their goals, but once again, these fools made a mistake and failed to recognize the Iranian nation.”
He said this plot was foiled but gave a warning that enemies’ deceptions must not be ignored. 
Hostile powers also try to dash the youth’s hope by spotlighting livelihood problems, inflation and high prices, according to the Leader. 
This is while these problems are solvable and must increase motivation to find ways out and assist those in authority to address them, he said. 
“Besides problems, there are multiple promising developments that ill-wishers don’t want to be known,” he said. 
Ayatollah Khamenei finally pointed to another tactic of the enemies aimed at making people distrustful of elections in Iran. 
He stressed the importance of the upcoming parliamentary elections, due in March, cautioning that the enemies have already prepared to disrupt the process. 

Transformations 

The Leader later underlined that it was Imam’s deep faith in his goal, course of action, the people and God that helped him accomplish his miraculous missions.
“The term republic in the name of the government emanates from Imam’s trust and faith in the people,” he said. 
The founder of the Islamic Republic also had constant hope and always avoided disappointment, the Leader noted.
“He believed that when a nation wants something, it is sure to achieve it.” 
Besides conventional means of communication of the day, faith and hope were the main tools that helped Imam Khomeini bring about transformations at the level of Iran, the Islamic community and the world, according to Ayatollah Khamenei. 
At national level, Imam’s Islamic Revolution [1979] turned a monarchy into democracy and removed a puppet system of governance that bowed to world powers, replacing it with an independent system that relied on national dignity, he said. 
The creation of an Islamic awakening and the dynamism and relative readiness in the Islamic nation, as well as making the Palestinian issue a top priority of the Muslim world, were developments fostered by Iman Khomeini at a broader level, according to the Leader. 
At global level, he ended passivity in the face of materialism and drew attention to spirituality, Ayatollah Khamenei said. 
“Undoubtedly, his most important lesson and advice for us is the continuation of his way, safeguarding his heritage and pursuing the three transformations that he achieved at national, Islamic and global levels,” he said. 
The Leader said following the path of Imam Khomeini requires different methods than those used 40 years ago, although the fronts remain the same. 
“Arrogance, Zionists and aggressive powers are still lined up in front of the Iranian nation like in the past … the only difference is that Iran has grown stronger and they have weakened,” he said. 
He warned against ignorance of such positioning, saying the country has always been harmed as a result of such oblivion. 
He also underlined that the enemies’ hostility with the Iranian nation will not fade or disappear because of partial retreats. 
“In many cases, our retreats caused them to come forward and become more aggressive. That is because their main goal is to force Iran to return to the era before the revolution, that is, the period when the nation was dependent on others and had no identity.”