Leader urges Iranians to preserve revolutionary spirit

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has called on Iranians to preserve their “revolutionary spirit” with which they drove the enemies out of the country some 38 years ago.

Ayatollah Khamenei addressed more than one million mourners in southern Tehran on Friday to mark the 27th anniversary of the passing away of Imam Khomeini who ended a pro-Western monarchy in Iran in 1979. 

“We have many small and big enemies, but foremost among them are America and this very evil Britain,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

The Leader touched on the history of US hostility with Iran, including its support for Saddam Hussein in the war on the Islamic Republic, US downing of an Iranian passenger plane, its attack on Iranian oil platforms and a CIA coup in Iran.

“Any individual or current which is working for Islam, if they trust America, they will be slapped in the face,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader said enmity with Iran stems from its revolutionary spirit. “The pressures which are being exerted are due to this revolutionary (spirit) because the enemies are afraid of it.”

“Why they oppose the revolution, because the country was entirely under their control. Besides, it has become a source of inspiration for other countries” after the revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

The Leader described the Islamic Revolution, pioneered by the late Imam Khomeini, as the “outstanding and unique capital” of the Iranian nation, warning against any deviation from its path.  

“Wherever our movement was revolutionary, we succeeded but when we ignored (the revolution), we fell behind. If you change the course, Islam and the revolution will be slapped in the face.”

On Friday, tens of millions of Iranians took part in ceremonies across the nation to revive their allegiance to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution and honor the memory of the late founder of the Islamic Revolution.

Travelling from across the country, huge numbers of mourners converged on the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran to pay their tributes.

Ali Ansari, an official in charge of organizing the ceremony at Imam Khomeini's mausoleum, estimated that some 1.3 million people had gathered at the complex.

Ayatollah Khamenei also cautioned state officials against being taken in by Western overtures which have increased after Iran accepted a nuclear agreement in July.

“It is not that the enemy would always use the language of threat because it sometimes writes letters and makes entreaty. If the Islamic Republic is duped, it means it has fulfilled the enemy's plot.”    

Since the nuclear agreement, Iran has seen a steady trickle of European delegations into the country in search of trade opportunities.

Ayatollah Khamenei warned that Iran would suffer if it were “absorbed in the global economy,” saying an “economy of resistance” is the key to the country’s independence.

“If we believe that the 'economy of resistance' is just paving the way for foreign investment, we are mistaken,” the Leader added.

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