TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has met with a number of people from Qom Province. The meeting took place in the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah on January 9, 2024, on the 46th anniversary of the historic uprising of the people of Qom against the oppressive Pahlavi regime.

During the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei spoke about the grievous explosion in Kerman, noting that, "Due to this sad, tragic event that took place in Kerman, the [Iranian] nation has become grief-stricken in the true sense of the word. We do not insist on accusing others. But we do insist on finding and crushing the main culprits and those behind the scenes of this tragedy. Our honorable officials are busy working on this. I am well aware of what they are doing. They have done a good job. They are doing a good job. God willing, they [the officials] will be able to punish them [the culprits] for their actions."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also drew attention to the issue of Gaza, pointing to the gradual realization of the predictions made by discerning individuals regarding the unfolding of events in Gaza.

"It was predicted that the Palestinian Resistance would be the victors in this field, and the side that would be defeated would be the evil and cursed Zionist regime. Today, this prediction is coming true," he asserted.

He considered the three-month period of Zionist crimes and child killings in Gaza as an unforgettable incident that will forever be etched in history, adding that, "Even after this regime is destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth, these crimes will not be forgotten and they will go down in history. They massacred thousands of children in a matter of weeks. However, the patience and resistance of the Palestinian people compelled them to retreat."

Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the evident signs of defeat and failure of the Zionist regime over the span of around 100 days of committing crimes.

"They said that we will destroy Hamas and the Resistance and displace the people of Gaza. But they failed to do that, and today the Resistance remains strong, vigorous, and fully prepared, while the Zionist regime is exhausted, humiliated, and filled with regret. The true nature of the Zionist regime has been exposed," he noted.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution defined this rivalry as a valuable lesson, emphasizing the importance of standing against oppression, coercion, arrogance, and usurpation.

He stressed the need for the Resistance to stay updated and prepared, never falling prey to the enemy's deceptive tactics. "With the assistance of God, the Resistance should target and strike the enemy whenever and wherever possible," he added.

Commending the patience and steadfastness exhibited by the people of Gaza, he stated, "With their patience and resilience, a small group of people in a small land have crippled the US with all its brags and also the Zionist regime, which is hanging on to the US."

Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that "God willing, a day will come when the Iranian nation and the Muslim nations will witness the triumph of patience and steadfastness and faith in God over the enemies and demons that pervade the world."

During the meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution also spoke about Qom, where he described it as the "city of uprising, knowledge, and jihad." Pointing to the enduring lessons of the spontaneous uprising of the religious citizens of this city on January 9, 1978, he remarked, “This grand incident, which took place in protest against the measures taken by the dependent [Pahlavi] regime in publishing an insulting article against Imam Khomeini, is proof of the populace’s power to influence major events.”

Ayatollah Khamenei considered the overthrow of the dependent and oppressive taghut regime, which occurred within a year of the uprising of the people of Qom as a tangible result of the people’s presence there.

He also elaborated on the strategy employed by the Arrogant Front in Iran. He stated that the U.S. and the Zionist regime are at the opposite end of Imam Khomeini’s strategy which was to bring the people into the picture and to empower them in their endeavors and battles. Instead, he said, "they have adopted the grand strategy of 'pulling the Iranian people out of the picture’ and they continue to pursue this policy even today."

The Leader of the Revolution considered the attempt to downplay the involvement of people in important occasions as one of the enemy’s tricks to sideline them. The reason for this enmity, he said, is that they understand the factors behind Iran’s progress, prestige, and its emergence as an important power in the region. This includes the establishment of a unique strategic depth for the system through Resistance forces across the region, as well as the failure of various conspiracies such as coups, imposed wars, and security schemes. The Leader underlined that the active participation of the Iranian people in various endeavors has been the key to these achievements.

Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that using fear tactics to “scare people of the world powers, the US, and the Zionist regime" is another strategy to sideline the people. "If the Iranian people were to succumb to fear from any particular power, the Islamic Republic would cease to exist. Furthermore, many of the powers that claimed to dominate and rule the region, are now fearful of the Iranian nation," he asserted.

The Leader noted that various strategies have been employed to remove individuals from the picture, and one of them involves attempts made by foreign media to dissuade people, particularly the younger generation, from looking forward to a hopeful future.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that another tactic that is used to clear the scene from people’s involvement has been to "create discord and division among the people." After clarifying this strategy, he underlined that the key to countering these schemes is for the public to actively engage in political, economic, electoral, and even security matters.