In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate... Today is the day of velayat; the day that the commander of the faithful [Ali, first Shi'i imam] was appointed as imam...
Arrogance [Persian: estekbar] has no place in a government based on velayat. This is the meaning of velayat. The kind of government that Islam advocates is more people-oriented that than the prevalent democracy in the world. Velayat has cordial relations with the people. Velayat is in touch with people's feelings, sentiments, thoughts and intellectual needs. Velayat is to serve the people...
In an Islamic government, the vali-e amr [the guardian of the cause of the Muslims] is responsible for the management of the political system. The vali-e amr is equal in the eyes of the law, just like anyone else. He is obliged to do many great works for the people, the country, Islam and the Muslims. However, he must obey the law. This is the meaning of velayat.
Right from the beginning, particularly from the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the meaning of velayat has been distorted. Velayat has been defined erroneously. It has been said the people are immature and as such they need a guardian. This has been mentioned by well-known people in their writings and books. It is a pure lie and a slander to Islam and velayat...
Today, efforts are made in the world to separate Shi'is from Sunnis. Of course, those who are analysts and intellectuals are aware that arrogance [Persian: estekbar] will benefit from the division [between Sunnis and Shi'is]. Arrogance wishes to separate Iran from other Islamic countries and portray the Islamic revolution as something confined within the borders of Iran. Arrogance wants to pave the way for exerting pressure on Iran by other Islamic countries and therefore stop other nations learning from the Iranian experience. These are the aims of arrogance.
We have to act just the opposite of what arrogance wants to achieve. Everyone, whether Sunni or Shi'i, who can promote harmony, good and friendly relations between Sunnis and Shi'is will be serving the revolution, Islam and the aims of the Islamic ummah. Anyone who promotes division [between Shi'is and Sunnis] is working against the [aims of the Islamic ummah]. You should be aware that in a number of Islamic countries - whose names I shall not mention here - are contributing to funds connected to aims and objectives of foreigners.
They allocate funds which are used, specifically, to publish books aimed at undermining Shi'ism, its ideology and history. They distribute these books in Islamic countries. Are they the promoters of Sunnis? No, they neither like Shi'is nor Sunnis. They wish for neither one to exist. They are neither the friend of Shi'is nor Sunnis. However, since the Islamic flag is held up in the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Shi'i sect; it gives these elements an excuse to direct whatever hostility they harbour against the revolution towards Shi'ism. They combat Shi'ism in an effort to prevent this glorious creed from reaching others. They fear that it might attract the youth of other countries.
No-one should help enemies in their treacherous quest. No-one should aid these elements, be it in our country, Islamic communities, Shi'i societies or among our Sunni brothers. No-one should do anything that would further the wishes of the global arrogance [America].
We are not trying to convert anyone with our words. We are not trying to convert Shi'is to Sunnism or vice versa....
We would not prevent anyone from proving their logical point of view. We will not stop them. However, if someone wishes to create conflict and discord with their words, then we can be sure that they are serving the enemy. Sunnis and Shi'is, both, must be aware of this. National unity also includes this. I must admit that, nowadays, some people pervert the concept of national unity by using it as a political slogan rather than a religious guideline. We have advised them before, and do so again now, not to let the solidarity of this glorious and unified nation be compromised...
The promotion of sedition and ill feeling among people towards each other is one of the objectives that the enemy is pursuing today. One could say that half of the things which are being said by foreign radios and news agencies are designed to encourage ill feeling among one group of people towards another. They plan these things. They say certain things to achieve certain results.
Those people who write and make speeches should in the first instance make sure that what they say does not create pessimism - pessimism among people. This is a type of plot, a form of sin. Some people are only trying to [undermine the faith of] the people, the young people, through rumours, through lies, through false elaborations of the news - you could have a situation where the news is correct but its elaboration is designed to misinform the audience...
These are the issues that undermine national unity... Therefore, this [national unity] is a principle and I hope that all will take it into account. This principle is our demand from the officials who are in touch with the public. The second matter is national security. National security is very important. Of course, national security encompasses internal security and external security...
If divine law is implemented towards criminal elements, specially those who engage professionally in crime, it will definitely have good results. We shouldn't bother with international considerations or propaganda waves. What is divine law? Divine law is that which determines everything according to its proper status and proportion. This was one sort of insecurity.
There is also economic insecurity. People who create insecurity in the economic environment, who destroy or confiscate people's meagre capital and resources through illegal actions, are the cause of economic insecurity. Also, the people who confiscate state and public resources through deception and through the control of rules and regulations and legal loopholes, who never fail to misuse a situation in their own favour, are the cause of economic insecurity. Look, if the economic situation in a country is unhealthy one reason is the legal loopholes which some people can exploit in order fill their own pockets with public funds in their own favour. Economic insecurity is another manifestation form of insecurity.
Most important is social insecurity. In fact national insecurity is fundamentally the result of this form of security. They aim to create insecurity in places of work, to create insecurity in places of education, to create insecurity at universities. This is the most important. As I have said earlier, an American official reported one month ago that there is going to be insecurity in Iran. They have plans. All the various sections of the people, particularly those who are being targeted by them, should be vigilant.
Right from the beginning of the revolution, the enemy has often tried to create tension in the work environment and prevent the workforce from its productive activities through strikes or similar actions. So far, the enemy has not succeeded. However, the enemy has plans for insecurity in the country like the one [created] in our universities. A couple of times, the enemy tried to create insecurity in the universities. But, the students punched the enemy in the mouth and stopped it from succeeding. However, in some respects, the enemy probably succeeded...
The enemy wishes to create social insecurity and riots or insecurity in urban areas and clashes similar to that which happened on 21st and 22nd Tir 1378 [12th and 13th July 1999] in Tehran. Because of insecurity, lives of human beings, young people, children, women, passers-by and residents were threatened because a number of people with violent actions created riots in the streets or burnt cars or broke windows. What were the excuses for these acts [of violence]. However, [the enemy] always comes up with excuses for [rioters]. What sort of excuses can justify the actions of a number of people who create insecurity or riots in their own country.
It is obvious that if such an event were to take place, security forces, military forces and Basij [paramilitary volunteer] forces will not sit quietly by. [Crowd chants in support] Who should stay vigilant about these acts of insecurity? The ordinary people, the young people, the workers, the students, the circles who are being targeted by the plots, they should remain vigilant. If they feel that someone is causing a lot of provocation they should get hold of him. People should realize that it is the voice of the enemy that is coming out of his mouth. All investigations point to this fact. This is a security issue. The responsibility for the establishment of security depends on people's vigilance and then on the relevant organizations. i.e. the Information Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Law Enforcement Forces, the Judiciary, etc. People expect us to establish security. The most important thing that people expect a state to do is to establish security. This is the most important thing that I expect from the relevant organizations. They should be vigilant, they should be careful, they should maintain an attitude of vigilance. We should not allow the enemy to do what it wants. The domestic situation is sometimes connected with events abroad. Look at the [recent] provocations.
Just a few days ago an American minister [Secretary of State Madeleine Albright] delivered a speech. After half a century, or over 40 years, the Americans have now confessed that they staged the 28th Mordad [19th August 1955] coup. They confessed that the supported the suppressive, dictatorial and corrupt Pahlavi shah for 25 years. [Crowd chants in support]
Please pay attention. We are in the year 1379, more than 40 years have elapsed since 1332 and the coup d'etat of the 28th Mordad. It is only now that they are admitting that they were behind the coup d'etat. They admit that they supported and backed the dictatorial, oppressive, corrupt and subservient regime of the shah for 25 years. And they are now saying that they supported Saddam Husayn in his war against Iran. What do you think the Iranian nation, faced with this situation and these admissions, feels?...
In the course of those days, during the war, we repeatedly said in our speeches that the Americans are helping Saddam Husayn. They denied this and claimed they remained impartial. Now that 12 years have elapsed after the end of the war, in a centre [American-Iranian Council] this American secretary of state is officially admitting that they helped Saddam Husayn.
The question is, what good will this admission do us?... What good does this admission - that you acted in that way then - do us now?.. An admission years after the crime was committed, while they might be committing similar crimes now, will not do the Iranian nation any good...
This is the situation with regards those who are not willing to approach a nation in any way other than through a position of bullying and power-seeking. America's biggest shortcoming, a big calamity affecting today's humanity, is that it wants to approach every nation in the world from a position of bullying, like that of a feudal lord addressing a serf. Their approach towards OPEC, a country's foreign policy, any issue to do with other countries is from a position of bullying. Why? They bully to achieve their own objectives. They bully and intimidate to secure their own interests. It might be that a country or a nation might submit to these tactics for whatever reason. But the officials in a country like Iran do not owe you anything, they are not intimidated by you and have no weaknesses for you to take advantage of. They have not done anything that could be used to blackmail them. They are in touch with their nation. A nation that is honourable, believes in Islam, follows principles and lives on the basis of a firm commitment to independence. It is not a crime if such a nation refuses to submit to your bullying. If a nation does not submit to such bullying and says that it rejects bullying and such tactics especially those aimed at that nation, if a nation adheres to such a principle, what means can you employ to defeat such a nation and to subjugate it? How can you?
Superpowers falsely claim that they can do whatever they want. But in the past 20 years, the Islamic government and the Iranian nation have proved through their steadfastness and progress that despite the American opposition to them and to their objectives neither America or any other superpower can do anything against a nation that is vigilant, brave, aware of its rights and prepared to defend its rights. They cannot do a damn thing against this sort of people. [Chants of support]...
In her speech the lady secretary [of state, Madeleine Albright] has supported and, falsely, praised the shah's regime. She says that Shah's regime was dictatorial, bad, this and that, but it promoted Iran's economy. This is the greatest and funniest lie that a secretary of state can tell in the existing circumstances. Did they help Iran's economy to flourish? The people who lived then are well aware of this lie and it is the young people who should take note...
[During the shah's era] foreign companies dominated the major economic resources of the country. Most oil resources of the country were given to [foreigners] for free... During the shah's era, large amounts of money were deposited in certain American funds and as such Iran was able to buy, without thinking twice, spare parts for aircraft or other goods. Then, producing [goods domestically] was not an issue. In those days, Iran's economy was in its worst shape as far as the Iranian people were concerned. For Americans and plunderers, Iran's economy was in a good shape.
After many years, the lady [Albright] says that Iran's economy during the shah's era was flourishing, considering that today any economist or analysts or ordinary person knows about the calamity that was inflicted on Iran's economy by the shah's regime - of course, the people knew it then and it was no secret. Why is she commenting [on Iran's past economic performance] now? You must pay attention to why she is saying this. It is because she knows that her comments will be broadcast and the young people of this country - who may be suffering form the current economic situation - could think of the past economic situation as being favourable. This is the reason for the mischievous act of that political figure [Albright]. This is her aim...
The Iranian nation looks and sees an enemy standing on the other side. Therefore, the American nation and government - I mean the American government not the American people - the point is not that Iranian nation does not trust the American government, no, but we consider the latter to be our enemy. The Iranian nation thinks of the American government in those terms. [Crowd chants]
They [American officials] know what they are doing. All this talk on their part about starting a dialogue with the government of Iran is just another ploy. They are laying the groundwork for their future sinister plots. These are deceptions. It is not as if some people can approach America in the hope of starting a dialogue. America's animosity will not be resolved through discussions. America is only pursuing its own interests in Iran. If on the one hand a puppet government, similar to that of the former shah rules Iran, then the country will suffer, as it did before. If on the other hand, an independent government manages Iran, then America would act with hostility towards it, as it is doing today. And if we compare these two alternatives we come to the conclusion that a nation suffers considerably less for standing up to America than if it were to surrender to the latter's bullying.
The brave Iranian nation has stood up to America's conspiracies, deceptions and interference. The Iranian nation has relied on its innate strength, intelligence, courage and the country's capable officials to fight its enemies. The Iranian nation will be able to make all its enemies including America regret their animosity towards Iran - as some of Iran's former enemies have done so. [Crowd chants in support]...
(Although the translation from a foreign agency seems to be more or less OK, its accuracy has not been checked with the original text )