Supreme Leader's Norouz Message

Supreme Leader’s Norouz Message

The following is the full text of the message issued on March 20, 2013 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution on the occasion of Norouz.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

O Conqueror of hearts and sight,
O Planner of night and day,
O Transformer of power and circumstances,
Change our condition to the best of conditions.

Dear God, Your greetings be upon Your beloved, the mistress of all women in the world, Fatima bint Muhammad, Allah's greetings be upon him and his household. Dear God, Your blessings be upon her, her father, her husband and her children. O Allah, be, for Your representative, the Hujjat (proof), son of al-Hassan, Your blessings be on him and his forefathers, in this hour and in every hour, a guardian, a protector, a leader, a helper, a proof, and a watchful eye until you make him reside on the earth, in obedience (to You), and cause him to live in it for a long time. Dear God, bestow on him, on his descendents, on his followers, on his people, on his special ones, on all those who obey him, on his enemies and on all people of the world what You brighten up his eyes with and what You make his heart happy with.

I would like to offer my congratulations to all my esteemed fellow countrymen throughout Iran, to all Iranians who are in different parts of the world and to all nations that celebrate Norouz, particularly our honorable war veterans, the families of our martyrs, our disabled war veterans and their families and all those who are making efforts to serve the Islamic system and our dear country. I hope that Allah the Exalted makes this day and this new year's day a source of happiness, prosperity and joy for our nation and for all Muslims in the world. I hope that Allah the Exalted makes us successful in carrying out our responsibilities. My honorable fellow countrymen should pay attention that the days for commemorating the martyrdom of Hadrat Fatima are in the middle of the Norouz holidays and it is necessary for all of us to value and respect these days.

The moment a new year starts is in fact the interval between an end and a beginning: the end of one year and the beginning of a new year. Of course, we should mainly focus on what lies ahead. We should look at the new year and we should make plans and prepare ourselves for it. However, looking back on the path that we have followed will also be beneficial for us so that we see what we have done, how we have moved forward and what results our work has produced, and we should learn lessons from it and gain experience.

Just like all other years, the year 1391 was full of events, both good and bitter events, both victories and failures. This is the case with the lives of all human beings. Life is full of twists and turns, full of ups and downs. What is important is that we should climb out of the depths and try to reach the peaks.

As far as our confrontation with the arrogant powers of the world is concerned, what was obvious about the year 1391 was the harshness of the enemies towards the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic. Of course, on the surface of the issue, the enemies were harsh, but below the surface was the experience of the Iranian nation and its victory in different arenas. Our enemies had targeted different areas, mainly economic and political. On the economic front, they announced and reiterated that they wanted to cripple the Iranian nation through sanctions. However, they failed to cripple the Iranian nation and by Allah's favor and grace, we achieved a lot of progress in different areas, which has been or will be explained to our dear people in detail. And God willing, I will also briefly discuss certain things in my speech on the first day of Farvardin.

On the economic front, of course the people were under pressure and certain problems were caused. In particular, there were certain flaws inside the country. There were certain cases of negligence and laxity which aided the enemy in his plans. But on the whole, the general movement of the Islamic system and the people was a progressive movement and by Allah's favor, we will see the outcomes of this national experience in the future.

On the political front, on the one hand they tried to isolate the Iranian nation and on the other hand they tried to throw the Iranian nation into indecision and uncertainty. They tried to undermine the determination of the Iranian nation. What happened in reality was the exact opposite. Regarding their efforts to isolate the Iranian nation, not only did they fail to restrain our rational international policies, but also events such as the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement were held in Tehran and a large number of leaders and government officials from different countries throughout the world attended the summit. This led to the opposite of what our enemies wanted and showed that not only is the Islamic Republic not isolated but that people of the world hold the Islamic Republic, Islamic Iran and the honorable Iranian nation in high regard.

Regarding domestic issues, whenever our dear people had the opportunity to express their feelings - mainly on the 22nd of Bahman of 1391 - they exhibited whatever enthusiasm and epic presence that was necessary and they were present on the scene in larger numbers and with more enthusiasm than the previous years. Another example was the presence of the people of North Khorasan in the thick of the sanctions, which was an example that showed the conditions and spirits of the Iranian people and their attitude towards the Islamic system and the officials who are serving them. Thankfully, great things were done throughout the year, including scientific endeavors, the work relating to infrastructure and the strenuous efforts by the people and government officials. The ground has been prepared for progressive movement and for - God willing - explosive progress, in economic and political areas as well as in other crucial areas.

According to the outlook that has been delineated for us by Allah's favor and thanks to the determination our faithful people, the year 1392 will be the year of progress, dynamism and experience for the Iranian nation, not in the sense that the enmity of the enemies will decrease, rather in the sense that the Iranian people will be more prepared and their presence will be more effective. They will be better and more promising at building the future of this nation with their hands and with their effective efforts.

Of course, what lies ahead for us in the year 1392 will be in the two important areas of politics and economics. On the economic front, it is necessary to pay attention to domestic production, just as had been stressed in last year's slogan. Of course, certain things were done, but promoting domestic production and supporting Iranian labor and capital is a long-term issue: it cannot reach the desired outcome in one year. Fortunately, in the second half of the year 1391, the policies for domestic production were ratified and announced for implementation. That is to say, the ground work was laid for this work. And on the basis of these policies, the Majlis and the executive branch can make plans, start a good movement and hopefully move forward with firm determination and continued efforts.

Regarding political issues, the great event of the year 1392 is the presidential elections, which will in fact determine the executive and political destiny of the country - and in a sense, the general destiny of the country - for the next four years. God willing, the people will manage to build a good future for themselves and their country through their presence in this arena. Of course, it is necessary for the people to have a jihad-like presence both in the economic arena and in the political arena. It is necessary to step in with epic spirits and enthusiasm. It is necessary to step in with a firm determination and a positive outlook. It is necessary to step into the arenas with a heart full of hope and enthusiasm and to try to reach the goals with epic moves.

With this outlook, I name the year 1392 "The Year of Political and Economic Valor" and I hope that by Allah's grace, our dear people and our caring government officials will give rise to an economic as well as a political epic.

With the hope of receiving divine attentions and benefiting from the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake), and saluting the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam and the souls of our honorable martyrs, Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.