Permission [Invincibility of the Iranian nation and the need for their alertness in confronting plots; advice to the armed forces and certain guidelines for them]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Mercifu l

You dear audience coming here in three groups, have very constructive and important jobs, with heavy responsibilities. The high school teachers, who are in charge of training our youths, and teenage students, offer valuable services and shoulder a heavy responsibility, because they are serving in educational centers. Anyone serving in any educational center has to shoulder a heavy responsibility. These children who study under your guidance are the hope of the future of the Islamic country and in your hands. Those in charge of their training should instruct them in an Islamic and constructive way so that the future generation can, God willing, be an Islamic generation, useful for the Islamic society.

Also those who serve in the IRIB, both the ordinary employees and those in charge of IRIB's Islamic Association and others handle a very sensitive job. They should regulate the affairs there in a way that IRIB turns into an educational centre. As you know, wherever anyone in this country lives, he/ she listens to the radio and watches television. You are, therefore, responsible for feeding those eyes and ears with virtues, ethics and issues necessary for the Islamic Republic. Your job is therefore, both quite a noble one, and a career with a high responsibility.

The dear brothers in the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps and their commanders everywhere in the country who naturally emerged from the revolution, Islam and the nation and helped preserve the revolution and push forth the movement has rendered valuable services. They have always shouldered a heavy responsibility. The value of their work is observable both in the war theater and behind the frontlines. They are engaged in safeguarding the nation's security. This is one of the most valuable undertakings, which all of all are obligated to take part in to the extent of our capabilities. The responsibility vested in Sepah is great, because Sepah is the" guardian of Islam. It is engaged in guarding Islam, the Islamic laws and country. If any wrong step is taken by the young gurds in Sepah, this wrong step might reflect a tarnished image of this revolutionary organ. Any extremist tendency by these young adults might stain IRGC's prestige, prompting our enemies to level accusations on the whole IRGC.

IRGC is therefore bound to observe discipline, listen to senior commanders and act in accordance with the programs drawn up by their councils. They should feel obliged to be soldiers of Islam, observe discipline, and obey their commanders. If the order of command and obedience is, God forbid, absent is Sepah the IRGC would fail in achieving its pristine objectives. Heeding these points is not only obligatory for the IRGC personnel, but also for all those serving in other armed forces, such as the army, the navy the air force and the border guards. They should all respect the devised discipline for their force and the commands of the high ranking officials. If you wish to safeguard your country's security and protect your nation against aggressions you need to observe discipline in IRGC and the other armed forces. I hope you would all succeed, as you have so far been, and protect your country against any harm that might, God forbid, befall the country.

Our entire nation, including the armed forces, the country's officials in any position and the millions-strong masses of people should always heed that they are resisting against all the world powers. All Eastern and Western powers and their affiliates are today opposed to this Islamic Republic because Islamic Republic seeks to apply Islam, which has come to block injustice, oppression and plundering. So all these countries are opposed to us. You have stood against all of them and clenched your fists, crying," Neither West nor East." You thus indicate that you are neither tilting towards the West nor the East. We are independent, we enjoy freedom the way Islam has defined it and we want the Islamic Republic. Thanks God, you have so far been successful in uprooting tyranny and oppression in your country. With your powerful hands and with Islamic power you drove out the chief oppressors and plunderers. If there are still any more leftovers, they will also go.

All of you, the entire nation, all armed forces, people from all walks of life throughout the country and we all need to be fully alert and ready for safeguarding the Islamic Republic, that has so many enemies.

Governments often struggle to disturb the Islamic Republic. The least they want is elimination of the term Islamic, and its replacement by whatever term, excluding Islamic. They cannot tolerate Islam, which is founded on justice and whose highest and lowest authorities are equal before justice. Its president and an ordinary citizen in the bazaar are equally treated by Islamic laws. Those commanding higher ranks must be under more intense scrutiny than people of lower ranks. The powers that are used to committing aggression and plundering cannot tolerate such a government. Therefore, you have established a political system here and plan to implement a school of thought, to which all deviated schools of thought are opposed. Those who have performed such a miraculous work should also resist the ensuing hardships and plots hatched from every direction against their country.

Do not think that those who commit such silly acts are powerful at all. Flies that make abrupt and severe moves at the end of their lives, at the last moments, make a sharp rotation and die. They are now like flies at the end of their tether. The move taken by these people may be likened to the last moves by flies at the moment of death. These are nothing. The marked ones are gone. They suffered defeat and were annihilated. The 2500- year-old monarchy with all its power and supporters could not resist you Muslim nation committed to Islam. These few underage children whom these corrupt figures deceive to sabotage resemble those files breathing their last. They cannot be conduct as human beings. Our nation should not assume that if these criminals kill a couple of people, however marked they might be, this will bring about our nation's defeat.

Our people are alert and ready for any kind of service or sacrifice for their own country. The Islamic establishment is not like regimes that will collapse if their leaders are removed. This is applicable to regimes backed by the people. In the past, when a king died, the whole country would be disturbed because people were opposed to kings. As such when a king died, chaos would ensue. But a nation that has overthrown the monarchy in this country will not lose spirit even with the death of, for instance, the president or other officials. Such events will not cause them to believe that the country has suffered defeat. The president is someone like you. You were the ones who elected him as president. If, God forbid, he dies, you will elect another one. Thanks God, there are others. Our nation and we should not think that if plots cause the death of such and such cleric or a Friday prayer leader or a president, anything serious will happen. Such events generate chaos in countries where the nation entirely depends on these officials. But in places where the situation is not like that and each member of the nation is a leader, such a nation would not be desperate even if they lose Khomeini. No! There is no such talks. Thanks God, all of you are present in the scenes and ready to safeguard your country. The main issue is Islam. In the advent of Islam, during a battle the hypocrites shouted that the Prophet (s) had got martyred. The holy Qur'an says that," Well, let us suppose the Prophet is truly martyred. Yet, Islam is left intact." If the Prophet (s) and the Commander of the faithful Imam `Ali (s) were martyred, Islam would be there. Islam is a faith the foundation of which has been laid by God; God is always there, so Islam is also there. God protects Islam, even when I am not present, you do not exist and when this and that official are not there. Have strong hearts. Strengthen your hearts with the light of Qur'an and Islam. Strengthen the rope that connects you with God and have no fear that they may come and bombard here, and kill some two hundred people. This is not an important thing. This is a country in which such events occur.

You know that today the biggest country in terms of technology and stuff like that is the United States, or maybe the Soviet Union. It is said that every minute one or two people get killed in the United States. All the same, the United State is still there. Howevere, you enjoy a support of which the United States is deprived as are other countries; that is, the support of Almighty God. You rose up for God. Our nation, men and women, the young and old, rose up for God and have so far resisted for God. That which is done for God has no expiry date. One cannot argue what may happen in two years. When something is done for God, it will be eternal. The Islamic Republic of Iran that was established by the mighty hands of you great nation of Islam has the backing of God, and anything enjoying this support is eternal.

You the pasdars (Revolutionary Guard Corps), other armed forces and civilian you should notice that we are all responsible for preserving Islam. We are obliged to safeguard Islam, the nation, the Islamic banner and this Islamic country to the last man. Up to the last men, women, young and old are obliged to defend. Defense is a public matter; everyone is obliged defend Islamic land as much as they can. Islam and Islamic command are so important that the prophets (s) sacrificed their lives for God and His commands. In Islam, ever since the advent of this religion, prominent personalities have sacrificed their lives to preserve it. When that is the case, and God has trusted us with safeguarding such a sacred covenant we are all obliged to do so. We should not be scared of the number of our casualties, of the number of people martyred in a bomb attack or of the casualties in an explosion. Not at all! Islam is neither affiliated to me nor to you. Islam belongs to Almighty God and we are all obliged to safeguard it powerfully.

You witnessed from the outset of the revolution up to now that from the first step taken for the revolution, a certain group mounted opposition. One group, at lEast the Shah and his associates were among the chief opponents struggling hard to pound it. With every step forward, the revolution removed a group of dissidents only to be replaced by other ones that aimed to destroy the revolution. However, the revolution gained strong footholds with every step forward. Where else can you find a country which has been able to achieve this degree of solidarity in about two years and satisfy all the requirements of a country and a government?

Take Iraq. With all that is said about it and with all the supporters- almost all corrupt powers support it- it still does not have a constitution. A group or party that took control of the country's affairs is tryrannically ruling the country through force, pressure, imprisonment and torture. They have not yet drawn up a constitution despite the fact that it is for over 20 years that they have come to power. This country of yours, to which all are opposed, is in no way comparable to the Iraqi regime that almost all countries approve of, but still it has not been able to draw up a constitution for itself. They cannot organize a referendum. Whose vote can they get? The nation is not on good terms with the government; people have to be taken to the polls by threat of bayonet.

During this short while, and despite the existence of strong external enemies and their leftovers inside the country, you have so far managed to arrange for all requirements of a government. Later on when you noticed that one had done wrong, you set him aside. «1» You replaced him with another president whom all agree is devoted to this faith «2» and your government was set in order in a couple of days. That which could not be achieved in a year and a half to two years due to the complications was recently accomplished within two or three days or a week and all ministers were nominated by the president and endorsedby the parliament. Now you have a legal government that I hope will attend to the problems of the nation and take care of the affairs of the oppressed and the poor. Now you have all you need at your disposal.

All these powers failed to stop your movement. They wished to halt it at the very beginning. A referendum was held. They called for a second time! If we had hold the second referendum, they would have demanded a third one, but they failed. Now you have established your foothold, your country is in your own hands and you appoint your own officials. When they were all here, you succeeded in exerting your will. What should you be scared of now that they have all fled? Who else is left? The army is our own, IRGC is our own and armed forces are our own. The people all view these forces as their brothers in faith. They are together in times of happiness and hardship. Who can do any harm to this country under such conditions? Basically, what does `coup' mean in such a country? Who can stage a coup here? There is a group of people sitting in Paris spreading the word that they are heading for Iran. Right! Here you are, the country's gates are open. If you could do something, why did you went away? One who has escaped says," We are all united now." Who is united with whom? We know you. Our nation knows who you are." We are now united and determined to head for Iran!" We are on their way back and would soon arrive in here", they cry.

Our nation should be alert. Obviously, these are just nonsense, but our nation should be alert. One should not be heedless of the U.S. plots. These figures are not numbered among human beings. If they were worthy of being called human beings, they would not have been in such conditions. They had detached themselves form the nation and did not know what to do and thus run away. But the United States that received a slap in the face from you and pinned its hope on Iran and its oil and other resources has been kicked out by you. Do not be negligent as the U.S. is a power, is engaged in collusion and might do such things. But as long as you are alert, alive and steadfast, it cannot do anything. The United States is not going to dispatch an army form the U.S. to Iran to carry out sabotages. The United States acts through these people. It plans to embark on such works by these very people in Paris and other places. Our nation should be alert and stand firm power of faith they commanded and the Islamic power they enjoyed. People should resistwith the Islamic power and eve be ready to sacrifice themselves for Islam. The nation should be watchful and note that if they are present in the stage and put up resistance with everyone of you deeming it their duty to protect the country and your brothers, no power could do any harm to you. The important point is that you should stand, consider the government to be yours and not sit aside and expect the government or the armed forces to do all the job. No! The army, you, the government and I are responsible; so are the clerics and civilians. Preserving Islam is not a duty to be fulfilled only by the armed forces.

We all are obliged to preserve Islam. Even ladies are obliged to preserve the faith. It is obligatory for all of us and all of you to be on the watch and to report if you noticed any plot and suspicious traffic of the people in your neighbourhoods.

A poor guy has written to me recently that I had called on the whole nation to watch over the neighbours while this is against the Qur'an that says:" Do not scrutinize in one another's private affairs." «3» True! Qur'an has ordered us not to do so, and God's order must be obeyed. Bur Qur'an has also ordered to protect man's life in the following words:" Do not kill yourselves." «4» Address this question to the Doyen of Martyrs. When Islam is at stake, you are all obliged to preserve it by espionage. If the life of a Muslim is at stake and protection of his/her life is pending on your drinking wine, it is obligatory to do so or to tell a lie. The laws of Islam aim to secure the interests of Muslims and Islam. If we see that Islam is at stake, we all should die so as to protect it. If we notice that a group is hatching a plot aimed at killing innocent people, we are all obliged to do espionage work in order to prevent such an event. Protecting the lives of Muslims is a duty above other issues. Preserving Islam is even more important than protecting the Muslims' lives. These are silly words suggested by these groups, describing espionage work as indecent. Corrupt espionage, is not good. But espionage is obligatory for protecting Islam and the lives of Muslims. Telling a lie and drinking wine also became obligatory.

We have now a trust in our hand and that is Islam. We have no excuse sitting aside and arguing that there are others to preserve it. This trust does not belong to others. God has entrusted it to us. It is for all of us. We are all obliged to preserve it. None of us can sit aside and argue that the government is to do it. We cannot sit and expect the army to do so alone. When the Islamic country is threatened by the enemies of Islam, defending the Islamic country and Islamic principles is obligator for al of us. When such a thing comes about and men and women in our country are, thanks God, prepared to face the problem, there is no fear of a group causing from Paris or somewhere else to do so and so. There is no cause for fear. They have once tested it when they encouraged Saddam to pounce at Iran and were given a good smacking. The poor guy is still thinking of a way out of this burden. We never initiated any fight against anyone. We are bound to defend Islam and the Islamic country. He is the one who occupied our cities, and is carrying out sabotage. It is incumbent upon all of us to relieve the Muslims of this evil. We have not entered their country so as to be considered intruders. They have invaded. If a thief breaks into someone's house and is driven out, is the thief to be punished or the one driving the thief out? Obviously, the house owner is not to blame. A thief has intruded and must be driven out. Even at the cost of killing the thief, he must be driven out. It is the thief that is to blame.

When some people cross our borders to attack us, even if they are Muslims, it is obligatory to defend because they are the ones who initiate the attack. Killing them is also obligatory up to the point they are driven out. It is not that we intend to fight. We favour peace in the world. We wish all Muslims and non-Muslims live in peace. But this does not mean if one invades one's house we still encourage peace and resign ourselves to aggression! No! Just as injustice is forbidden, yielding to oppression is equally forbidden. Defending the principles, lives and property of Muslims and Islamic country is a religious obligation. We are acting according to this obligation. Our nation is acting in accordance with this obligation, heeding its responsibility and its religious obligations in that respect. The combatants in the warfronts and others behind the fronts are acting according to this obligation. If supposedly one who wants to throw an expolsive material somewhere is arrested and put in prison and if he has already done it and is put to death, this treatment is considered defense. This practice withholds corruption. It is away of wading off corruption. The one who is doing such acts is corrupt, not you who are trying to get rid of him. You do not intend to throw explosives into anyone's house; you want to prevent others from throwing the explosive materials into your house. It is advisable to beware the individuals who have been cheated.

We constantly say that these youths have been cheated. They have fled abroad and are enjoying lives in abundance there, encouraging these youths to work sabotage at the cost of their lives. If any of them steps forward and repents, his or her repentance is accepted. Let us assume that one of these people has even committed a murder and the close relatives of the killed person have the right to kill him, still we wish him to repent so that his life, at lEast, in the hereafter will be at ease. We wish peace to prevail in the whole world. If we had power, we would have basically annihilated explosives all together so that the world would get rid of such criminal acts. We do not want to get engaged in fights with anyone. We neither intend to fight against Iraq, nor to launch any war against any other country. They have launched this war, and they received a slap in the face. Right now our men and women, the young and old, pasdars and this army will give a good smacking to any other intruder from anywhere.

We have wanted Islam and still do so, but it does allow us to trespass on another country. Still, it has ordered us to punch the transgressor in the mouth. If disbelievers would make a human shield out of innocent Muslims to capture the country for instance- this has precedence in wars in the past- it is obligatory for us to kill both Muslims and non-Muslims. The Muslims would be considered martyrs and go to heaven, while the disbelievers would go to hell. Defense is obligatory.

And so long as you, the IRGC and the army as well as the committed and selfless Muslim nation are present for Islam, this republic will remain intact. These sabotages you see are nothing. May God grant all of you good health and happiness, severe the hands of the oppressors and grans victory to the Iranian army.

May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.