The leader delivered a live speech on Friday on the occasion of 1978 Qom demonstrations against the Pahlavi dynasty.
Each year Ayatollah Khamenei used to receive thousands of people to mark the anniversary of the 1978 Qom protest, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was broadcasted from Iranian national TV.
1978 Qom protests refer to the demonstrations against the Pahlavi dynasty ignited by the Iran and Red and Black Colonization article published in Ettela'at newspaper on 7 January 1978.
Many believe that this demonstration was the start of a wave that ended the Pahlavi regime one year later.
West must lift sanctions immediately
During his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the issues revolving around the 2015 nuclear deal and the cruel sanctions against Iran.
He said the Western countries are obliged to immediately put an end to vicious sanctions against the Iranian nation.
“This is their duty. They must lift all sanctions.”
The Leader added, “I repeat what I have said many times; they have to lift the sanctions, but we have to adjust the economy so that we can run the country in the best way despite the open sanctions.”
He referred to the domestic capabilities, saying, “Of course, sanctions are gradually becoming ineffective, but if they remain, we must plan the economy so that we do not have problems with the coming and going of sanctions and the enemy's role in the country's economy.”
He said a frequently repeated issue is the issue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the commitments of the Islamic Republic.
“The first point is that parties to the deal are discussing the return of the United States to JCPOA; we have no urgency for the United States to return to deal. This is not our problem at all. Our rational demand is the lifting of sanctions.”
Ayatollah Khamenei underlined, “This is the usurped right of the Iranian people. Both the United States and Europe have a duty to give back these rights.”
“If the sanctions are lifted, the US return to JCPOA will make sense. Of course, there is the issue of damages that will be claimed later. But if the sanctions are not lifted, their return to the deal maybe to the detriment of us.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader advised those who fancy about relations with the US, urging them "to look back to the situation in the country before the victory of the Islamic revolution when good relations with Americans were in place."
The Leader also pointed to the recent riots in the US following President Donald Trump's election claims, saying, "what Americans wanted to befall on the Iranian nation in 2010 is now befalling on themselves in 2021."
He said just look at the conditions of the great idol. This is the state of democracy in that country and that is the scandal about the elections and the human rights situation where they keep killing a black person every few days for no reason and the killer is not prosecuted. It is the American values that have now become a matter of joke for the world. And look at their paralyzed economy, which has left tens of millions unemployed and starving.
Iran’s stabilizing regional presence 'unquestionable'
The leader also pointed to Iran’s resistance against the arrogant powers that seek to destabilize the region, saying, “Our establishment is obliged to behave in a way to boost its regional friends. This is our duty.”
“Our presence means strengthening our friends. We should not do anything to weaken those loyal to the Islamic Republic in the region,” Ayatollah Khemeni said.
He stressed that Iran’s “presence is stabilizing and this has been proven.
“Today, our defense power is on a level that our enemies are forced to take Iran's capabilities into consideration in their calculations”
“When our missiles can shoot down the American aggressor flying in our skies, and when Iranian missiles can hit the American base ‘Ein al-Assad’ with its own achievements, the enemy has to look at these capabilities in its military decisions.”
The Leader stressed, “We should not leave the country defenseless. We should not do anything that would let the enemy dare” to undermine the Islamic Republic’s security and integrity.
No American, British COVID-19 vaccine
The Leader referred to the coronavirus pandemic and hailed the efforts of the Iranian scientific society to produce vaccines for the treatment of the disease.
“The produced vaccine [in the country] is a source of pride; do not deny this. This is a source of honor.”
He said, of course the authorities are trying to procure the vaccine from different channels. However, he noted it should not be supplied from the US and the UK as they are not trusted.
“The import of American and British vaccines is prohibited,” Khamenei said
He also said he does not trust the two countries, adding, “Sometimes they want to try the vaccine on other nations.”
“If the Americans could produce a vaccine, they would not be in the state they are currently in. They would not be recording 4,000 deaths every day. Same with the UK,” he added.
The Leader also said that he does not trust France either, adding that if another country that Iran trusts produce a vaccine, the government would be allowed to import the vaccines from it.
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