Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remarks in a live televised speech today on the occasion of the uprising of the people of Tabriz on Feb. 18, 1978, (29th of Bahman in 1356) against the Pahlavi regime.
Every year, Ayatollah Khamenei receives thousands of people from different walks of life in East Azerbaijan Province at Imam Khomeini Hussainia but this year, due to the observance of health protocols for the coronavirus, this meeting will be done through videoconference with the people present in the Tabriz prayer hall.
Appreciating the efforts of the people of Tabriz in the victory of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Tabriz uprising is a thanksgiving day for all Iranians as it made the Islamic Revolution fruitful.
The Leader said that the Islamic Revolution of Iran emerged victorious through the presence of the people and not guns and political measures.
"Material and spiritual progress and the formation of the Islamic society and the achievement of a new and great Islamic civilization are among the goals of the revolution," he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed to the country's achievements since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, saying, "The progress that has been made in the field of infrastructure over the years is astonishing, which would certainly not have been possible without the Revolution."
Stating that today, people from some regional countries come to Iran for the most complex surgeries, the Leader said that the country made progress in various scientific fields after the Revolution.
Referring to the Iranian peaceful nuclear program, Ayatollah Khamenei said that enemies are seeking to deprive Iranians of peaceful nuclear energy. “You see how oppressively the enemy front is focusing on the issue of our nuclear energy. They impose sanctions because of the nuclear energy that they know is peaceful. And whatever they may say about Iran being a certain amount of time away from producing a [nuclear] bomb is nonsensical and meaningless."
Stressing once again that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons, he said, “They know we are not seeking that; that we are not looking for a nuclear weapon. We are looking to benefit from nuclear energy in peaceful ways. They know this. [But] They do not want the Iranian nation to achieve such outstanding scientific progress and that’s why they are pressuring us."
Iran seeks the peaceful benefits of nuclear energy, the Leader said, adding that Iran will urgently need nuclear energy and that if the country fails to take action today, it will be too late in 20 years.
Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say that the Resistance movement is growing in the countries of the region, and the grandeur of the United States and the Arrogance in the region has been broken.
MNA/Live