In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
O Transformer of hearts and sights,
O Director of nights and days,
O Transformer of situations and circumstances,
Transform our circumstances to the best of circumstances!
This year, the spring of spirituality and the spring of nature – i.e., the auspicious Eid-al-Fitr and the age-old Eid of Nowruz – have coincided, and I congratulate each and every one of the people of the nation on these two religious and national holidays. I also congratulate all Muslims of the world on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr.
It is also necessary to congratulate everyone regarding the remarkable victories of Islam’s fighters and to express my condolences and sympathy to all the families and survivors of the honorable martyrs of the second imposed war, the January Coup, the third imposed war, the security and border martyrs, and the anonymous martyred soldiers [martyrs of intelligence forces].
Below I present my remarks on the occasion of the upcoming 1405 year.
First, I will give a brief overview of some of the important events of the past year. In the past year, our dear people have experienced three military and security wars. The first war was the June war, when the Zionist enemy, with the special help of the United States and in the midst of negotiations, martyred some of the country's best commanders and prominent scientists and subsequently about 1,000 of our fellow citizens. Because of a gross miscalculation, the enemy thought that after a day or two, it would be the people who would overthrow the Islamic system. But with the vigilance of you, the people, the unparalleled bravery of Islam’s fighters, and the many sacrifices, the indications of desperation and destitution soon appeared in it [the Zionist enemy], to the point that it saved itself from the edge of the abyss through mediation and resorting to cessation of fighting.
The second war was the January Coup, when the United States and the Zionist regime, thinking that the Iranian people were implementing the enemy’s vision due to the economic problems imposed by them, used their mercenaries to create countless disasters and martyred more of our dear fellow citizens than in the in the previous war and caused a lot of damage.
The third war is the war that we are now in the middle of, and on the first day of which, with tearful eyes and sad and broken hearts, we bode farewell to the kind father of the Ummah, our great Leader – may God make his respected position exalted – while hastening with great enthusiasm at the head of a caravan of martyrs on a celestial journey to a place that had been considered for him in the shadow of God's mercy and in proximity to purified lights and among the righteous and martyrs. Also, from that day onwards, we gradually and sorrowfully bode farewell to the other martyrs of this war, including the children of the Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, the brave and oppressed stars of the Destroyer Dena, the martyred commanders and fighters of the IRGC, the army, the security and police forces, and the Popular Mobilization Force (the Basij), the anonymous soldiers [martyrs of intelligence forces], the brave border guards, and the rest of the nation, young and old, who passed in front of us in a caravan of light. This war took place after the enemy was disappointed with a significant popular movement in its favor, and with the illusion that if it martyred the head of the regime and a number of influential military figures, it would create fear and despair in you, our dear people, and cause you to leave the arena, and in this way, it would realize the dream of dominating Iran and then disintegrating it. But in this holy month, you combined fasting with jihad and provided a vast defense line, as wide as the country, and strong fortifications, as numerous as the squares, neighborhoods, and mosques. And in this way, you dealt him a confusing blow, so much so that he began to utter numerous contradictory words and many absurdities, which is a sign of lack of mindfulness and the existence of cognitive weakness.
You had already suppressed the coup on January 12 [22nd of Dey], and on February 11 [22nd of Bahman], you once again showed your opposition to global arrogance and your tirelessness, and on March 12, which coincided with Quds Day, you made him realize that he was not only dealing with missiles, drones, torpedoes, and military affairs and that Iran's front line is much bigger than his [the enemies’] humble and small mentality. I would like to thank each and every one of the dear people for creating this great epic, as well as the brave, honest and popular president and other officials who were present among the people in this ceremony, immaculate and without formalities.
This kind of action and making it visible can be in itself a very desirable thing that increasingly strengthens the cohesion between the nation and the rulers. At present, as a result of the incredible unity created among you, fellow citizens – despite all the differences of religious, intellectual, cultural and political origins – a breakdown is brought about in the enemy. This should be considered as a special blessing from the Almighty and Exalted Allah, for which we should be very grateful in words and in heart as well as in action. One of the inviolable rules is that whenever a blessing is thanked for, its root becomes stronger or enhanced in proportion to the amount of thanksgiving, and more favors are sent to the thankful person. What is needed for the time being in the position of practical gratitude is that we consider this great blessing as merely a mercy from the Almighty and make good use of it as much as possible. In this way, this cohesion will definitely become more and more resolute, and your enemies will become more disgraced and subdued. These were a review of some of the important events of the year 1404.
But now that we are on the verge of the year 1405, we are facing a few matters. One is that we bid farewell to our dear guest, the holy month of Ramadan 1447 AH, forever: The month in which your hearts turned to the transcendent world on the Night of Qadr and you called upon the merciful God, and His Holiness directed His mercy to you. You asked our lord [Imam Mahdi], may Allah hasten his noble reappearance, and His God for triumph, victory, well-being, and all kinds of blessings, and you must have received the same or better than what was your heart's desire, God willing. At the same time as this farewell, which the more knowledge human beings have, the more bitter and sad it will be, we press the happy and full moon of Shawwal al-Mukarram in our warm arms and await the reception of gifts from the Blessed and Transcendent Allah with fear and hope. I hope that after that daily and nightly conscientious presence of you, the dear nation, and the creation of the epic of Quds Day, the Almighty will not treat us except with His generosity, forbearance, forgiveness, and great grace to which you and I have become accustomed. And especially we hope that soon with the good news of the general relief in the matter of the general appearance of our lord [Imam Mahdi], his eminence, the supreme guardian appointed by Allah, He will fill the blessed heart of his holiness with joy, from which all kinds of blessings will descend upon the people of this world, by His grace and generosity.
Another thing we are facing is the important occasion of the age-old Eid of Nowruz. It is an Eid that brings with it a gift of nature, of renewal, freshness, and life, and it has a perfect occasion with joy and happiness.
On the one hand, for the general public, this is the first year that our martyred Leader and other noble martyrs are not among us. In particular, the hearts of the families and survivors of the martyrs are grieving for their loved ones.
At the same time, for my part and as a simple citizen who has a few martyrs in my circle, I think that while we are mourning and our hearts are a nest of sorrow and grief for all the martyrs, we would become very happy that in these days, our newlywed brides and grooms start their life together. And God willing, the prayers of our martyred leader and other noble martyrs of this war will be with these dear ones. And I recommend that the public should have their usual [New Year] visits of these days, of course, while respecting the survivors of the martyrs and respecting their well-being, and perhaps the people of any neighborhood will start their New Year's meetings by honoring the martyrs of the same place, which can be made possible with the necessary coordination. Of course, the period [of mourning] that the honorable government set for the tragedy of the martyrdom of our dear Leader remains in place, and observing and preserving it is considered an aspect of the greatness of this system and the country.
After these words, there are other brief remarks.
First of all, I must especially thank those who – in addition to being present in squares, neighborhoods, and mosques – highlight their social role with increasing effort. Among them are some production units, both public and private, and including some service guilds, and especially people who provide all kinds of useful services to the people for free without their jobs requiring them, and praise be to God, there is an abundance of this kind.
Secondly, one of the enemy's courses of action is his media operations, which in these days, in particular, intends to undermine national unity and consequently national security by targeting the minds and souls of some among the people. We must be careful lest this sinister intention be realized as a result of negligence and by our own hands. Therefore, my advice to our country’s domestic media, with all the intellectual, political, and cultural differences they may have, is to seriously refrain from focusing on weaknesses. Otherwise, it is possible for the enemy to reach its goal.
Thirdly, one of the enemy's hopes is to take advantage of the economic and managerial weaknesses that have been formed over a long time. Over various years, our martyred Leader – may Allah elevate his position – had focused the main theme and slogan of the year on the economy. In the opinion of this humble person, providing people's livelihood and improving the living and welfare infrastructures and creating wealth for the general public should be considered as a focal point and a kind of defense and even significant progress against the economic war waged by the enemy.
I am gracious that I have had the chance to hear the words of our dear people from all walks of life. During one period, for instance, I would ride along with you in a taxi – arranged at my request – through the streets of Tehran, with an anonymous group, listening to your conversations. I regarded this method of sampling as superior to many opinion polls. In many cases, my understandings were in line with yours, which were often expressed as various criticisms regarding economic and managerial matters. In the process, I learned a great deal from you, and I continue to seek new knowledge. Recently, during the days before and after the 19th of Ramadan, I again learned things from many of you who were present in the public squares. I hope I am never deprived of this blessing. Following things thus learned and heard, along with other studies, efforts have been made to formulate an effective and expert-tested remedy—one that is as comprehensive as possible. Thank God, this has been realized to an acceptable degree, and soon it will be ready for implementation by officials of great resolve, with the cooperation of all segments of the nation, God willing. Finally, in this section, drawing inspiration from our great martyred Leader, I announce this year’s slogan as: “Resistance Economy in light of National Unity and National Security.”
Fourth and last, what I stated in the first statement regarding the system's stance and policy on engagement with neighboring countries is a serious and genuine matter. Beyond the element of neighborliness, we recognize other spiritual elements – foremost among them our shared devotion to the noble religion of Islam, as well as the presence of holy shrines and sacred sites in some of these countries, the residence and employment of many Iranians in others, shared ethnicity or language, and common strategic interests, particularly in confronting the front of arrogance—each of which alone can serve to strengthen amicable relations. Among them, I consider our eastern neighbors to be very close to us. For a long time, I have known Pakistan to be a country that was especially beloved by our martyred Leader, a sentiment that was evident in the emotion in his voice during Friday prayer sermons over the devastating floods that threatened the lives of our religious brothers there. For various reasons, I have always held this view myself and have not refrained from expressing it in various meetings. Here, I would like to urge that our two brotherly countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, establish better relations with each other – if only for the sake of divine pleasure and to avoid division among Muslims – and for my part, I am ready to take the necessary steps.
I should also remark that the attacks against Turkey and Oman – both of which have good relations with us—targeting certain locations in these countries, were in no way carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic or the other forces of the Resistance Front. This is a ploy by the Zionist enemy, employing the false flag tactic to create discord between the Islamic Republic and its neighbors, and it may also occur in some other countries. I have already mentioned the rest of the points related to this matter.
I hope, with the prayers of our lord [Imam Mahdi] – may Allah hasten his relief – and with the Almighty’s attention, this year will be a good year full of triumph and all kinds of spiritual and material relief for our nation, our neighbors, and Muslim nations, and especially for the elements of the Resistance Front; and a year not so for the enemies of Islam and humanity. “And We desired to show favor to those who were oppressed in the earth, and to make them examples and to make them the inheritors, and to establish them in the land, and to show Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts from them that of which they were apprehensive (Holy Quran 28:6).” Indeed, God the Almighty has spoken the truth; His noble Messenger (pbuh) has spoken the truth; and we are among those who bear witness to that.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
Esfand 29, 1404 [March 20, 2026]
