Leader rebukes Foreign Minister Zarif over leaked remarks on foreign policy

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei rebukes Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for the latter’s “wrongful” remarks about Iran’s foreign policy, the Quds Force of the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) and the force’s martyred commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a live televised speech on Sunday in reference to a leaked audio file featuring allegations by Zarif about some occasions in which the country’s foreign policy had been “sacrificed” in favor of the force’s activities.

The Leader voiced regret and surprise at the comments, calling the IRGC’s Quds Force “the biggest effective factor that prevents [enactment of] a passive diplomacy in the West Asia region.”

Therefore, “one should not talk in a way that causes foreigner’s remarks to occur to the mind,” Ayatollah Khamenei advised.

The Westerners oppose Iran’s leading an active foreign policy, and rather prefer that the country falls back under the dominion of its former Western-backed tyrannical rule of the Pahlavi regime, the Leader highlighted.

“This force carries out the policy of the Islamic Republic. The Western countries persistently want the foreign policy of Iran to come under their flag. They have been wanting this for years. Iran was under Western domination both in the later years of the Qajar dynasty and under the Pahlavi rule. The [Islamic] Revolution freed Iran of their dominion and now they are trying to restore that dominion,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

It is because of this opposition that the West frowns on any indication of such active foreign policy such as the Islamic Republic’s expanding its ties with China, Russia, and also its neighbors, the Leader stated.

The Leader said, “I know many cases wherein high-ranking officials of neighboring countries wanted to visit Iran and the Americans opposed it. We cannot step back in the face of their demand. We must act forcefully.”

Still referring to Zarif’s comments, Ayatollah Khamenei said some remarks “are repetition of the US [officials’] remarks. Suppose that Americans have been angry with Iran’s [regional] influence for many years. They were angry with Martyr Soleimani for this reason and this is why they martyred him.”

“We must not say something that would bring to mind the idea that we are repeating their remarks, both about the Quds Force and about Martyr Soleimani himself,” the Leader emphasized.

General Solaimeni was martyred along with his companions in a United States’ drone strike against Baghdad early last year.

During his lifetime, General Soleimani won reputation as the region’s most popular and decisive anti-terror commander. He was martyred while paying an official visit to the Iraqi capital.

Foreign Ministry’s remit

"A country’s plans include military, scientific, cultural and diplomatic plans, and their totality makes up a country’s policy. It’s meaningless for one sector to negate the other and this is a major error, which must not be committed by the officials of the Islamic Republic,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei said nowhere in the world does the foreign ministry set a country’s foreign policy outlines, but there are higher authorities that set the main lines of a country’s foreign policy and the foreign ministry just carries out those policies.

In the Islamic Republic, the foreign policy is determined at the Supreme National Security Council in the presence of the country’s authorities, and the Foreign Ministry should implement it using its own methods, the Leader remarked. He underscored, “We must not talk in a way as if we do not accept the country’s policies and in doing so, make our enemies happy.”

Upcoming presidential elections

Meanwhile, the Leader called for the massive participation of the Iranian people in the forthcoming presidential election, warning against efforts made to dissuade people from participating in high numbers in the polls.

Ayatollah Khamenei identified such remarks as the ones that were made by the top diplomat as counterproductive discourse that discouraged a high electoral turnout. Such talk reflected previous statements made by enemies of the Islamic Republic, especially those statements, which were made to undermine the Quds Force and General Soleimani, the Leader said.

“When people take part in elections [in multitudes], no power can harm the country. Therefore, anybody who takes part in the election, makes an effort for [determining] the country’s fate and its future,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

The Leader also warned against efforts made to discourage people by casting doubts on various aspects of elections, including the governing bodies and especially the Constitutional Council.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that despite some efforts made in a number of past elections to influence the voting process and the poll results, none of those efforts were important enough to affect the final result of the polls.

The Leader added that those who want to run for the election must believe in the basic principles of the Islamic establishment and not cast doubt on them.

Ayatollah Khamenei also advised those hoping to run in the election to avoid making promises they cannot keep.

At the beginning of his Sunday speech, the Leader first elaborated on the spiritual status of Imam Ali, the first infallible Shia Imam, whose martyrdom anniversary is just a few days away, noting that the most important characteristics of the Imam included strict justice, courage, wisdom, as well as taking care of the oppressed people who are usually wronged by the society.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that those who proclaim to be true followers of Imam Ali must get as close as possible to his spiritual characteristics, especially his zeal to administer justice.

The Leader noted that Imam Ali was martyred while praying at the mosque, noting that there have been many people in our time, in the Islamic Republic, who also followed suit with their Imam and sought martyrdom.

Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned General Soleimani as one of the true followers of Imam Ali, saying that when enemies threatened to kill him, he reacted by saying “they are threatening me with something that I am seeking so ardently.”

The Leader also talked about the National Teachers’ Day, which marks the martyrdom anniversary of Ayatollah Morteza Motahhari, who was martyred by Forqan Group soon after the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

The Leader noted that Motahhari, as one of the main thinkers of the Islamic Revolution, spent his time on studying all schools of thought, and tried to give answers to questions posed by his young audience, both at the university and at the seminary of Qom.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the most important task of teachers is to transfer their trove of knowledge to the next generations and also pay attention that they must safeguard the thought and ideas of their young audience.

“Therefore, we can say that teachers are the officers of the country’s progressive forces,” the Leader said.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that teachers are now playing a more prominent role, because there have been few junctures in history when “our young people have been exposed to such relentless cultural invasion.”

The Leader emphasized that teachers, along with workers, enjoy a lofty and important status in the society and the society and people should recognize this, adding that in addition to recognizing their lofty status, efforts must be made to solve the livelihood problems with which teachers are facing, especially under conditions created by the new coronavirus pandemic.

Reflecting on the Workers’ Day, the Leader noted that workers enjoy a lofty status in Islam, which prompted the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) to kiss their hand.

“One of the most important roles in an independent economy is played by workers... because an independent economy depends on domestic production, which in turn depends on workers,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader noted that the Islamic Republic’s enemies did their best to pit workers against the Islamic establishment, but they never stopped backing the Islamic Republic and played their prominent role in this regard.

The Leader added that one of the most important ways to support the country’s domestic production is to support the labor force.

“We must note that supporting workers is actually supporting the national wealth, because if workers are supported, they promote national wealth, which will make any country proud,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader noted that special attention should be also paid not only to the livelihood and economic problems of workers but also to their professional training.

“The issue of job security is a form of labor support, meaning that workers should not be concerned that they would lose their job ... and they should enjoy job security and know that their employment is guaranteed.”

Provision of housing for workers and establishing equitable relationship between the labor force, employers and government was another point on which the Leader laid special emphasis.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that various administrations should take advantage of all available potentialities to create new jobs, both because of its economic outcomes and social effects, including boosting vibrancy of people in the society.

Ayatollah Khamenei also warned against efforts made to shut down Iranian factories, noting that those who shut down a factory for their own personal benefits, are knowingly or knowingly doing an act of treason against the country’s independence and production.

He exhorted executive officials and relevant ministries to take necessary action to deal with those who want to shut down production units and factories on any grounds.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the best way to thwart sanctions imposed on Iran by Western countries, especially the United States, is to boost domestic production in true sense of the word, noting that this will first render sanctions inefficient and then will make enemies to remove sanctions.

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