Iran more optimistic about the future than ever

The chief of staff of Iran’s Joint Armed Forces says Iran is planning for a promising and rosy future more audaciously and ambitiously than ever.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is looking at a bright future under the aegis of the visionary leadership of Leader of Ummah Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei and the support of a considerable number of devotees inside and outside the country,” Brigadier General Seyyed Hassan Firouzabadi said in Tehran on Saturday.

He went on to say that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the outcome of a long quest for the establishment of a genuine Muslim state, and the late Imam Khomeini had often put special emphasis on the need to maintain the Islamic system.

“Ceremonies marking the 31st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution will kick off this year at a time when Iran has made great progress in various fields of science and technology. The global powers, along with their supporters inside the country, desperately sought to undermine the principles of the Islamic Revolution,” Firouzabadi noted.

Iran’s enemies, making use of media outlets as well as mercenaries inside the country, sought to foment a climate of distrust over the Iranian election process and to pose a serious challenge to the Islamic Republic, he added.

Anti-government protesters staged rallies in Tehran on December 27, taking advantage of the Ashura ceremonies, which commemorate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH). Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, who vandalized public property and set trash cans aflame, provoking clashes with security forces. Seven people died during the unrest.

In response to the Ashura day riots, millions of Iranians took to the streets on December 30, 2009, demanding that the rioters be brought to justice.

“Over the past seven months, saboteurs and seditionists have been attempting in vain to tarnish the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic and ultimately topple it. To this end, they demanded the nullification of electoral results and tried to portray a certain clique of people as victims of alleged vote-rigging in Iran.”

“The Iranian nation now wants those who committed various sorts of nefarious acts against the country to be brought to justice. The public holds the opinion that those who spared no effort to undermine the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran must be strongly and harshly dealt with and must face stiff sentences,” Firouzbabadi said.