Leader congratulates nation on Nowruz

In the name of God
O the transformer of hearts and sights…
O the planner of night and day…
O the transformer of our being…
Transform our being into the very best…

I congratulate all Iranians living in our vast and dear country on Nowruz and the beginning of the year, the first day of spring and the rebirth of nature. I also congratulate all Iranians living in other parts of the world, those who have great hopes for their country.

I would especially like to congratulate the youth, men and women, who have made great sacrifices for the high goals of the revolution and the country; those who have dedicated their lives and their youth for the revolution and the prosperity of our country; the honorable families of the martyrs, war-disabled veterans and their families and all those who work for the prosperity of the country.

And I would like to pay tribute to our great Imam Khomeini, the founder of this massive movement of people, the one who started the development of the great Islamic Republic of Iran.

Nowruz is the beginning of growth, this growth, as felt in the nature, can take shape in our hearts and mind in our movement towards development.

Let’s take a look back at the year 1388 which is coming to an end, if we want to describe the year 1388 in one sentence, I think it would be the year of the Iranian nation, the year of victory for this great nation, the year of historic and effective participation of this nation in spheres linked to the destiny of our great Revolution and great country.

In the early months of the year 1388, people, with their unprecedented participation, organized an election which was unprecedented in the history of our Revolution and in our country’s long history; an outstanding point of our history.

During the following months, again, people in a big test and in a big and historic movement demonstrated their participation, determination, perseverance, national resolve and their wisdom.

As a brief interpretation of the events in the months following the elections, I can say the enemies of the country and the enemies of the Islamic Republic concentrated all their efforts and power on defeating this Revolution from within itself.

Our nation stood against this fiendish plot and vicious act and brought the enemy to his knees with outstanding wisdom, perseverance and resolve.

What happened during the eight months after the election until the 22nd of Bahman (Feb. 11) has been an experience full of lessons and warnings and has actually been a begining for the Iranian nation.

The nation acted brilliantly in the year 1388, and the officials also made great and admirable efforts, these efforts were considerable and deserve admiration; it is the duty of all impartial observers to appreciate these efforts and work done for the sake of the country’s prosperity and development in different spheres. Officials have made great achievements in scientific and industrial spheres, in social affairs and foreign policy. May God reward them all and grant them the opportunity to make further achievements.

What my observation of the current status of the country and the huge capacity of this great nation and country tell me is that what we have done, what the officials and people have done is not much given the huge capacity of the country for development.

We are obliged to struggle more and make more efforts, much more than before.

This part of the prayer we recite in the year’s transition is interesting when we say “transform our being to the very best.” It does not say “make us feel better or bring us better days,” it calls for the best happenings, best days and best situation.

This is the high aspiration of a Muslim; he wants to reach the best in all spheres.

This year we need to multiply our efforts to achieve what this prayer has taught us in accordance with the country’s necessities and capacity. We need to increase the level our work.

I have named this year as “redoubled diligence and redoubled work,” hoping that all officials along with people with higher aspiration and intensified work can take higher steps and move closer toward our high goals in different fields including the economic, cultural, political, civil and social fields.

We need this redoubled diligence; our country needs this redoubled work. We need to trust God, seek God’s help, we should know the ground has been prepared for more work.

Our enemies target our nation’s knowledge and devotion, we should intensify our knowledge and devotion, with God’s help the roads will be paved, barriers will be removed, and God’s help and victory will assist our nation and authorities.