Full Speech: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

A major speech for this dangerous era.

For the first time in almost 5 years, the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led prayers and gave a speech at the Grand Mosalla Mosque in Tehran. He did so after he attended a commemoration ceremony for Hezbollah’s assassinated leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

His public presence was indicative of the danger the Middle East faces, and served as a mixture of appeal for Islamic solidarity and as warning to Israel and the USA to step back from war.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I believe it is necessary to honor my brother, my dear one, who was a source of pride for me, an admired personage in the Islamic world and the articulate voice of the nations in the region, the shining jewel of Lebanon, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah (may God be pleased with him), during this Friday Prayer in Tehran. I would also like to share a few words with everyone.

The audience I'm addressing in this Friday Prayer sermon is the entire Islamic world, in particular the dear nations of Lebanon and Palestine. We are all grieving and mourning the martyrdom of our dear Sayyid. This is a significant loss and it has truly caused us to mourn. Of course, our mourning does not mean being depressed, distressed, or losing hope. It is of the same nature as mourning for the Master of the Martyrs, Hussain ibn Ali. It is reviving, edifying, inspiring, and brings hope.

Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah is no longer among us physically, but his true self, his spirit, his path, and his resonant voice are and will continue to be with us.

He was the highly raised flag of the Resistance in the face of the tyrannical, plundering devils. He was the articulate voice and brave supporter of the oppressed. He brought assurance and courage to the fighters and seekers of truth. The scope of his popularity and influence extended beyond Lebanon, Iran, and Arab countries, and now his martyrdom will increase his influence even more.

His most important message in words and action during his lifetime to you, the devoted people of Lebanon, was to not despair or become distraught over the loss of prominent figures such as Imam Musa Sadr, Sayyid Abbas Mousavi, and others; to not doubt about your struggle; to increase your efforts and your capabilities; to double your solidarity; to stand up to the aggressive, intrusive enemy; and to defeat them by strengthening your faith and putting your trust in God.

My dear people! The devoted Lebanese nation! The exuberant youth of Hezbollah and Amal! My children! This is what our martyred Sayyid wants today from his people, the Resistance Front, and the entire Islamic Ummah.

Since the evil, abject enemy is unable to inflict serious harm on the solid Hezbollah organization, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other organizations that fight on the path of God, it considers terrorism, destruction, bombardment, the killing of civilians, and bringing grief to unarmed people to be a sign of its victory.

What is the consequence of this? The consequence of this behavior is an increase in the anger and motivation of the people. It fosters the emergence of more fighters, commanders, leaders, and an increase in the number of those who are willing to sacrifice their lives. It tightens the noose around the neck of the bloodthirsty wolf and will ultimately lead to the elimination of its disgraceful existence from the scene.

My dear ones! Grieving hearts find solace in the remembrance of God and in seeking His help. The destruction will be repaired, and your patience and steadfastness will bring you honor and dignity.

For some 30 years, our dear Sayyid was at the forefront of a difficult battle. He developed Hezbollah step by step, "Like a seed that sends forth its shoot, then it grows and becomes stout standing firmly on its stem, impressing the sowers, so that He may enrage the faithless by them. Allah has promised those of them who have faith and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward" (Quran 48:29).

With Sayyid's [Nasrallah's] planning, Hezbollah grew step by step, patiently, logically, and naturally. It showed the effect of its existence to its enemies in different stages by pushing back the Zionist regime, "It gives its fruit every season by the leave of its Lord" (Quran 14:25).

Hezbollah is truly a "Shajarah Tayyibah" [Blessed Tree]. Hezbollah and its heroic, martyred leader are the essence of Lebanon's historic virtues and identity.

We Iranians have long been familiar with Lebanon and its merits. Figures such as al-Shahid Muhammad ibn Makki al-Amili, Ali ibn Abd al-Aali al-Karaki, al-Shahid  Zayn al-Din al-Amili, Hussain ibn Abd al-Samad al-Amili and his son Muhammad Baha al-Din who was known as Sheikh Baha'i, along with many other religious and scholarly figures, have enriched Iran with the blessing of their extensive knowledge in the periods of the Sarbadars and Safavid governments in the 8th, 10th, and 11th centuries of the Hijri calendar.

It is our duty and the responsibility of all Muslims to repay our debt to the wounded, bloodied Lebanon. Hezbollah and the martyred Sayyid have taken steps in defense of Gaza and jihad for Al-Aqsa Mosque, delivering a blow to the usurping, cruel regime. They have provided a vital service to the entire region and the entire Muslim world. The insistence of the US and its allies on ensuring the safety of the usurping regime serves as a cover for their lethal policy of changing the [Zionist] regime into a tool for seizing all the resources of this region and using it [that regime] in major global conflicts.

Their policy is to turn the [Zionist] regime into a gateway for exporting energy from the region to the Western world while facilitating the import of goods and technology from the West to the region. This [approach] ensures the survival of the usurping regime and increases the entire region's dependency on it. The [Zionist] regime's brutal, reckless behavior toward the [Resistance] fighters stems from its self-serving desire for such a situation.

This reality helps us to realize that every blow to the Zionist regime by any individual or group is not only a service to the entire region but to all of humanity.

Surely, this Zionist and American dream is a vain, unattainable delusion. The [Zionist] regime is like "an evil tree, uprooted from the ground," which according to God's true words, "lacks any stability" (Quran 14:26).

This malicious regime is rootless, fallacious, and unstable, and it has only managed to stand on its feet with difficulty with US support. And God willing, this too will not last for long. The clear reason for this statement is that for a year now, despite spending several billion dollars in Gaza and Lebanon, and despite the comprehensive support given by the United States and several other Western governments, the enemy has failed in its confrontation with several thousand fighters and mujahid on the path of God, who are besieged and blocked from receiving any assistance from the outside. The only thing it [the Zionist regime] has been able to do is to bomb homes, schools, hospitals, and centers with a dense unarmed population.

Today, even the Zionist criminal gang has gradually come to the conclusion that they will never triumph over Hamas and Hezbollah.

You, the resilient people of Lebanon and Palestine, who are courageous fighters and patient, appreciative people, know that these martyrdoms and spilled blood will not weaken your movement. [On the contrary], they will strengthen it. In Islamic Iran, during roughly three months of one summer (in the year 60 AHS), tens of our prominent, distinguished figures were assassinated, including a prominent figure like Sayyid Mohammad Beheshti, a president like Mohammad Ali Rajaee, and a prime minister like Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. Scholars such as Ayatollah Madani, Qoddusi, Hashemi Nejad, and others like them were also assassinated. Each of these individuals were considered to be a pillar of the Revolution at either a national or local level, and losing them was not easy. But the Revolution didn't stop, it didn't retreat, and instead it sped up. Today too, the Resistance in the region will not retreat as a result of these martyrdoms. The Resistance will be victorious.

The Resistance in Gaza has captured the world's attention and brought honor to Islam. In Gaza, Islam has stood firm against all that is evil and foul. There is no noble human being who doesn't applaud this steadfastness and curse the ruthless, bloodthirsty enemy.

Al-Aqsa Flood and the year-long Resistance of Gaza and Lebanon have brought the usurping regime to a point where its main concern is to protect its existence, which is the same concern that the Zionist regime had in the early years of its cursed creation. This means that the struggles of the fighters of Palestine and Lebanon have been able to push back the Zionist regime to the position it was in 70 years ago.

The primary cause of war, insecurity, and backwardness in this region is the existence of the Zionist regime and the presence of governments that claim to seek peace and calm in the region. The main problem facing the region is foreign interference. The governments of the region are capable of establishing peace and security. Achieving this great, liberating goal requires the efforts and struggles of nations and governments.

God is with those who tread this path. "And Allah is indeed able to help them" (Quran 22:39).

May God's greetings and peace be upon the martyred leader, [Sayyid Hassan] Nasrallah; the martyred hero, [Ismail] Haniyeh; and the honorable commander, Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani.”