00:00Congratulations on the 47th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
00:07We are currently in the sacred days of the 10-day dawn,
00:10and it is truly fitting to commemorate the revered Imam Khomeini
00:13and all the noble martyrs of the Islamic Revolution.
00:17Faizos, these are the brave individuals who,
00:20through the ultimate sacrifice of their own precious blood,
00:23led this glorious revolution to its ultimate victory
00:25and firmly established the sovereign will of the Iranian people.
00:30I believe that during the anniversary of the revolution,
00:34it is fitting that beyond the celebrations being held
00:37and the various programs taking place,
00:39we also engage in some reflection on
00:42why the Islamic Revolution took place in Iran,
00:46what its fundamental ideals truly were,
00:48what the people were genuinely seeking and striving for,
00:51and then what profound lessons it holds for us today
00:54and how we ought to conduct ourselves, especially in our foreign policy.
00:58And I think that this is very important nowadays.
01:02The main slogan of the people during the revolution
01:06and of all friends who were present at that time,
01:11whether they were teenagers and young like me,
01:14or older or younger,
01:16or those who have studied historical books,
01:19the main slogan was independence, freedom, Islamic Republic.
01:24The discussion of freedom and the demand for an Islamic Republic
01:29is, well, perfectly understandable.
01:32But why were the people chanting independence?
01:36And why was this a core part,
01:37even the very first word of the revolution's main slogan, independence?
01:41Iran has never throughout its entire history been a colony of any country
01:45and has always maintained its independence.
01:48And we take pride in the fact that throughout our several thousand year history,
01:53we have always remained independent.
01:54We have never been subjected to colonialism from any foreign power.
01:57But then why was the people's rallying cry a fervent demand for independence?
02:03The reason for this is that the people had undergone a deeply painful
02:06and prolonged bitter experience over the course of two or three centuries
02:10leading up to the revolution.
02:11During this time, they neither perceived nor truly believed
02:14that their own governing system possessed any real or meaningful independence.
02:19I don't want to delve into historical details here.
02:23All of you, I'm sure, are masters of this subject
02:25and you've studied history extensively.
02:29But if we truly delve into, for example, the history of the Qajar period,
02:33this era is absolutely saturated with a profound sense of inferiority
02:38when facing foreign powers.
02:39The lands that were lost, the territories that were lost,
02:44and also the influence and presence they gained
02:47and the interference that foreigners carried out in Iran's affairs.
02:53The Qajar era, I tell you, is full of such instances.
02:58There's a famous saying from Nasir al-Din Shah.
03:01You must have seen it in his notes.
03:04He says, if I want to travel to the northern regions of this land,
03:07England becomes quite displeased, and if I wish to journey to the southern parts of the country,
03:12Russia becomes very upset.
03:14Oh, for heaven's sake, may this entire monarchy be utterly cursed and abolished
03:18that the king, the very king himself, cannot even travel freely to the north or south of his own kingdom.
03:24I'm talking about the foreign policy of the Qajar era
03:26and the very same feeling that it conveyed to the people,
03:29the feeling of a true lack of independence,
03:31where even the king, the head of state, was unable to go anywhere freely within his own country.
03:36There are many, many stories of this kind.
03:42I don't wish to delve into all of that.
03:44The whole discussion of how Reza Khan came to power,
03:48how the coup ultimately took place, and how Reza Khan finally left.
03:52The coup of August 19th, 1953,
03:54and the extensive discussions surrounding Iran's pivotal role as a regional gendarme,
03:58primarily serving American interests in the broader Middle East,
04:01you are undoubtedly well-versed in all these significant matters.
04:03I do not wish to delve into them further at this moment.
04:05Or the capitulation and that.
04:10The law that was enacted,
04:13that famous speech by Imam Khomeini in the year 1343,
04:18that is also very telling.
04:21Your statement.
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