Khamenei: The Islamic Revolution is Ready to Correct Its Mistakes, but Not Open to Revision

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, issued a statement on Wednesday, February 24, marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Revolution, speaking of the "entry of the Islamic Republic into a new chapter of life." Iranian news agencies reported on Sunday that the leader is set to deliver a "significant and strategic message" to the people in the coming days aimed at outlining the "second step" for the "advancement of the Islamic Revolution." Khamenei's official website describes this statement as containing recommendations for a "great jihad to build a great Islamic Iran." In this statement dated February 22, he stated that the Islamic Revolution "has always been flexible and ready to correct its mistakes, but it is not open to revision and is not passive." The leader further stated that the Islamic Revolution "shows positive sensitivity to criticism and considers it a divine blessing and a warning to those who speak without action, but it will not distance itself from its values for any excuse." He emphasized that the Islamic Republic is "strongly committed to its principles and highly sensitive to its boundaries with rivals and enemies." Khamenei's insistence on the non-revisability of the path and policies of the Islamic Republic comes at a time when the government faces widespread demands for change and reform from both inside and outside the country, and a reformist movement has emerged within the Islamic Republic itself. Many citizens of Iran have also engaged in widespread protests in numerous cities, calling for changes in the Islamic Republic's regional policies and a greater focus on the livelihoods of Iranians; these protests have faced suppression by security forces. Khamenei stated that the Islamic Revolution has been "powerful yet kind and forgiving, and even oppressed" and has "not committed excesses or leftist deviations." He continued by saying that the Islamic Revolution "has not been ruthless or bloodthirsty, nor passive or hesitant" from the beginning until today. These statements come as the opposition to the Islamic Republic points to events such as the 1988 executions, labeling the government as having "committed extremism" and lacking forgiveness. A large number of political and ideological prisoners were executed in Iranian prisons during the months of Mordad and Shahrivar in 1988. Hossein Ali Montazeri, the ousted deputy of the first leader of the Islamic Republic, estimated the number of these executions in his memoirs to be between 2,800 to 3,800. Human rights defenders have reported this figure to be close to five thousand. In the continuation of this statement, Khamenei outlined the achievements of the 40-year rule of the Islamic Republic: "An independent, free, powerful, dignified, religious nation, advanced in science, filled with invaluable experiences, confident and hopeful, having a fundamental impact in the region and a strong logic in global issues, a record-holder in the acceleration of scientific advancements, leading in the expansion of social services, leading in jihadist motivations among the youth, and leading in a young and efficient population." Many of these claims, including being "free," "hopeful," "record-holders" in scientific advancements, and "leading" in the expansion of social services, have faced challenges and criticisms from human rights organizations, opponents of the Islamic Republic, and even at times from officials within the Islamic Republic itself. Political and economic analysts have repeatedly pointed to structural problems in Iran's politics and economy, attributing recent economic crises in Iran to public distrust of the Islamic Republic and instability in its policies. Despite praising what he called the "40-year product," Khamenei stated in another part of his statement that "my dissatisfaction with the performance of justice in the country... should not be taken to mean that no work has been done to establish justice." He further lamented that there has been "neglect" of revolutionary slogans and movements over these forty years, and that this "neglect" has been "damaging," stating that if it had not occurred, "many of the current problems would not exist." While praising the "40-year products" of the Islamic Republic, he acknowledged that "weak performances have challenged the economy from both outside and inside. The external challenge is sanctions and the temptations of the enemy, which, if the internal problems are corrected, will be less effective or even ineffective. The internal challenge consists of structural defects and management weaknesses." He pointed out that "the most important defects are the dependency of the economy on oil, the state ownership of sectors of the economy that are not within the government's responsibilities, looking outward instead of relying on internal capabilities, minimal utilization of the country's human resources, flawed and unbalanced budgeting, and finally the instability of economic executive policies and disregard for priorities and the existence of excessive and even extravagant expenses in some government agencies. The result of these issues is the problems of people's lives, such as youth unemployment, income poverty in the lower class, and similar issues." Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has repeatedly defended the economic performance of his government, including in his Nowruz message. Meanwhile, Khamenei expressed doubt about the accuracy of government statistics regarding the improvement of people's economic conditions during a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts on March 9, 2017. Khamenei: America Fails in Confrontation with the Islamic Republic. In the continuation of his statement, Khamenei described America's challenges as different from those during the early revolution, stating that today the challenge is over Iran's presence at Israel's borders and "removing the illegitimate influence of America from the West Asian region" and the Islamic Republic's support for Palestinians and Hezbollah. Although some military commanders have stated that Iran's presence in countries like Iraq and Syria is to avoid fighting "the enemy" on its own soil, this presence has exacerbated regional rivalries, negative reactions from Saudi Arabia, Israel, and their allies, and increasing sanctions against Iran. Especially, Israel is concerned about the presence of Iranian forces near its borders, given the repeated slogans by Iranian officials about "erasing" that country from the "pages of history." Khamenei further stated that the United States "today sees itself in need of a large coalition of dozens of hostile or intimidated governments to politically and security confront the Islamic Republic and, of course, still fails in confrontation." He added that America's current problem is "preventing the transfer of advanced Iranian weapons to resistance forces." The issue of arms transfer and smuggling by the Islamic Republic has repeatedly led to tensions in Iran's relations with other countries, including Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and even Nigeria.