Khamenei at Azadi: We Face Economic Pressure but No Deadlock; This is Not Just Bluster

The leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khamenei, spoke on Thursday morning, October 12, at a gathering of Basij members in Azadi Stadium in Tehran. He acknowledged the existence of "economic pressure" but stated, "However, we do not have a deadlock." According to Khamenei, the Islamic Republic has its flaws, but "the real flaw is a deadlock, which thankfully we do not have. We do not have a deadlock." Khamenei emphasized that his statements are "not mere bluster or slogans." The official website of Ayatollah Khamenei described this event as a "mass gathering of tens of thousands of Basij members." Hassan Rouhani's advisor described the event on Twitter as a "display of power against the overthrowers." In another tweet, Hossein Dehghan wrote: "The massive gathering in Azadi is a decisive response from the leadership and the Basij men and women across the country to American threats and sanctions." A significant portion of Khamenei's speech was dedicated to the enemies of the Islamic Republic, particularly the United States. In response to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has spoken of the weakness of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei replied that "the camel dreams of cotton seeds." He stated: "Recently, the U.S. President told European leaders to wait two or three months, and the Islamic Republic will be finished. We remember the words of those who were American lackeys 40 years ago, who said the same thing... This poor man is comforting himself and his colleagues." He continued: "Some whiners say not to speak ill of America so they won't become our enemies, but because 'a great Islamic power has risen in this region, [America] fears this.'" Khamenei pointed out that "the comfortable, hypocritical intellectual who denies the basis of America's enmity and does not understand and writes a surrender prescription for the nation and government, if not an agent of the enemy, is at least not a man of progress for the country." He warned those within the government proposing negotiations with America: "The enemy wants the Iranian nation to conclude that... there is no solution except... surrendering to America. I clearly declare that those who promote this idea, which is desirable and favored by the enemy, are committing treason. This is treason against the country." According to the leader of the Islamic Republic, Iran's enemies, including the U.S., "try to mislead the thoughts of the nation through false imagery in the new media landscape." He stated: "One of the false images is that they pretend to be in a position of power; yes, their hard power can be shown, like money and military power, but in global confrontation, soft power speaks first, meaning logic, reasoning, and new discourse that explains life." Khamenei believes that "American liberal democracy is discredited and criticized worldwide." He stated that Iran is in a "very sensitive position," but these economic and foreign problems have caused Iran to "emerge from lethargy and inaction, and many who were merely spectators now feel a duty and are engaged in efforts." He said: "We do have economic problems; we have an oil-based economy, which is a major flaw in itself. We lack a culture of thrift; it is very weak. Wastefulness is a flaw. We have these flaws, but the real flaw is not these. The real flaw is a deadlock, which thankfully we do not have. We do not have a deadlock."