Khamenei: Officials Should Support Revolutionary Student Organizations

Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on Wednesday described youth as one of the important arenas for the Islamic Republic's confrontation with what he termed the front of imperialism, urging education officials to give opportunities to revolutionary and religious organizations such as the Islamic Associations of Students Union and the Student Basij. According to Khamenei's website, he stated that "it has been heard that in some schools, there is opposition to revolutionary activities" and called on the Ministry of Education to address this approach. Speaking during a meeting with members of the Islamic Associations of Students Union from across Iran, he insisted that schools should not only focus on students' academic matters but also provide opportunities for them to engage in revolutionary activities, so that the young generation can grow up to be a revolutionary generation. Saeed Peyvandi, a university professor in Paris, in an interview with Radio Farda regarding Khamenei's remarks and his emphasis on supporting organizations like the Islamic Associations of Students Union and the Student Basij, believes that such statements invite lawlessness in Iranian schools.