TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday described the Expediency Council as a very important body in the Islamic Republic because of the presence of elite and experienced individuals in that body, the comprehensive views they take on the affairs of the country and because of the essential duties this council is responsible for.
During a meeting with the chairman and the incumbent and newly-appointed members of the Expediency Council, the Leader also spoke about the recent sporadic riots in the country.
“The scattered riots were a passive and clumsy design of the enemy in the face of the great and innovative developments and movements of the Iranian nation,” he said.
“The enemy’s role and interference is clear and obvious to everyone, even to impartial foreign experts. These events aren’t a domestic, spontaneous matter. The actions taken by the enemy, their propaganda, their efforts to influence people’s minds, the creation of excitement, and the way they have been encouraging and even teaching people to make flammable and explosive materials, are now completely clear and obvious.”
The Leader noted that the most important point in this affair has been the enemy’s passivity and reactive moves, citing the reasons for the behavior.
“In a short period of time, the Iranian nation made great moves that were 180 degrees the opposite of the policies of the global arrogant powers, so they had no choice but to react. In this context, by planning and spending money they brought out some people onto the field, including some politicians in the U.S., Europe and some in other places.
“These great movements showed that the Iranian nation is high-spirited, religiously inclined and adheres to religious values and issues and that the country will continue advancing forward with great speed,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the presence of millions of young people participating in the Arbaeen pilgrimage and the altruistic actions during the coronavirus pandemic as examples of the Iranian nation’s religiosity and beliefs.
Highlighting the great actions taken by the Iranian people, the Leader added, “In fact, the initiative is in the hands of the Iranian nation and the enemy was forced to react in a clumsy and foolish manner and so they started planning the riots.”
The Leader also emphasized the need to stand against the foreign plots made against the Islamic Republic.
“Enmities toward Iran will continue in various forms as long as the people of Iran hold on to the flag of Islam and accompany the Islamic Republic. The only solution is to stand firm. Standing up to the plots and meddlesome behavior of these devils, will not result in the halting of our movement. It will rather become the basis of our movement forward.”

The Leader said there should be a difference in the sentences given to those who’ve come out onto the streets.
“Some of these people are either the elements of the enemy or are aligned with the enemy, while some others have been incited. Regarding the second group, cultural-educational programs need to be implemented, but the first group has to be dealt with by the judicial and security authorities.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also issued a word of advice to the country’s officials, “Be careful not to be distracted by these issues. Do not let it stop you from attending to your main tasks and essential duties.”
“We are sure of God’s promise of definite victory and God’s help will definitely be with us,” he added.
In another section of his speech, the Leader stated that the Expediency Council’s most important responsibility is “the discernment of expediency”.
“The matter of expediency is one of the top issues of the government. In the words of the magnanimous Imam Khomeini, it is so important that neglecting it could result in the defeat of Islam.”