Selection from Speech of Imam Sayyid Ali Husayni Khamenei

Speech of Imam Sayyid Ali Husayni Khamenei (H) on 36th demise anniversary of Imam Sayyid Ruhullah Musawi Khomeini (r): (1/5):

Selection from Speech: Nuclear Issues and Gaza

The nuclear industry is not just for energy. Some people imagine that the nuclear industry is only about clean electricity, which of course it is as well clean and inexpensive energy comes from the nuclear industry. But it is not limited to that. This is only one part of the benefits of the nuclear industry.

The nuclear industry is a foundational industry, a mother industry.

Experts, scientists, and those whose profession it is have explained this to us, and I hope they explain it more to the people as well. Many scientific fields are influenced by the nuclear industry. Numerous scientific areas are impacted by it, including precision and sensitive technologies such as medical equipment, aerospace, precision sensors, and electronics all of these are related to or influenced by the nuclear industry. This includes basic sciences and engineering fields such as nuclear physics, energy engineering, and materials engineering.

It also includes medical and pharmaceutical applications, both in diagnosis and treatment. The nuclear industry leads in treating certain difficult diseases in both diagnosis and treatment.

In agriculture-related and environmental industries, there are numerous areas that are either dependent on or influenced by the nuclear industry.

The nuclear industry is a mother industry, a core industry. Now, within the nuclear industry, there is a key element, and that is uranium enrichment.

Our enemies have focused on uranium enrichment. They have fixated on this point. A nuclear industry of such magnitude, without the ability to enrich uranium, is useless. To fuel our power plants, we would need to reach out to others.

It’s like having oil in your own country but being prohibited from building refineries or producing gasoline. You have oil, but you must buy gasoline from others. That country may choose to sell to you or not, and at any price it wants. If it doesn’t want to sell, it will come up with excuses. It might say: “Do such-and-such, or else I won’t give you gasoline.”

That is their goal. Even if we had a hundred nuclear power plants, without enrichment, they would be of no use to us. Because a nuclear plant needs fuel. If we cannot produce this fuel domestically, we will have to stretch our hand toward America. And they might attach dozens of conditions to providing us with nuclear fuel. We experienced this in the 2000s.

In the 2000s, over 20% enrichment fuel, the President of the United States himself used two presidents of our friendly countries as intermediaries to tell Iran: “Give us a portion of your 3.5% enriched uranium, and we will give you the 20% fuel that you need.”

We needed the 20% fuel. Our officials agreed. It was decided that there would be an exchange. I said this exchange must be such that they bring the 20% fuel to Bandar Abbas, we test it to ensure it is accurate, then we will take it and give them the 3.5% fuel.

When they saw that we were being meticulous and firm about receiving the 20% fuel, they broke their promise and did not deliver. Of course, during that very time, while our officials were involved in these political tussles over the matter, our scientists inside the country themselves produced the 20% fuel.

The Americans’ main position is that Iran should not have a nuclear industry at all. They want Iran to be dependent on them for radiopharmaceuticals, energy, desalination devices, and dozens of other important fields. They demand that Iran have no nuclear industry whatsoever.

Currently, we have thousands of young scientists working in nuclear and nuclear-related fields across the country. Should we disappoint them? Leave them unemployed? Make them lose hope in their country’s future? This is what the Americans want, what they are demanding from us.

The rude and insolent leaders of America repeat this demand in various ways. They are against Iran’s progress, against the self-sufficiency of the Iranian nation. Our response to the nonsense of the loud and incompetent U.S. government is clear. Everyone knows how we’ll respond.

Some years ago, a U.S. president once said, “If I could, I would dismantle every nut and bolt of Iran’s nuclear program.” But he admitted he couldn’t. And since then, the nuts and bolts of our nuclear industry have become even more solid. He confessed: “I couldn’t, if I could, I would have.”

Those in power today, whether Zionists or Americans, should also know: they can’t. They can’t do a damn thing in this matter.

The first thing we tell the Americans and others regarding nuclear issues is this:

Who do you think you are? Why do you interfere in whether Iran should have enrichment or not? What business is it of yours?

You have nuclear capabilities. You have atomic bombs. You possess massive destructive power. What right do you have to decide whether the Iranian nation may enrich uranium or not? Whether it may have a nuclear industry or not? This is a sovereign nation; it decides for itself. It has nothing to do with you. What legal or moral standing do you have to make these statements?

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As for the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, they are truly shocking. One could hardly believe they had such criminal plans.

Look: previously, they would drop a bomb, destroy a house or two, kill ten or fifteen people. They saw that it wasn’t enough.

Now what are they doing? Now they set up a “food distribution center.” Since food is not being allowed into Gaza, people rush to these places to get food. Then, with machine guns, they kill ten times more than they could with a bomb. Killing people was costing them too much. So they made it cheaper. Instead of bombs, they now use bullets.

This is truly astonishing. Such a crime makes one marvel at how low, wicked, and evil a human being can be to commit something like this.

Today, Islamic governments have a serious responsibility. I want to be blunt with them: now is not the time for politeness, hesitation, or neutrality. Today is not the time for silence.

If any Islamic government, in any way or under any pretext, supports the Zionist regime — whether by normalizing relations, blocking aid to Palestine, or justifying Zionist crimes — know this: eternal disgrace will be stamped on their foreheads.

Governments should also understand that no government can achieve security by relying on the Zionist regime. They cannot obtain security through dependence on this regime, because the Zionist regime is, by the decisive will of God, in the process of collapse, and God willing, it will not last long.

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