Addressing a gathering of families of martyrs from nomadic tribes in Mashhad, Ayatollah Marvi said Iran has faced decades of pressure, conspiracies, sanctions and propaganda but has refused to bow to its adversaries.
The cleric warned that threats of renewed war and intensified economic pressure should not instill fear, despair or hopelessness among the Iranian people.
Ayatollah Marvi said resistance against oppression and oppressors is rooted in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT), adding that the Iranian nation has followed those teachings by standing firm in the face of adversity.
He noted that Iran has been subjected to two imposed wars over the past year or two, in addition to eight years of the Sacred Defense and years of sanctions and hostile propaganda. Despite these pressures, he said, Iran’s adversaries have failed to achieve their objective of forcing the country to surrender.
The Astan Quds Razavi custodian recalled that the US president had urged Iranians during the war of aggression to accept Washington’s intervention as an effort to help and save them, while calling on Iranian military and law enforcement personnel to lay down their arms. Ayatollah Marvi said the situation subsequently turned in the opposite direction.
The enemy had initially expected the war to last three days or, at most, three weeks, after which Iran would collapse and break apart into smaller countries, he stated, noting that six months later, none of those plans or ambitions has been realized.
According to Ayatollah Marvi, the adversaries are now seeking a face-saving way out of the predicament they created themselves. He said their threats of war, intensified blockade and sanctions, and other forms of pressure should not frighten the Iranian people or allow hostile media campaigns to undermine public confidence and morale.
Ayatollah Marvi emphasized that Iran must remain steadfast in the face of such pressure, saying its enemies would never witness the country’s surrender.