Tehran, june 11, irna -- leader of the Islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei cast
his vote for his favorite presidential candidate at imam khomeini's husseiniyeh at 08:45
hours local time (04:15 gmt) this morning. speaking after the voting, the leader expressed
hope that it will mark an "auspicious beginning" for the iranian people. the
supreme leader urged the people to take the elections seriously under "the present
crucial juncture" and show no negligence in fulfilling this important task. he said
in iran, contrary to what is practised in the so-called democratic countries, there is no
power struggle and misleading propaganda. "our people will elect a person who will
serve the country, the people and the revolution, with prior knowledge about him," he
said.
there were tens of foreign reporters and photographers present at the place where the
leader cast his vote
Tehran, june 9, irna -- the leader of the Islamic republic, ayatollah khamenei said
here today that imam ali's (peace be upon him) religious faith and his struggles for
implementing god's dictates on the earth should serve as a model for all present-day
people. he said as long as the Muslim people of iran look to their first imam as their
model no world power, neither the u.s. nor any other power will be able to get the better
of them. speaking to a group of visiting government officials on the occasion of the
religious feast of eidul-ghadir (the day imam ali was appointed as the prophet's
successor), the supreme leader said in a true Islamic statehood there is not a deep gap
between the various classes of the society since justice and equity rein in those
societies. the leader also indicated that the five-year rule by the first imam of shiite
Muslims, imam ali, was marked by the further expansion of Islamic values . on the same
occasion ayatollah khamenei also paid tribute to imam khomeini saying that what the imam
had accomplished in the face of the international situation is proof of the fact that if a
goal is to persued solely in the way of god the person furthering that goal can even
successfully confront and brave the entirety of the big powers of the world. on behalf of
the visiting group president akbar hashemi rafsanjani said to the leader that the
eidul-ghadir which marks the religious feast of imamate and of the principle of the imams
having exercized a power derived from Allah has been a especially blessed day for all
freedom-loving peoples of the world. he said the ideological principle behind the
religious feast has inspired enthusiasm, solidarity, unity and steadfastness in Muslims.
imam khomeini's son ahmad khomeini, majlis deputies, members of the guardians'
council,
and other officials were among visitors.
Tehran, june 2, irna -- leader of the Islamic revolution ayatollah ali khamenei on
wednesday condemned the ongoing arab-israeli peace talks. "as far as the palestinian
issue is concerned, only that kind of negotiation is correct that leads to withdrawal of
zionists from the palestinian lands," the supreme leader pointed out. ayatollah
khamenei made the remarks in his meeting with a group of foreign dignitaries now in iran
to attend the ceremonies commemorating the 4th anniversary of the demise of the
father of the Islamic revolution, imam khomeini. if the negotiations are supposed to
result in usurper maintaining its domination over palestine and in the palestinian people
remaining deprived, this would be against Islam and the divine rulings, the leader
said.
"why should heads of state of Islamic countries dare talk openly of compromise with
their usurper enemy?" ayatollah khamenei questioned. "if they (leaders of
Islamic countries) cannot or dare not fight the enemy they had better remain silent rather
than giving in to compromise because struggle against oppressors is a right of nations and
governments which will eventually become victorious," he said. pointing to the tragic
situation of Muslims in bosnia-herzegovina, the supreme leader said those who have
subjected Muslims at their home to the most brutal pressure are enemies of Muslims.
"those backing serbs openly or the u.s. administration now wasting its time and
giving an open hand to aggressors are both enemies of Muslims which should be
encountered," the leader made it clear. the leader of the Islamic revolution said
"we are against any aggression on others even the non-Muslims but those who consider
it right to attack Muslims throughout the world must feel the power of Muslims, something
which demands the latter's awareness." elsewhere in his speech, ayatollah khamenei
said that speaking about the late imam on the anniversary of his demise was not a
ceremonial action. "keeping alive the imam's memory means keeping alive his path and
having his voice echoing in the world of Islam so that Muslims can hear it and take his
course according to it," he said. the leader of the Islamic revolution said the
hostility of arrogant and bullying powers is cultural in nature and warned of the attempts
by enemies of Islam to alienate Muslims from their rich Islamic culture.