NOURNEWS- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei met on Saturday morning with the people of Kerman and Khuzestan provinces.

The meeting, held at Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah in Tehran, comes days before the martyrdom anniversary of Iran’s top anti-terror commander, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was born in the village of Qanat-e Malek, Kerman Province.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said that holding elections prevents dictatorship, chaos, and instability in the country.

The two words “Republic” and “Islamic” are both related to elections, he said on Saturday in a meeting with the people of Khuzestan and Kerman. “Republic means democracy, which means the rule of the country by the people.”

“Some raise issues with the necessity of elections and discourage (people). They do not pay attention to the fact that if there are no elections in the country, it is either a dictatorship, anarchy, or insecurity,” he maintained.

Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei alluded to the Zionist regime’s war on Gaza, saying no one in the world distinguishes between the occupying regime, the US, and the UK anymore.

“The US shamelessly vetoes the Security Council resolution for a ceasefire, unmasking the face of the Western civilization,” he said.

“The great victory of the Palestinian nation is that they discredited the West and the US and their false claims of human rights.”

‘No doubt Israeli regime will be eradicated’

He asserted that there should be no doubt that the usurping Zionist regime will be one day eradicated from the face of the earth.

“God willing, this promise is one of the certainties of the future. Young people, see that day with your own eyes. With God’s help and strength, and with God’s permission and glory, this will happen, and God willing, I hope that you the youth would see that day with your own eyes,” he noted.

“The great victory of the Palestinian nation is that they discredited the West and America and their false claims of human rights,” the Leader said. “Today, no one in the world makes a difference between the Zionist regime, and America and England,” he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei touched on the events of the besieged Gaza Strip during the past two and a half months, describing them as “a unique and extraordinary phenomenon in the recent history of the Islamic world, the like of which we haven’t had in recent history and perhaps in the last century”.

“This incident is unique from two sides. From the side of the Zionist regime, it is unique because this kind of brutality, criminality, and bloodlust has never been seen in the period I mentioned.

“This kind of child killing, with bunker-busting bombs thrown over patients in hospitals, this kind of cruelty and wickedness is unprecedented,” he said.

“On the other side - the side of the Palestinian people and Palestinian fighters, this kind of standing, patience, resistance, and driving the enemy crazy has never been seen,” the Leader added.

“The people of Gaza, the fighters of Gaza stood like a rock, like a mountain. It is an important thing. Without water, food, medicine and fuel, they stood and didn't give up. It is very important.” 

“Not giving up makes them victorious, even though the signs of victory can be seen today,” Ayatollah Khamenei added, citing the Holy Qur’an which says “Truly, Allah is with those who are patient.”

Israel, the Leader said, “with all the equipment and all the facilities, remains powerless against the Palestinian fighters, whose equipment is almost incomparable to the equipment of the Zionist regime”.

Ayatollah Khamenei also said the solution to Iran's problems is elections, warning against certain efforts to discourage people from the ballot boxes.

“Elections are the basis of transformation. Elections prevent dictatorship, chaos and insecurity,” he said. 

The Leader touched on the concept of the Islamic Republic, explaining that the words “Islamic” and “Republic” are both related to elections.  

With Iran facing parliamentary and Experts Assembly elections in about two months, Ayatollah Khamenei said the Iranian people “should be prepared for these two important elections in the best possible way”.

“One is the election of the Assembly of Experts for Leadership, the importance of which lies in the fact that it can choose the right leader for the country when necessary, and over time it can and should take care of maintaining the vital qualifications of leadership in the person of the existing leader. The people of Iran, the people of the provinces should pay attention, be careful, and hold these elections in the best way.

“And as for the election of the Islamic Consultative Assembly which is very important, according to the Constitution, the council is the one that lays the rail tracks for the future of the country.

“If the country has problems, to solve these problems, there is a need for legislation and the prudent presence of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. These two elections should be held with dignity,” the Leader said.