Iran Leader calls for high turnout in Friday elections

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting on Wednesday with a visiting group of the families of Iranian martyrs as well as first-time voters ahead of the country’s elections for Iranian Parliament (Majlis) and the Assembly of Experts on March 1.

“Strong and fervent elections constitute one of the pillars of running the country properly,” the Leader said.

“If we can show the world that the nation is present in the country’s critical and decisive scenes, we have saved and moved the country forward.”

Pointing to some people’s indifference to the vote, Ayatollah Khamenei added, “I am not accusing anyone, but I remind all that we should look at the elections from the perspective of national interests, not from the view points of factions and groups.”

The Leader stressed, “Anyone who loves Iran, their nation and security should know that if the elections are poorly held, no one will benefit and everyone will be hurt.”

Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that the presence of Iranian voters at the polls bespeaks “national power,” noting that the country’s adversaries are closely watching the event.

“National power supports national security. If the enemy feels that you are not capable, [and] the Iranian nation has no power, they will threaten your security in every way,” the Leader said

He added, “National security is all that matters. If there is no security, there remains nothing [else]. The enemy is opposed to our national power. Therefore, they oppose everything that is a manifestation of national power, including elections.”

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed elections as an “opportunity” that should be seized, saying the vote not only benefits the country but also disappoints the country’s enemies.

“Whoever loves Iran, loves the Islamic Republic, loves the Islamic Revolution, anyone who loves national power, anyone who loves progress should be active in the elections and enthusiastically participate in the vote,” the Leader said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader touched on Israel’s months-long aggression on Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and stated the issue of Gaza introduced both Islam to the world as well as Western culture and civilization.

Pointing to the recent self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell, an active-duty member of the US Air Force, in protest at Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, Ayatollah Khamenei underscored, “An Air Force officer sets himself on fire; which means that even a young person who was brought up in that culture finds it burdensome, and even his conscience is offended.”

He underlined, “Of course, instead of one person, a thousand people should have set themselves on fire.”