Student Volunteers Praised for Strengthening National Resilience

At the outset of his remarks, the science minister praised 240 student-run processions that provided services during the Arbaeen pilgrimage, saying: “I must thank you for helping strengthen the country’s resilience against superpowers. Today, neither America nor the European Union can do anything, but dear Iran has managed to resist.”

Referring to assumptions that the country would collapse in less than a week, he added: “Now, 240 nights have passed and the people have stood firm, exhausting and wearing down the enemies — to the point that it has influenced the political fate of Israel and America. The defeat of Netanyahu and Trump is the product of this people’s resistance and the product of the technology produced in universities by people like you, and the result of the Leader’s guidance and the sacred blood of the martyrs.”

Religious Democracy a Key Achievement

Describing this as an achievement of the system’s democracy and religious democracy, Simaei Sarraf said: “As the head of the ministry, I expose myself to criticism, dialogue, questions and demands. Before the revolution, do you know of a minister who sat down once with professors, once with students and once with staff? These are the achievements of the Islamic Republic.”

Referring to the words of Imam Khomeini regarding the Islamic Republic, he said: “Some said that if you drop the word ‘republic,’ we will follow you; but the Imam insisted on the Islamic Republic. If a student cannot engage in dialogue with fellow students or with a country’s official, what can we expect from the general level of Iranian society?”

Dialogue Does Not Mean Mere Compliance

The science minister stressed: “Dialogue does not mean that you must implement whatever I say or that I must implement whatever you say; we are followers of logic. All the demands you raised were logical, but we are also bound by power and capability.”

Noting that perhaps 80 percent of demands come down to funding, he added: “We know what standard dormitories, standard universities, laboratories and libraries require; but the country faces limited financial resources. Iran has been under sanctions from the beginning because it has moved against the will of global arrogance and has experienced an eight-year imposed war.”

Independence, Imam Khomeini’s Greatest Achievement

Simaei Sarraf described independence as Imam Khomeini’s greatest achievement, saying it has made the boundaries of American power clear. “Today, America is no longer the former superpower, either economically or militarily. We are not saying we have had 30 percent growth, but we have had two percent growth in research output, while a country like Russia has seen a 30 percent decline.”

The science minister emphasized that he considers it his duty to sit with students, saying: “Students will hear what limitations we face. When priorities are set at the macro level of the system and our share is reduced, I cannot resign in violation of the system’s interests and security. In the cabinet, all of us bear responsibility at the national level, and we see that agriculture, livelihoods, insurance and salaries are the country’s first priority.”