My fellow Iranians, the great and courageous people of Iran, Today, as tensions rise and the possibility of escalating military attacks grows, particularly in the south of the country, I wish to speak with you; especially with the noble people of Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, and all those living along the shores of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Makran. The war and crisis our country faces today has one single cause: the Islamic Republic. But the main war, the Islamic Republic's war against the Iranian people, began forty-seven years ago and has continued to this day. All of the Iranian people have been wounded by this regime. Let us not allow anyone to say that southern Iran has only now entered the war. Southern Iran entered the war from the very day that Baluch children fell victim to crocodiles seeking water due to a lack of basic infrastructure; from the day that in Sistan and Baluchestan, the land of Rostam and the heart of Iran's mythology, young people were forced into fuel smuggling just to survive; from the day that Hormozgan province and Bandar Abbas, Iran's largest port, were abandoned to poverty and deprivation; from the day that Bushehr, which supplies a large share of the country's gas, and Khuzestan, the heart of Iran's oil industry, were deprived of the wealth they produced. But a free Iran will be a different Iran. With the establishment of a national, capable and development-oriented government, Sistan and Baluchestan, drawing on its strategic location, its young workforce, and its access to open waters, can become one of the main engines of the country's growth and prosperity. Chabahar can be the heart of Iran's trade and the gateway connecting the Indian Ocean, Central Asia, and global markets, by reviving the very same comprehensive plan that was to be implemented before the catastrophe of 1979. Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, and the islands of the Persian Gulf can, through the development of trade, tourism, industry, and the attraction of investment, become the wealthiest and most advanced regions of Iran. My fellow Iranians, This warmongering regime has built no shelters for the people, nor does it have the capacity to defend the country's skies. Its leaders, hiding underground, are making military use of schools, hospitals, and other civilian centers, and have turned the Iranian people, including conscript soldiers in their garrisons, into human shields. In the war that the Islamic Republic has imposed on the country, your first and most important duty is to preserve the lives, safety, and wellbeing of yourselves and your families. For you are Iran's most precious asset and the true soldiers of the battle to reclaim the homeland. In this regard, my communications and media office will be publishing necessary guidance and recommendations to help keep fellow Iranians safe. Fighting toward and preparing for ultimate victory is a constant duty. In the final battle, the stronger we are and the weaker the Islamic Republic becomes, the faster and less costly our victory will be. Long live Iran.