TEHRAN - Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the Iranian nation will never give up its ideals, now matter how much ruckus the hegemonistic powers make.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks at a meeting with veterans and families of martyrs of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war in Qom on Wednesday.
The Leader started a nine-day visit to Qom on Tuesday and was warmly welcomed by tens of thousands people upon his arrival.
The resistance of the Iranian nation against the arrogant powers derives from their “feeling of strength” and national self-confidence, he stated.
He also noted that Iran’s success is the result of the might which has been attained through belief in martyrdom and sacrifice, not through the possession of money, financial resources, or nuclear weapons.
He went on to say that the enemy is doing everything they can to undermine the faith of the Iranian nation, but they cannot and will never be able to attain their goal.
Pointing to the plots devised by Iran’s enemies since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Leader said their plots failed in the past and will fail in the future.
Rather than being affected by global political events, the Iranian nation is actually influencing all the events in the world, he noted.
Commenting on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon last week, Ayatollah Khamenei said everyone should reflect upon the warm welcome the Lebanese people gave the president.
--- Warm welcome in Qom showed Leader’s high stature
Commenting on the Leader’s visit to Qom, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said that the warm welcome given to Ayatollah Khamenei shows that he has a high stature among the people of Qom.
“The Leader’s visit will serve the national interests,” Larijani stated in a televised interview on Tuesday.
He added that Islamic democracy will lead to moral coexistence and cooperation among the people.
As Ayatollah Khamenei stated during his speech in Qom on Tuesday, the enemies are attempting to separate Islam from clergymen and to promote secularism, Larijani noted.
-- Leader meets religious figures
Ayatollah Khamenei met with a number of religious figures, including Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli and Grand Ayatollah Hossein Nouri Hamedani, in Qom on Tuesday night.