[Flashback] Imam Khamenei: Iranian Vaccines Source of Pride, Western Vaccines Untrustworthy

The following is an excerpt from a speech given by Imam Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in which he declares that the Iranian COVID-19 vaccine is a source of pride and dignity for the nation, and that the Islamic Republic may also obtain vaccines from safe, trustworthy sources, while at the same time banning vaccines from countries with a history of crimes in the field of medical sciences.

A few points about the issue of the coronavirus: the vaccine produced in Iran is a source of pride and dignity

The last issue is about the coronavirus. I wish to speak about it again. First of all, the vaccine produced is a source of pride. This should not be denied. It is a source of dignity and pride for the country. Of course, they are working on vaccines in different ways, but in one case, they tested it on humans and it has proved to be successful. Some people should not try to deny it. There are some individuals who cast doubts on every great feat accomplished in the country. When our youth built nuclear centrifuges and when I mentioned them in my public speeches a few times, some scientific personalities wrote letters to me saying, “Aqa, do not be deceived by these claims. They cannot do such a thing.” They rejected it downright saying that it was not possible, but you witnessed what happened and what achievements we achieved.

The same is true of stem cells. When the late Kazemi [Head of the Royan institute] and the dear youth who are thankfully still living today managed to develop stem cells – which is a very great achievement in biological areas – some people sent messages to us or wrote letters – I do not remember if they wrote letters or not – saying that I should not believe it. Some people even came to visit me and said it to me directly. They said that I should not give too much credit to those claims as they were not acceptable. However, they were acceptable and I believed them because they were legitimate claims. And later on, its progress increased by 10 times.

The same is true of the present time. They have produced a vaccine and it has been tested on humans and by Allah’s favor, they will produce an even better and more complete vaccine. In other words, it will be perfected on a daily basis. It has been successful until today and it will continue to be successful from now on too, God willing. This is the first point, which is a source of pride. I thank all those who are involved in this including the Ministry of Health and others who were involved in the production of the vaccine.

Importing American, English and French vaccines to the country is forbidden

The second point about corona is that importing American and English vaccines into the country is forbidden. I have said this to officials and I am saying it publicly now. If the Americans had managed to produce a vaccine, this corona disaster would not have occurred in their own country. A few days ago, they registered 4,000 deaths in the course of 24 hours. If they know how to produce a vaccine and if their Pfizer company can produce a vaccine, why would they give it to us? Well, they can use it for themselves so that they will not have so many deaths and so many victims. The same is true of England. Therefore, they are not trustworthy. I do not really trust them.

I do not know, perhaps they sometimes want to test their vaccines on other nations to see if it works or not. Therefore, we should not obtain a vaccine from the US and England. Of course, I do not trust the French either. The reason is that they have a history of giving us contaminated blood products [HIV-tainted blood supplies from France given to Iran in 1980s]. However, if our officials decide to obtain a vaccine from other places – from safe places – it will be alright.

The necessity to continue to observe health protocols

The third point about corona is that the people should continue to observe health protocols. These days, we are having fewer casualties. Of course, the figures are still high. A hundred, a hundred-plus deaths in 24 hours is not a low figure, rather it is too high. Nonetheless, the death rates have dropped a little compared to previous days, but the people should not think that the issue is over because this is not the case. They should continue to observe the protocols. Those officials who have responsibilities in this regard should carry out their duties as well.