Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has commended the Iranian nation for its “historic” turnout in Saturday’s mass rallies across Iran to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution’s victory.

Addressing a meeting with a group of people from Iran’s East Azarbaijan Province on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said the massive turnout, amid a cold winter, was born out of the nation’s faith in the Islamic Republic.

“This last Saturday, the 22nd of Bahman (February 11), was a historic one. People literally created an epic across the country,” the Leader said during the meeting, which took place ahead of the anniversary of the popular uprising of the people of Tabriz, which took place on February 18, 1978.

“This amount of propaganda, the problems that people feel, the provocations of the enemies, the cold weather and below zero temperature in some parts of the country were all ignored by the warmth of the Iranian people’s faith and insight,” he said.

“People came out with this grandeur; the people’s turnout revealed many facts.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also stressed that the nation conveyed the message of its “full support” for the Islamic establishment through its participation in the rallies. “The message of the Iranian nation on the 22nd of Bahman was full support for the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic’s establishment. It was louder than all voices,” the Leader said.

“Of course, there are and there were opposing and dissident voices. The enemies – the world’s media empire, which is in the hands of the Zionists and the Americans – tried to make the [opposing] voices prevail, but no; [they] could not. The voice of the nation prevailed over the voice of others.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said one of the most important objectives of the recent riots across Iran was to make people forget the 22nd of Bahman and dissuade them from millions-strong participation in the 1979 Revolution anniversary rallies.

However, the Leader added, the people “exercised endurance” with their massive turnout.

The Leader further highlighted the role of national unity in strengthening the country and advised the people to avoid discords over minor issues.

Ayatollah Khamenei rejected claims that the Islamic Republic has reached an impasse, saying, “If we have reached an impasse, why does the enemy spend so much to overthrow [the Islamic Republic]? Well, overthrowing a government that has reached an impasse doesn’t need money, it will be overthrown by itself!”

The Iranian nation’s progress in different sectors such as defense, industry, and infrastructure has infuriated the enemy, the Leader said.