Your message has deep concerns about the fate of mankind
On January 4th 1989 Imam Khomeini’s message was delivered to Gorbachev by his selected delegations who were Ayatollah Javadi Amoli, Mohammad Javad Larijani and Mrs. Marzieh Hadidehchi Dabbaq. Eight weeks later Gorbachev delivered his response to Imam Khomeini by the then Soviet foreign minister, Eduard Shevardnadze in Tehran. Gorbachev saw a great value to Imam’s message in his response, but it was clear that he had not understood the spiritual dimensions of Imam’s message. Because he had first tried to describe his activities for promoting political freedom in the Soviet Union and then he had described the achievements of a communist economic from 1917 till now.
In this meeting the Soviet foreign minister along with delivering Mikhail Gorbachev’s written response to Imam Khomeini informed about its contents. Shevardnadze started: “I am thankful of the great Imam for giving us this time to meet him. I have a mission to deliver the response letter of Mikhail Sergey Gorbachev to Imam. I will try to inform you about its contents briefly. At first I must say the fact of exchanging messages between the two leaders is a unique issue in our relationships. I believe that there is a condition for having a new quality of relationship between the two countries, for cooperating in all issues... Mr. Gorbachev, in his message, declares that your message to the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has rich contents… All members of the state committee of the Soviet Union have read your message. There is no doubt that we agree with many major points, but there are some points which we disagree, but this is not important…”
He continued: “In your message there are deep concerns about the destiny of mankind. Mr. Gorbachev believe that we have consensus in the most important matter, this issue that mankind should help each other so that humanity will be eternal. If the humans do not unite, there would be a tragedy and a disaster waiting for them, because the potential materials for this disaster have been made by themselves. Mr. Gorbachev believes that fighting for a non-nuclear weapon world and a world free of oppression is a duty for all nations…”
At the end, the special envoy of the Soviet leader after counting the main contents of Gorbachev’s message said: "He sends you his best wishes and regards… He wishes a long living for your Excellency in the favor of the Iranian nation’s welfare…"
[At the end Imam said]: “May he, live in health by God’s will, but tell him that I wanted to open a bigger space in front of you… I wanted to open a door to a greater world, I mean the after death world which is an eternal world for Mr. Gorbachev and my main message in that letter was this. I hope that he’ll try again in this issue…”
Ten years later, in 1999, in an interview with the news department of the IRIB in Moscow, Gorbachev regretted his ignorance to Imam’s warnings three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union and said: “I think Imam Khomeini’s message was addressed to all the ages through the history.” He also added: “When I received this message, I felt the person who has written this letter was thoughtful and caring for the world’s destination. By studying that message I understood that he is a person who is worried for the world and is willing for me to understand the Islamic revolution more.”