``I firmly stand by my oath to god and my people to defend their dignity, freedom and rights,'' Khatami said in the letter, published today, to a member of the Islamic Militia, or Basij, asking him not to lose heart.

The letter from the Basij member, which prompted Khatami's response and which was entitled ``Seyyed, please smile again'', also appeared in newspapers today.

Khatami -- a Seyyed, or one who is regarded as a descendant of Prophet Mohammad -- was elected in a landslide in 1997 on promises to work for a freer and more democratic Iran. He has come under pressure from hardliners to slow the pace of reform after student unrest led to riots in Tehran on July 13, the country's worst rioting since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The President said he was undauntedby the setbacks. ``Despite being grieved and preoccupied, I have neither lost hope nor feel incapable and feeble in this hazardous path to fulfil a great responsibility,'' he wrote.

``Efforts by enemies of religion and freedom and those who stand in the way of dignity, glory, independence and progress for this nation are in vain.''``These winds which have no roots will subside and the sun of independence, freedom and Islamic republic will shine again brighter than ever, despite all the anomalies, misdeeds and animosities,'' he wrote. The letters emerged as Khatami and his allies struggled to protect their modest liberal achievements since his election on May 23, 1997, in the face of a conservative backlash.

``Seyyed, I miss your smiles, the prophetic smiles you wore in the first days after the May 23 epic,'' Khatami's supporter wrote. ``Seyyed, please smile again so that blossoms will flourish again like they did on May 23.''Under heavy pressure from conservatives following the clampdown on this month'sunrest, Khatami's government has been forced to suspend many democratic concessions, including the right of political assembly.