Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Members of the Air Force on Air Force Day

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Welcome, my dear ones and the personnel of the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Every year, this occasion and this day provide a very sweet opportunity to meet with a group of you personnel of this force and to remember that historic and unforgettable day and the spiritual grandeur and magnificence that was radiant in a collection of purity and simplicity, and to honor the memory of the selflessness and sincerity evident in all the movements and actions of that day. I was a close witness to that strange and great event on that historic day, which was indeed history-making and influential in the subsequent movements of this force, and indeed the entire army. This year, this day coincides with the days related to Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him), and this gathering is also considered a kind of expression of devotion to that great figure.

When I recall the efforts of the Air Force over these fourteen years, especially during the war, and when I review the various information I have had about the conditions of this force from the beginning of the war until today, I see a great collection of sacrifices, sincere efforts, innovations, and rushing to the aid of Islam in difficult moments of the days of isolation, and many scholarly and compassionate works have been done, all of which indicate interest and intellectual and scientific capability in technical fields and the passionate movements of pilots towards certain dangers. When I put these together and remember the dear faces of great martyrs like Martyr Babaei and others, I can, in these days of birth, address the Master of the Age, the Guardian of God, and say, 'O our great master! O center of our love and affection and our burning passion, and O pinnacle of human hope! This Air Force that we have seen over these fourteen years are your soldiers; they are your air force. And this is a very great honor.

Another point I want to mention to you is that we are in a time when we must not lose even a moment for sincere effort. The point is that there are two types of life for individuals. One life is for personal material needs. They toil, work, and run for themselves, for their own person and what relates to them. This life, when presented in the current atmosphere of our society, is astonishing for intelligent individuals. But the reality is that today and always in the world and throughout history, the greatest efforts of materialistic and short-sighted people in every class and every society, with any level of knowledge, have been like this. They study to reach some wealth. They toil to gain more benefit. They work, stay awake, even risk themselves to achieve something; to bread or comfort or position or pleasure. This is one type of life, and many people live this way.

This way of living has a bitter characteristic. Now, let's disregard the divine and afterlife reckoning that some believe in and some do not. In this world, this way of living has a great difficulty. That is, if we assume all these efforts are successful - they really worked and achieved their goals; they wanted to become wealthy and they did; they wanted to enjoy and they did; they wanted to reach desires, they wanted to reach power and title and position, and finally, they achieved all these - after years, when a person feels they are on the decline of life and approaching the end of life, looking back, it is all regret. A person does not understand this while young; because they see everything ahead and think they will reach these pleasures. But when they pass youth and reach the other side of the slope, looking back, they see with the loss of life, everything is lost. The greater regret is in the last moments of life: they feel all these efforts became nothing, became void, and were lost. Those moments of pleasure, that blessing, that wealth, all were lost. This is the great flaw of this way of living. That is, life turns into a collection of regrets. Of course, the great regret is in the afterlife. God Almighty says: 'And warn them of the Day of Regret.' (Maryam: 39) Warn them of the Day of Regret, when they look and see life lost.

The second type of life is that a person lives for a goal; a goal that is outside of themselves. I do not say this goal must always be divine. Even if this goal is material, but related to the whole society or for humanity - although striving for such a goal may somewhat distract a person from personal matters - it has the great merit that when a person strives, this effort is always successful. Working for high goals is always successful. God Almighty has placed this in the laws of creation that whoever works - even for worldly goals - God will lead them to those goals; unless there is a flaw in the work itself, which returns to the person. Otherwise, if work for a goal is done with correct principles, achieving that goal is certain.

In this type of life, as time passes, a person feels their life has not been wasted; because they have toiled for a high goal. If this goal is a divine goal; returns to humanity, returns to God's ideals, relates to the welfare and good of humanity, relates to the establishment of justice and fighting oppression and tyranny, they feel they have come closer to the goal. At the end of the path, when they look back, they see they have come miles closer to the goal. Therefore, they have no regret and feel pleasure. This is real life; life for lofty ideals and goals. The famous saying attributed to Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) - and I do not know if this attribution is correct or not - is a wise and correct saying. He says: 'Life is but belief and struggle.' Belief means attaching to a goal, accepting an ideal, and striving for it. Islam has come to give people a goal and move them towards lofty and beautiful human ideals. In such a path, if a person takes a step forward; makes a sincere and devoted effort; sacrifices; even if they face hardship and apparent failure, they are happy and content in their heart and divine reckoning; because they feel they have strived and moved towards those high goals according to their duty. This effort is inherently valuable; even though it constantly brings a person closer to the goal. This is what shaped the struggle of the Iranian nation and continues today. The goal that this revolution and this struggle set for itself was a goal that humanity benefits and enjoys from. That goal is fighting oppression, corruption, and discrimination on a global scale and, in a smaller scope, within the country, and to present lofty goals for humanity.

Today, the world is in a situation that truly has not existed throughout history. A collection alien to lofty human goals has gained control over modern tools and immense wealth. Do not think those who design the policies of arrogant governments today have even a scent of human goals and ideals. They work for satanic purposes and anti-human goals. How can a person accept that such oppressive massacres as have repeatedly occurred in our contemporary history with these modern tools can be in the path of correct goals; including these nuclear explosions and chemical explosions against oppressed humans; without any defense of their dignity? A bullying power sits in a corner of the world and plans for the entire world; to attract their benefits; to seize their resources and to gain political and military dominance over them. What human goal can exist in these actions? How is it that in the past one hundred fifty, one hundred eighty, or two hundred years, all the weak countries of the world have been under the whip and boot of great powers? What human goal exists? Those who from Europe - these European sailors - boarded their ships and went to Africa, went to America, went to India, went to the farthest points, took slaves, oppressed nations, and seized lands, what human goal were they pursuing? What human ideal were they following? How can these actions and plans be considered under human goals? Today is the same. Today, too, when you look, you see powers make decisions exactly against the interests of nations. One group oppresses another group, and they do nothing to defend the oppressed and prevent the aggressor and oppressor. This is the state of the world that you observe. It is not exclusive to today; it has always been like this. Powers intervene where their interests are involved. If someone is oppressed and it is necessary to strike the oppressed, they have no problem!

Today, this is the world's policy. In the Balkans, an ethnic cleansing is taking place. A group that coincidentally has more resources is attacking their opposing group and massacring them; and that in such a horrific manner! They massacre; they kill from hunger; they force them into hard labor in their camps - the same kind of camps that are still shown in English and American anti-Nazi films around the world, they themselves establish - they violate and assault their honors and destroy their homes. What greater oppression than this? But you see no action is taken to defend the oppressed. Why? Because defending the oppressed here has no benefit for the West; it has no profit for them; it has no market for them; it has no underground resources and mines for them. Therefore, they remain silent here. Some even help the aggressor! We know governments that are currently helping the Serbs and the remnants of former Yugoslavia!

No action is taken here; but in the case of Iraq's aggression against Kuwait, because their interests are involved, they intervene, and when they intervene, they no longer consider humans and individuals and the environment and any dear thing, and they make no distinction between the oppressed individuals who will be destroyed in the bombings and the attacking soldiers. In the end, you see and observe that they even support Saddam Hussein in some way! This is the world, and these are the policies governing the world. Why are nations silent in the face of these policies, or if they raise a voice, governments do not let their voice reach the world? Because the pressure is from the powers; because the superpowers stifle every cry in any part of the world. The Islamic Republic has this advantage that its people and government are united in confronting and opposing this universal oppression, and no pressure works on them. That is why the superpowers use all their attack and hostility and prejudice to confront this nation and government. Because everyone has become silent, and this one does not remain silent. Because others do not make serious protests; but here, the revolution has strengthened hearts and made voices loud and fists clenched. People protest, and the government and nation fight against this chaotic global situation.

This is the fight against oppression. This is the feature that has made the Islamic Republic today a model among the nations of the world, and nations respect it. This is why, despite the flood of rumors against the Islamic Republic in the world and every day creating a new uproar about it, the influence of the Islamic Republic among nations increases. Why? Because people, wherever they are in the world, are heartily supporters of truth and justice. Even if their arms do not cooperate, their hearts love justice and understand that here they move sincerely.

See what uproar they have created about armaments! The same powers that during the Cold War, to make money; to run their industries and to sell weapons to fill the world with their semi-modern, modern, and ultra-modern weapons, started wars; armed governments against their nations and exported weapons to countries more than they could consume and use; the same powers that still continue to export weapons in unreasonable ways, make an uproar that the Islamic Republic buys weapons! What weapon has the Islamic Republic acquired or produced, considering its power, volume, population, and position, that causes this uproar? We are defending ourselves. We arm ourselves to the extent of defending ourselves, no more, and in this arming, we want to rely on ourselves. We are averse to spending the money of this nation to attract various weapons from around the world that are not necessary and effective in our defense. We do not favor militarism for our government and country. We consider legitimate defense our right and rely on faith and spirit in defense.

This is the same Air Force that was not supported for many years. As they calculated, this Air Force should have been completely grounded and unable to take a step. But you saw what this Air Force did when the country needed it; and it will always be the same. Why was this? Because of the faith, love, and sincerity that the faithful elements in this force had and, thanks be to God, still have. This is the right path! Every movement you make is in service of this path and to confront oppression. They want to dominate Iran. They cannot see a government and country in such an important position and in this sensitive geographical region that does not submit to the bullying of the world's bullies. They cannot see this and apply pressure. Fortunately, the more they apply pressure, the stronger, more self-reliant, and more pressure-resistant the Islamic Republic becomes. We have not taken a step down from the ideals of the Islamic Republic, and by God's grace, we will not in the future.

I must say that the activities of the Air Force, thanks be to God, have been conducted correctly in almost all fields, especially in some areas. I must say: what has been done so far, although good, and one should not be negligent of gratitude for the efforts of these servants of God and sincere and hardworking individuals, but what your human capacity and sincerity and faith and, thanks be to God, its human capacities require is more than this. Therefore, whatever you strive for is justified. Whatever you do is pleasing to God. Whatever you advance in these fields of innovation and creativity - whether operational, technical, managerial and organizational, or research - is needed by your nation and country. Our people, thanks be to God, love the Air Force. People express affection for your efforts and endeavors to the extent they are informed. We are aware of this. Whatever you strive for is pleasing to God and the love of this nation. I say again: there is much room for effort. Work, strive, and train young and faithful elements. Spread the spirit of religiosity in the force and make the faithful elements in the Air Force feel that the entire force is moving towards divine ideals.

God willing, you will shine more day by day and be more pleasing to the Master of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him, and the pure soul of our dear Imam will be pleased with you.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings