Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in a Meeting with a Large Group of Air Force Personnel

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

My dear ones! Welcome. God willing, this memorable day will be blessed and auspicious for all members of the Air Force and you esteemed attendees.

The memory of the nineteenth of Bahman is one of those memories that never fades. Twenty-two years have passed since that memory, yet it has not aged. Memories and events that carry a message do not become old; this message is not specific to a certain period; it pertains to all times. If you look at history, billions of significant and semi-significant events have occurred, yet today no one knows anything about them; however, some events have occurred that will never be thought of as old. This event — the coming of elements from the Air Force, from the peripheries and distant environments to the center of the circle of the revolution — is one of those events.

What is interesting here is that this honor for the Air Force — which is a combat force — was achieved through a means other than military mobilization. Armies usually gain their honors in the fields of military operations; however, our Air Force gained a separate honor through a great revolutionary movement. Of course, our Air Force lacks nothing in terms of combat and military equipment. During the Sacred Defense and before and after it — especially in those sensitive moments — the Air Force was a bearer of honor, whether in the sky, on the ground, close to the front lines, behind the front lines, or within the bases. Thousands of hours of honorable flights are recorded in the Air Force's dossier. The construction of ground equipment — radars and guided ground devices — and the very difficult and complex use of them are among the honors of the Air Force, of which martyr Sattari was one of the heroes before he became the commander of the Air Force. He and many others who are among you today, whom I know, were engaged in strenuous yet sweet activities for a committed person, moment by moment, from that time and afterward, within the front lines. These honors are also in the dossier of our Air Force, but the work of the Air Force at the beginning of the revolution is a separate honor; an honor not from the usual way of military honors, but an honor achieved through a great revolutionary movement. Those young men — some of whom may be among this very crowd today — came to the residence of Imam — where I was myself — without weapons and military equipment; they came with their lives in their hands. To avoid any misunderstanding, they held their identification cards high in the street of Iran as they approached. This movement was a great movement. What factor brings about these movements?

First, it is the feeling of commitment; the opposite of negligence, irresponsibility, and surrender. A living person, wherever they are — whether in a high responsibility in a certain organization or force or in any other place, or whether in the ranks — must feel that there is a great duty on their shoulders that they must fulfill.

Second, it is situational awareness. If the Air Force had wanted to carry out this action, for example, ten days later, it would no longer have had value. Ten days later, there was no issue for the Air Force to come there and announce its presence; the time was then.

Third, it is enemy recognition. All our actions are a type of struggle. Life is a battlefield. Even if you are sitting in your own home, you must impose a challenge on yourself to be able to breathe and continue to live. Struggles differ; their small and large aspects differ; their personal and public aspects differ; their human and anti-human orientations differ; all are in struggle. What has been said, "Indeed, life is belief and jihad," is a reality. A person chooses a path and engages in challenges and struggles along that path. This is life. Who is this struggle against? Where should the arrow of this struggle be directed, and what is the direction of the struggle? In this struggle, the identification of who the enemy is becomes important. This third element was also present in the actions of the Air Force that day; the enemy was clear.

The dominant apparatus over this country, which, through deception and various pressures, could not achieve anything with the continued oppressive dominance of the tyrannical regime and had lost everything, had only one way left, and that was a military coup. An American general was sent to Iran to investigate the grounds for a military coup. If this military coup were to take place, by whom would it be carried out? By the treacherous and sold-out leaders who had infiltrated the armed forces of that day. So, in reality, who could be the enemy of this nation, this religion, this revolution, and this great movement? The very armed body that they had usurped. However, the faithful elements of the Air Force recognized the enemy. From within the ranks of the armed forces, pure, good, sincere, Muslim, faithful, and committed individuals sought to return this accusation and disgrace upon themselves. The movement of our Air Force that day demonstrated their enemy recognition.

Are these three elements still important today or not? Is the feeling of commitment still important today or not? Can a negligent person, indifferent to responsibility and without a sense of commitment, have any benefit for the Air Force, for the army, for the country, and for any other collective — except for themselves? Therefore, first, it is the feeling of duty. Today, this feeling of duty is necessary for each one of us.

Now that we have felt the duty, we want to do something. Therefore, we must recognize the situation, the space, the grounds, and the possibilities to know which action is optimal and superior, and we must carry it out. This optimal struggle is against whom? Who is our enemy? You see; today, all three elements are fundamental.

The nineteenth of Bahman for you Air Force personnel is unforgettable; it is always important and will always remain alive. The enemy against whom this struggle must be directed opposes all three points in the existence of each individual in our country.

Today’s youth in the Air Force and in the army and in all armed forces and throughout the country and in various organizations come to the field with a pure sense of responsibility and commitment. This Iranian talent, these abundant grounds for work, these possibilities that exist today in the country and at the forefront of work, promise a good future. How can the enemy prevent the emergence of that future? Their first way is to extinguish this sense of commitment in every active and working person; to transform the sense of duty into negligence, irresponsibility, and surrender. They enter through various means. They enter through the promotion of desires and through financial temptations and other means, transforming committed individuals into irresponsible, useless, neutral, and lost individuals.

The second point — situational awareness — is the same. Many of these political uproars and propaganda, which are mainly polluted by foreign horns within our country, create cultural pollution and spiritual auditory pollution, are aimed at preventing the recognition of situations; that is, individuals do not know what situation they are in. You see that sometimes seasonal political uproars are initiated by various groups and elements and some factions and political parties in the country. These are loudspeakers. The speakers are often related to the enemies across the borders who throw an issue into the minds of the people to occupy their minds and, consequently, situational awareness is lost, and the place of the time, the needs of the time, the current requirements of activity and action — what the country needs today — is forgotten. Many of the cultural roles of the enemy are in this area.

Enemy recognition is the same. You see that some people promote the idea that we have no external enemy! One is astonished by the negligence of some individuals. Let me tell you, this revolution, this country, and this great movement have dealt the greatest blow to the interests of international plunderers and looters. If it is true that the Islamic revolution and the Islamic system have blocked the plundering interests of foreigners in this country — which is true and correct — then what further explanation is needed to prove the existence of the enemy?! It is clear who the enemy is and who opposes this system.

Most of the media in the world is in the hands of those looters. The radios, televisions, newspapers, and news organizations belong to them. In most parts of the world, they have launched a massive cultural and political war against the Islamic Republic; which is accompanied by political warfare along with economic cunning and various pressures. If someone does not see this enemy with such clarity, are they not negligent, unless they are ill-intentioned?!

Let me tell you, anyone who today tries to downplay the role of the enemy in the minds of the people — whether knowingly or unknowingly — is working for the enemy. Therefore, today, these three elements are fundamental. Today, we still need these three elements. You in the Air Force also need these three elements.

The Air Force possesses immense resources; both very large and expensive equipment resources and, above all, valuable human resources. In the Air Force, human resources are very precious. You must advance the Air Force day by day. What the dear commander of the Air Force mentioned in his speech and report is easy to say; however, in practice, you must show that the Air Force is progressing, transforming, and moving positively day by day, and it can do this. Other organizations can also do this; other forces of the army can also create this rapid and profound movement; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and all other sectors of this country can also, relying on themselves, with strong will, utilizing the abundant human resources that, thanks be to God, exist in our country, and with the use of the youthful force that today fills our eyes — most of our people are young; this is a very remarkable and valuable phenomenon — day by day, God willing, increase their advancements. We have all of this thanks to the great uprising of the people and this great historical revolution, which has brought all classes of our nation, especially the organizations affiliated with the system and especially the armed forces, out of stagnation, drowsiness, backwardness, sedation, and humiliation under foreign domination and has granted them dignity. Therefore, the people of Iran, despite the enemy, thanks be to God, appreciate this revolution, and this year, when the propaganda of the enemies against the Iranian nation, against us, against the revolution, and against the Islamic system has been greater than ever, by the grace of the Lord, you will see that on the twenty-second of Bahman, the Iranian nation will deliver a strong blow to the mouths of the enemies with its presence.

I hope, God willing, that all of you will be encompassed by the endless blessings of the Lord and will be under the attention and prayers of the pure souls of Hazrat Baqiyatullah (may our souls be sacrificed for him), and may God unite the dear martyrs of the Air Force and other dear martyrs of our country with their leaders.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.