Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Air Force Personnel

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

The memory of the nineteenth of Bahman is a proud memory. The youth of the Air Force - whether they were airmen, officers, or non-commissioned officers - performed an Ashura-like act that day (you dear young people present here may not fully grasp the weight and significance of that act during that decisive and extraordinary time). This Ashura-like act not only had an impact that day but has also become a point of influence and a source of inspiration throughout the twenty-seven years since.

Over these years, the Air Force has been at the forefront of all the honorable tasks expected of the armed forces. During the Sacred Defense, the Air Force accomplished brilliant feats in both offensive and defensive operations. I do not know if you dear young people are aware of the history of the activities of the force during this tumultuous period, but know this: the greatest acts of martyrdom that can occur in a sacred defense took place in the Air Force, and the brave men of the Air Force rose to the occasion. These matters must be conveyed to the younger generation accurately, faithfully, and without exaggeration - there is no need for exaggeration; the realities are so astonishing and magnificent that they draw the attention of every discerning eye and heart.

In the realm of construction, the first section of the army that truly established self-sufficiency was the Air Force. I have been closely involved in the self-sufficiency activities of the Air Force and other branches of the army, which have accomplished valuable tasks. The desire for independence, the desire for an Iranian and Muslim army to hold its head high and take pride in its inherent strength, first emerged in this force and led to significant and valuable achievements, opening many doors.

Today, you personnel of the Air Force - military personnel engaged in this important sector - must recognize your position correctly. The Air Force is very important; in a sense, it is decisive. Today, your defensive section is among the most effective parts of all military apparatuses in the country for defending the dignity, independence, and pride of the Iranian nation, which cannot be achieved without your determination, confidence, and tireless efforts. One day, the Air Force, with its great work on the twenty-second of Bahman, brought about a transformation in the entire country. Perhaps those young people who came that day did not realize the importance of what they were doing - a faith and a love had drawn them to the field - but their actions had a profound impact on the entire revolutionary movement. Therefore, every part of the armed forces and beyond can be significantly influential in specific circumstances. Trust in yourselves, utilize your inner strength, and know that you can elevate your sector to a high level through your will, innovation, and activity, making it a means of dignity for your nation; it is possible; we have tried it before, and it has worked. Organized, systematic work, with self-confidence, maintaining that precise and delicate military discipline, with sincerity, and with reliance on God; such work, with this spirit and essence, can have great impacts in all your areas.

The story of Ashura is also a lesson; a lesson of action and not fearing dangers and entering great fields. That experience, with its characteristics and difficulties, was something that only Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) could handle; no one else could, nor can they; however, within the scope of that high and lofty peak, there are many tasks and various roles that you and I can perform.

Our nation has been turned into a dependent nation over the years; they have continuously deprived our nation of its culture and self-confidence through propaganda; they have made our nation distrustful and hopeless. A nation with this historical background, in this sensitive geographical position, with all the hidden human and natural talents in this land, had become a tool for exploitation by foreign powers; first Britain, then America; but this revolution awakened us; it brought us back to ourselves; this was the Ashura-like movement. This great action changed our destiny and path. Today, we are moving forward on the path of dignity, independence, and utilizing our natural and human talents, and we have made progress, and the world has largely acknowledged and accepted this; they have no choice; but we must continue this path. No nation can achieve dignity through laziness and complacency. Achieving independence, achieving national dignity, achieving human dignity, comes at a cost that must be borne, and effort must be made; we must look at the outcome with hope and realism, for a realistic outlook will inspire hope in humanity. It is the enemy that wants to make you despair. Every sector of the country has its duties; the armed forces, the Islamic Republic Army, the Air Force, have their special responsibilities; they must carry out these duties with precision, diligence, and commitment.

There are issues today in the world that are of great importance to us. You see the uproar and panic that the system of domination and global arrogance shows regarding the technical and scientific capabilities of the Iranian nation. This uproar over the nuclear issue is out of panic; they are flustered. The system of domination does not want, nor does it approve, that outside of their own sphere, technological and scientific power, especially in an independent and self-reliant manner, be available to nations. Now that they see a nation has been able to achieve a prestigious scientific technology without relying on them, they are upset. The President of the United States and others repeatedly mention nuclear weapons; this is to justify their angry stance; otherwise, they know that the issue here is not about nuclear weapons; it is about the independence of a nation. They also take control of international organizations, and one after another, these organizations lose their credibility due to their influence. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons - known as the NPT - was written by the West itself, and they themselves crushed it on Saturday; they rendered it ineffective! Why should nations submit to the will of those who are only satisfied with the exercise of force and power? They hold no value for nations, for science, or for ethics on a human level. This is the voice of the Iranian nation and the message of our revolution to nations - both Muslim and non-Muslim: the movement that the Islamic Republic has undertaken is a completely conclusive movement. Over the past two and a half years, the Islamic Republic system has closed all avenues for their excuses, and wherever they had suspicions, it provided means to alleviate their suspicions. Therefore, in the end, they were forced to declare that the issue is not suspicion of nuclear weapon development, but rather the issue is nuclear technology!

They want the Iranian nation to lack this technology; that is, to be dependent and backward, so that the gap between the dominating nations and other nations never diminishes. It is clear that this statement is unacceptable to the Iranian nation; it is intolerable. This nation cannot be compared to the era when the American and British ambassadors sat in Tehran with Mohammad Reza Shah and dictated to him, and he had to act and did act; that era has passed.

Today, this nation has come to the forefront; today, the officials of the nation are the embodiment of the people's will and the embodiment of this nation's desires, and they must also represent the power of this nation. If there are officials in power who cannot demonstrate the national power and dignity of this nation, they are not representatives of this nation. The action of the esteemed President in issuing a statement and directing the Atomic Energy Organization was precisely what was appropriate for the dignity and power of this nation. Fortunately, what the officials have decided during this time and today is based on expert work and relies on a foresight and expertise in international political matters and technical issues; they understand what they are doing and have acted correctly. Those who are waiting for the Iranian nation to show weakness should know that the Iranian nation will not show weakness in the face of any threat on its path to national dignity and independence. The experiences of our twenty-seven years, the experience of the revolution, the experience of the Sacred Defense, and subsequent experiences all convey and reiterate this truth to us: the national power of this country and this nation should not be underestimated.

The arrogant powers do not have many tools and options at their disposal; global arrogance paves its way through intimidation. The most important tool of global arrogance is intimidation and frowning. If Islamic governments, third-world governments, and nations recognize their own power, this tool will become ineffective. The Iranian nation has recognized its worth.

A more significant issue is the discrediting of Western civilization regarding freedom of expression. This ugly act of insulting the noble Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) is of utmost importance. This incident discredits the liberal democracy that the West proudly waves as its banner. Freedom of expression - which they boast about - does not allow them to question the myth of the massacre of Jews - known as the Holocaust. In that case, there is no room for freedom of expression! In European countries, many individuals - scholars, researchers, historians, journalists, etc. - are afraid to express any doubts they may have about this issue. Some even believe the matter is fundamentally false, but they do not dare to say so; they have seen that anyone who does will be punished; they will be imprisoned, pursued, and deprived of their rights; yet insulting the sanctities of one and a half billion Muslims - without justification, without any provocation from their side - is permissible and falls under freedom of expression! The issue is not about that newspaper or cartoonist who has been paid by the Zionists to draw a cartoon - with the wicked goals of the Zionists - but rather the issue is about the European leaders who defend this act and stand behind this despicable and vile action, deeming it permissible under the guise of freedom of expression! I suspect that the root of the matter is a deep Zionist conspiracy. The issue is about pitting Muslims against Christians; because for the Zionists, it is very important and necessary to set the vast Islamic community against Christians and Christians against Muslims.

The day the President of the United States carelessly stated - after the events of September 11 - that a crusade had begun, and then when they realized they had made a mistake and should not have said that, they began to backtrack, no one paid attention to the 'point' of the matter, which is what this 'crusade' is. The crusade is a war between Christian nations and Muslim nations. They want to prepare the ground for that, to incite nations against each other. Both the Muslims of the world and the Christians of the world must be very vigilant, so as not to become pawns in the hands of these wicked politicians.

A few years ago, one of the European leaders, in a meeting with me, spoke of a Christian and Muslim war! I became sensitive; although that person was not particularly significant, he was connected to America and followed that country, which made his words sensitive to me; and today I see that Zionist hands are laying the groundwork for this in the Christian world and in Europe. Why should an insult that was published in a newspaper a month and a half or two months ago in one country be repeatedly printed in Central and Western European countries after some time? What is the motivation behind this? What hand is at work? The Muslim nations reacted appropriately and in a timely manner, and they must continue to do so. The sacred existence of the Seal of the Prophets (peace be upon him) is the center of all love and affection in the Islamic world; it is the axis and center of unity and harmony among all Islamic sects, and it is fitting for Muslims to show zeal and reaction; but everyone should know that this demonstration, this righteous and sacred anger that Muslims have, is not against the Christians of the world, but against the hidden and wicked hands of the Zionists, who manipulate the politicians of the world of domination and have numerous media outlets at their disposal; those who today completely dominate the current American government and operate in Europe as well. When they suffered a blow in Palestine and the victory of Hamas dealt them the hardest shock, they want to compensate for that defeat by targeting Muslims, so that they can somehow redeem their lost reputation in Palestine.

The Americans officially announced that any group in Palestine that opposes Hamas, they are willing to pay them; and they did, and provided them with propaganda opportunities; but despite them and in defiance of the Americans and the usurping Zionists of Palestine, the fighters of Hamas emerged victorious. If today, anywhere in the Islamic world, a free election is held, the same situation will occur, and the groups opposing America will win; because the hearts and sentiments of the people and their political will today are such.

Today, America has a very ugly and detestable face; and hatred of America is not limited to our nation. Today, America has completely failed in the hearts, sentiments, and will of the people of this region; even though they may make noise and create a commotion now; but when it comes to action and the time for the presence of nations arrives, it will become clear what America is capable of here. They are also contradictory; on one hand, they speak of democracy, and on the other hand, any democracy that arises is against their interests; therefore, they oppose democracies and their outcomes, and wherever they can, they interfere; and wherever they cannot, they engage in sabotage from afar.

The Iranian nation observes this astonishing scene with great power and calm. Our nation sees the tremendous fruits of its revolution in the Islamic world, one by one; it sees the fruits of this sapling, which will continue to grow even more. The Iranian nation has advanced its path with strength, and by God's grace, with divine support, it will continue to advance with power; and we will conquer one after another the heights and peaks of dignity and honor; not through war and bloodshed, but through patience, perseverance, strong will, and necessary planning; just as we have advanced until today and have conquered many peaks.

The nation must maintain its unity; it must maintain its faith; it must maintain its resolute determination, which it will. In the twenty-second of Bahman rally, the Iranian nation, with divine grace, will once again show what they say and what they want and what their resolute determination is directed towards. The whole world should open their eyes and watch this year's twenty-second of Bahman just like in previous years.

The divine favors, guidance, and assistance are with us and are our greatest support; we have placed our hearts in the divine grace; we strive, we act; but this movement of ours is a body; the spirit of this body is divine grace, guidance, and mercy. Strive to prepare hearts to accept this guidance and mercy. Especially to the dear youth, my children in the Air Force and elsewhere, I say: recognize the value of your pure hearts and clear and bright consciences, and strengthen your connection with God; ask from God. And God willing, illuminate your hearts even more with the light of divine grace; and may God include all of you in the pure prayers of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him).

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