Statements of the Supreme Leader in the Gathering of Personnel at 'Shahid Babaei Air Base' in Isfahan

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

It is a great pleasure that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran add to their military and Islamic qualities and values with each passing day. Today, at this base named after one of the great and beloved martyrs of the armed forces, the gathering of armed forces from various organizations demonstrates the greatness and unity of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This base has valuable history and has rendered great services during the war. I do not forget the time when our dear martyr, Major General Babaei, with his Islamic demeanor and military conduct befitting the religion, commanded at this base. I have visited this base closely once before. That day, and even before that, from the beginning of the revolution, the services of this base were outstanding. Tens of thousands of hours of combat flights and various offensive and defensive services, inflicting multiple damages on the invading enemy, are honors that will never be erased from the memories and the record of honors of our armed forces.

Dear brothers and sisters gathered in this field! Today is a day when the Islamic Republic and its armed forces have the opportunity to engage in self-building with pride; although the battlefield was also a field of self-building. An armed force cannot regain its essence until it is placed in real combat and war experience. Whatever is said about any army, without having participated in the battlefield, is not something to be taken seriously. In the past, although our armed forces were supported in terms of appearances and equipment, when they faced a hard, long war against the enemy's aggression and defended their homeland, they were able to regain their true value and become dear in the eyes of the nation, and even the Muslim nations. This is a truth. Today, after you, the armed forces, have, thanks be to God, completed the war with honor and did not allow even an inch of your dear homeland to remain under the boots of foreign invaders, and after you registered your sincerity and devotion by offering thousands of martyrs from the best children of this land, you can proudly consider and name yourselves as one of the true elements and pillars of the Islamic system. The Islamic Republic system is also obliged to attend to the armed forces as they deserve, and thanks be to God, the country's officials are familiar with this duty.

It is possible that in global propaganda, the Islamic Republic of Iran is accused of militarism, which is part of the global arrogance's propaganda clamor. We do not want military capabilities for aggression against others. We have never wanted and do not want the army, the Revolutionary Guards, and the Basij for encroaching on neighbors. But the Islamic system, due to its nature of opposing oppression, is always confronted with oppressors and arrogant powers and must be able to defend itself and the noble truth it possesses. The enemies have long wanted and still want the Islamic Republic to lose its defensive power so that they can easily implement their sinister desires. Despite all this, we are not deceived by these words. The value of the propaganda clamor associated with global arrogance is equal to zero. Those who once equipped the aggressive Iraqi regime with various weapons, have continuously equipped the usurping and aggressive Israel with various weapons from decades ago until today. Wherever there is a regime dependent on and subservient to them, they equip it with all kinds of advanced equipment; but when an oppressed and lonely nation like the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina faces enemy aggression, they create an uproar over a single rifle reaching them. This clarifies the truth of the anti-human and oppressive propaganda associated with global arrogance. So, what value does their propaganda clamor have?

The Islamic Republic of Iran has achieved what it has today through the efforts of its own children. We do not bow our heads under the burden of anyone's favor in the world. Of course, we have used modern global equipment; but with dignity. We will continue to use it; but with dignity. Meanwhile, our greatest hope, trust, and reliance are on the inherent and internal forces of dear Islamic Iran. Our youth, our thoughtful minds, our skilled hands, and our great, creative, and innovative spirits must equip us. Today, I tell you, the brave children of this land: rely on yourselves. We do not close the door and the path to ourselves to not use global facilities and new technology. Science and technology belong to all humanity, and no one can claim it exclusively for themselves or place its favor on anyone. All humanity has been involved in the formation of today's human civilization. We do not close the path to ourselves, and we consider this our right. But two points are certain: The first point is that our main reliance is on our own forces. You must strive; you must build; you must acquire skills; just as you took very big steps in this path after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. Those who have information and news know that today, the familiarity, skill, and mastery of our youth in the armed forces of the Islamic Republic over complex and modern equipment are many times more than before the revolution. Today we stand on our own feet.

The second point is that the product of all these achievements is for the protection of the revolution; the protection of this precious jewel that our nation has obtained with its blood. Protection of independence, national freedom, not being subservient and not following the great powers. This is the point that angers the great powers against the Iranian nation. We do not attribute any grandeur or value to arrogance. Let them be angry. Today, at the global level, arrogant powers want to act with tyranny and arbitrariness. If dependent and subservient governments have accepted this, we do not accept it. Free nations, especially our nation, do not accept it. We are a great nation with countless possibilities and abundant talent. We will bring these to life so that the path of the Iranian nation becomes a model for oppressed nations.

You dear armed forces, have been in the forefront and strive to always be. Build yourselves and keep ready. Just as you shone in the war, always preserve this brilliance and honor for yourselves. The level of training and its quality must rise higher; although it is much higher than in the past. The cooperation and harmony of the armed forces' organizations, namely the army and the Revolutionary Guards, must increase day by day. The popular forces, which have always been an inexhaustible reserve for the armed forces and the defense of the country, must be better and more qualitatively organized. Maintain the equipment and build them better and more. Add to what you have with your creative power and strength. The Iranian nation observes the signs of enmity and hostility of arrogance every day. In these recent days, the false and artificial clamor about the islands belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf is another example of this enmity. You and the nation must be ready so that the enemy does not covet. We have never been warlike; we are not today either. If our foolish neighbor had not started the war against us, we would not have had any war with Iraq for years. While we abhor war and do not want to have a war with anyone, we must be ready to defend and always maintain this readiness. Today, of course, thanks to your courage and bravery in the battlefield, no one covets aggression against this land and soil. Today everyone has understood that the Iranian nation and armed forces are not to be trifled with. The Iranian nation cannot be trifled with. As the experience of Iraq showed, aggression against this country and this land and soil will be accompanied by the failure and misery of the aggressor. Nevertheless, readiness against any incident is the general duty of the armed forces.

I hope that Almighty God will always bestow His favors upon you. I hope that the dear martyrs of the armed forces and this base will be encompassed by divine mercy. I hope that the dear youth and brave and valiant children of this land will always be encompassed by divine favors and assistance. Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.