Speech in Meeting with Commanders of Major Operational Units of the Ground Forces and Army Aviation

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

I am pleased to meet with you, the brothers, commanders, and officials of the Ground Forces of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Some of you have been present in the battlefields or related scenes for ten years, eight years, or more or less. I know some among you who have spent many years in the scenes of war and the constant threat of death, offering all their body and soul, the comfort of their loved ones, and the security of their families in the plate of sincerity and devotion. Some of you have attained martyrdom, and others, like you and others, have, thanks be to God, survived by chance.

Where our martyrs were present, you were also present; there is no difference. Your position was not such that you did not go somewhere and were not martyred. No, the place where you were present was the same place where one becomes a martyr. Because your companion and comrade and friend were martyred there, but you, thanks be to God, are alive today.

Here, it is appropriate to briefly discuss a mystical and spiritual topic. We pay little attention to the truths of these discussions; although most of the truths are there. The discussion is about why we want this life and existence at all? When you fill your car with gasoline and oil it and maintain it, it is so that you can ride it and reach somewhere. If someone fills this tank with gasoline and rides it and starts it and goes to the next gas station and fills the tank again and starts the car again and goes to the third gas station and repeats and continues this, what goal has he pursued and what benefit has he secured? This is not life. If the goal of filling the tank and maintaining the car is to move to reach a place to do the same thing again, we have not pursued any specific goal.

Why do you maintain this engine, which is your body and existence? Do we eat to gain life and start moving and striving to earn bread and eat again? If we find this bread again and put it in our body, with the second bread, we gain life and heat and movement and power again. What should we really do with this power? Should we move towards bread again? This is not life. This is something void. Does a person eat all these years to be able to work and then find a means of eating with his work? This is a very irrelevant perpetual cycle. Such a life has no benefit.

I fill my car with gasoline so that I can reach the beloved point and the place where I have work. Of course, when I want to reach there, I choose the path in such a way that there is a gas station in the middle of the road. But the goal is not that gas station, the goal is there. We must eat to gain power and life to reach a purpose. What is that purpose? It must be found. What is that beloved? It must be pursued. It is the ideals and aspirations beyond the framework of my body and yours. Our effort is for that aspiration.

Of course, those aspirations are not the same in all people. One person's aspiration is to protect the homeland. This aspiration is sacred and good and has no ugliness in it. Those who sacrifice for their homeland, in fact, strive for the comfort of the people of their homeland. They are doing a sacred work; but there is something higher and more sacred than this. That perspective that reaches humanity and perfection and noble human qualities is higher than this.

Sometimes a person defends borders that are the borders of oppression and rebellion. Suppose in a system and country, its system and organization are such that it strives for corruption. Do not be surprised, such a thing exists in the world. For example, you see the leaders of a country are a bunch of smugglers; either drug smugglers or arms smugglers. They take money to start and run the deal. Now in this big world and in this vast jungle where powers have fallen upon each other like this, we have such countries.

Of course, I do not care about rumors that, for example, the Americans accused 'Noriega' of drug smuggling and because the Americans said it, it has no validity. The Americans themselves are a hundred times worse and more malicious than 'Noriega'! If he is a bad person, those who are in power in America today are worse than him. At least he had the courage and zeal to stand against bullying for a few days; although the nature of the work was not very clear. We are not at all inclined to judge the actions of people like this. Therefore, we speak of the appearances of the work.

Some leaders of countries do not even have this. They are one hundred percent submissive to the policies that are formulated by the capitalists and big company owners and the Qaruns of the time. Do not look at the apparent presidents of America and their hollow cries. They have no will of their own in the face of the policies imposed by these great global cartel owners — some of whom are American and some others are Zionists — and if they make one into two, they drown them — like the cases you have seen in your lifetime. As much as you and I remember, one of the presidents of America was killed and another left with disgrace. These are not ordinary. It is all in the hands of those who run the work behind the scenes. We do not discuss or want to talk about these leaders who have a smuggling mentality.

As I mentioned, defending the borders of the country is a goal; but striving to save this country from such a system is a higher and more valuable goal. If a system and country — like our country — moves towards moral and spiritual excellence and salvation and the rescue of man from discomforts and sufferings, then the goal will be to guard and protect this system. The value of defending such a system is higher and greater than mere defense of borders. These are the goals of life and man must strive for them and to gain God's satisfaction and fulfill his religious duty — which ultimately remains for him after this short material life.

For this reason, in the words of our great Imam — who was a wise man and not merely a cleric specialized in jurisprudence and principles and wisdom and philosophy, but personally and spiritually a great and high-minded person — fulfilling duty was considered very important. We have seen many great people and read the biographies of some of them in books and have encountered various types of spiritual personalities and religious scholars and teachers; but Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) was an exemplary and extraordinary person and was not of the same kind as others who were in the same attire and with those goals. Truly, he was a noble person.

He repeatedly said that we move to fulfill our duty, not even striving for victory. Of course, we love victory, no one dislikes victory, no one works without aiming for victory; but the ultimate goal is something even higher than victory and that is to gain God's satisfaction and fulfill duty. If I am victorious but become distant from God, I have been defeated. If I — God forbid — did not achieve my goal, but fulfilled my duty, this is victory and progress.

We must fulfill our duty. Each of you, when you feel disinterested in your governmental and military duty and do not care about that work, that is the time to worry; because you are becoming distant from God. It is appropriate for a person to worry; even if the appearance of the matter is not known and the superior and commander and subordinate do not understand. Do not think that if the appearances of the work are correct and you do not care, the matter is over. The inner matter is known by God and He is aware that you are distancing yourself. When you strive with interest and care in your work and know that God is aware and satisfied, then you should be happy that your work is done and you have reached the goal. This is success and salvation and attainment; that is, reaching and achieving the goal.

If this state continues, be pleased; because it is your eternal and everlasting success and we are pursuing this. This is the mystical and spiritual and moral aspect of the matter that we should not be neglectful of and as I said, minds like mine are not capable of properly grasping the depth and essence of these spiritualities and subtleties. The more spiritual and soulful a person is, the more he understands. (Of course, spiritual not in the sense of our attire, but in the sense of true and heartfelt spirituality).

Gentlemen! In terms of duty, the Ground Forces are the main part of the army. You are the main issue. The Air Force supports you and although we have significant maritime borders and threats, the Navy is secondary to you. That is, even where the threat is from the sea, the real defender on the ground is you and you must defend. Therefore, the main issue is the Ground Forces.

Today, the Ground Forces are not like the Ground Forces of the previous regime where all their effort and movement consisted of conducting a maneuver in a desert with a hypothetical enemy or a false target and things that apparently have no danger. Today, the Ground Forces have a goal and a serious threat and a real protection area that must be protected. The difference between your situation today and the previous regime is like the difference between a real gun and a drill and a real bullet and a blank bullet.

Today, you are truly facing a threat and must defend and reach your goals. The real and specified goals are different from the past; so there must be one hundred percent and real readiness. It is not enough to have a unit on paper and say this much of the border is in our hands and we have this much expansion and whenever someone goes there, they see that after all, there is a unit and the appearance of the matter is preserved. The Ground Forces must have real readiness. This is the summary of the matter.

I have repeatedly told the responsible gentlemen — both to the Chief of the Joint Staff and to the Commander of the Ground Forces — that the units must be at the highest level of readiness within the framework of possibilities. Of course, the problems that Brigadier General Hassani Saadi mentioned, I know them more than he does; because my experience in the decision-making levels of the army is more than his. I have been dealing with the army at decision-making levels for eleven years and I know its deficiencies and problems and needs and shortages and I am aware of the government's budget problems. Of course, all these problems and shortages must be solved in due time and brought to a desirable form; but what I am telling you is not with neglect of those realities. I say we must be at the highest level within the framework of our possibilities and resources and we must strive as much as possible. Shortages should not be a cause or — in another expression — an excuse for deficiencies and inadequacies. We must keep the tools ready.

A few years ago, I established the Self-Sufficiency Jihad for this very issue. Now, the Self-Sufficiency Jihad in all forces — including the Ground Forces — must work and strive at the highest level to achieve the purpose of this organization, which is internal self-sufficiency, as much as possible. Of course, you cannot currently build tanks — although, God willing, these things will happen in the future — but keep the weapons and engineering tools and tanks and personnel carriers and tank carriers that we currently have and are related to the Self-Sufficiency Jihad operational and ready for use. We do not lack bulldozers and loaders and such facilities. These must be ready and used.

Take training seriously. Make educational centers like the Military Sciences College and other educational centers truly centers of education. Discipline within the forces should be real and deep discipline; not mere formal discipline. Of course, formal discipline is also necessary. Discipline means that every subordinate considers himself morally and conscientiously obliged to carry out the commander's order. This work should be done not only in his view but also where his eye does not see, his command should be carried out. Real discipline is this.

Organization in its precise and deep form, thanks be to God, has been good in the army and is still well present. There is no flaw in the organization in the army; but to maintain this organization, you must put the belt of discipline around the major and minor units and keep them tight; because a little indiscipline and disorder in the lines can be disastrous.

Your presence in your units is very necessary. The division commander must go forward to the battalion level. The company must be regularly inspected and your gaze and breath must reach it. This will have a great impact. The whole work is not just to give money to the unit members. Do you think that money solves all issues and problems, or that all problems arise from lack of money? No, it is not like that. The force is sitting on the border and four steps away from the enemy and sometimes has a single-wave radio at hand and does not know what the world is and who is and whether you exist or not. He does not know whether the division commander is thinking of him or not; let alone the force commander!

Sometimes, the soldiers at the front lines, even their non-commissioned officers and officers, think that the commander there is not thinking of them. This issue crushes them. Now if you went and gave him some money, this does not create a miracle and does not cause a problem due to its lack. He must know that you are thinking of him and feel his discomfort and suffering. If he understands such a matter, he gains morale and fights and shows resistance and maintains the trench.

Our problem is the same front lines. Why was Iraq able to suddenly enter our land and advance eighty, ninety, or a hundred kilometers and then you and other armed forces had to struggle for eight years to throw them out and still could not completely expel them? Because the front lines were not correct. The front lines must be correct. The front trenches must be impenetrable. Now, the enemy opposite us is like this. You do not even think that you can take your forces and, for example, advance fifty kilometers into his territory; because you know his lines are strong. Why can't you? We have information from inside his country and we know that his problems are much more than yours. Yet, he has this strength.

The lines in your hands must be strong. Of course, in the future — which I will determine the time — all defensive lines will be in the hands of the army; but now it is not like this. Now, several hundred kilometers are in your hands and a little less than that is in the hands of the Revolutionary Guards. The Gendarmerie also has some in its possession.

The Ground Forces of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran must be like an impenetrable steel dam. Are you like this or not? If not, it is not acceptable. You must see what your problem is. At all levels: the force commander, unit commanders, and major garrison commanders and other elements must go and see what their problem is and why it is not as I mentioned and why you cannot? Of course, thanks be to God, the power of the army is good and the Ground Forces are strong and capable. Go and be assured of these front lines. This is our word. Ask God for help and appreciate the current state of the army and appreciate this kind of sitting and socializing. This is a valuable thing and if someone understands, it is a valuable work. You are sitting here on the carpet around each other which is a valuable thing. Of course, command is in its place, but brotherly human interaction is important which, thanks be to God, you have today and you never had in the past.

In the past, the Iranian army never enjoyed real dignity. I do not care about the glitter and the fear of people. Basically, the army did not enjoy real dignity; because it was always under pressure and humiliated by superiors. It was always rejected by the people and if not always, sometimes or often, it was hated. This is our past history. If someone looks at the history of the last eighty or seventy years, he sees that it has been nothing but this. Whether when we did not have a regular army or from the early solar century when we found a regular army and foreign advisors took over the army; it has been like this.

Once in one of the military meetings, I explained who came to our country and took charge of our army. Over these many years, the Portuguese and the French and the British and the Russians and likewise the Dutch were responsible for training our army and in the end, it was the Americans who infiltrated the army and what humiliation and imposition they did not do. The powerful also behaved like this on their behalf. The people were also in fear and intimidation. An officer, especially when he was young and still had the vitality and pride of youth and glitter, would walk and come in the street; but this is not the criterion. The criterion is real dignity.

Today, the army is truly dignified. The country's officials love you and know your worth. Last year you saw that one of the last exports of the noble mind of Imam (may his soul be sanctified) was the message he gave to the army which was such a loving and respectful message. I always talked a lot with him about the army and the armed forces and I saw that he truly respected the army. This is dignity.

The people also truly consider you dear and see you as their defender and do not consider you an attacker to themselves and indifferent and a burden. Eight years of war taught our people completely how valuable this uniform and the armed forces are to them. This is real dignity. Appreciate it and strive to preserve and increase it. Ask God for help, so God willing, He will help you.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings