Speech in Meeting with Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Representative of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in the Corps

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

Dear brothers! Welcome. I am very pleased to see you. My heart is always with you. If I could meet and exchange views with you more often, rest assured that I would; however, there are many obligations, and sometimes we must meet in this manner.

The points made by our dear brother, Mr. Izadi, the esteemed commander of the Ground Forces of the Corps, were very good and promising. We are pleased that, thanks be to God, the units of the Ground Forces of the Corps have taken the necessary shape, have developed good capabilities, and have especially been able to attract their main cadres and personnel. It would have been bad if we had an army from the Corps, but, for example, only ten people, sometimes five, or even fewer, were Corps cadres. Now that even more than expected, the brothers of the Corps are in the divisions, this is the natural state of affairs; it is right and should be so because the strength of the force lies in the Corps and its main elements. The rest of the individuals there—whether the Basij brothers or the conscript soldiers working with you—you shape them, organize them, and draw work from them. The Corps element must be prominently present, especially in combat units. Of course, support units and other units are the same; however, operational units particularly have this characteristic that the presence of the Corps brothers in them must be very prominent.

And as for what must be done from now on:

The first issue is training. Within the Corps, training must be given a completely precise and serious form. These training courses, from officer and non-commissioned officer courses to specialized courses to command and staff courses, must gradually be seen by all Corps cadres; each person according to what is appropriate for their level and deserving of them. These courses are the product of the experiences of military scientific movement throughout history; they are necessary things, like other scientific materials. Just as we eagerly and willingly learn physics, humanities, chemistry, mechanics, and other sciences in which the world has progressed and has experiences, this is the same and must be learned. You, who are an ideological and revolutionary force with your own special characteristics—which no other force has ever possessed—must also add this, so that you truly become the crown jewel of the world's armies.

Those who enter from now on must have specific courses planned for them; that is, those who will be non-commissioned officers should have non-commissioned officer courses; those who will be officers should have officer courses set for them. But the cadres that currently exist must be arranged so that they see these courses, even in a compressed form. Emphasize training in the Ground Forces as much as you can.

The second issue is that the units must always be kept operational. The Ground Forces units of the Corps—as you know—are small in volume and expandable. What does being expandable mean? It means their strength is great and their quality is high. Otherwise, if the quality is not high, how will your brigade commander manage a division in a day? How will the brigade cadre become a division cadre one day and manage a division? So, this means that a battalion, in terms of its managing cadre, is a hundred percent efficient, active, insightful, and reliable, and can immediately turn into a brigade—three battalions—when necessary. Therefore, the quality of organizing these divisions and your independent brigades means high quality and being operational.

If you want this operational, light, and efficient state to always remain, you must never neglect the necessary operational exercises and maneuvers. The Corps forces must always and in turn be in maneuvers; battalion maneuvers, brigade maneuvers, division maneuvers. Keep these always operational. This requires the constant presence of commanders; the third point I want to mention.

The third point is the presence of commanders. A commander must look at his unit like a child and a family under his care. The best place for you and the most desirable point where you are should be the unit under your command. Wherever you are, you must bring yourself to it. Your absence from the unit must be an exceptional thing. If, for example, we send people to inspect the lines or operational unit centers in the operational area, when they come, they should report that the division commander, his deputy, or his assistants were there; or at the brigade's location, the brigade commander, his deputy, or his assistants were there. They should not report that we went to such and such a point, but in sixty or seventy percent of the units we inspected, for example, neither the commander nor his deputy was present, or in some cases, both were absent! Such a thing must not happen at all, so that they are always operational and present.

Of course, there is a point that, thanks be to God, the Corps has been practicing from the beginning, and that is the presence of the commander at all levels. Be careful that this is not taken from you; that is, this rank—which is a very valuable thing—does not separate you from your cadre to the lowest levels; the same thing we always saw in some other forces and, thanks be to God, was never in the Corps, and we hope it never will be.

In the Corps, everyone walked together in the same uniform and without any signs or symbols. The unit commander was a brother who, in terms of outward characteristics, had no difference from the brother who, for example, was an ordinary member in a battalion or a company or a platoon; they could not be recognized. This naturally created a kind of intimacy and unity, which was a great advantage. Of course, the advantage of rank is a greater advantage; that is, this does not question these ranks at all. Meanwhile, you should have both; that is, this rank should be there, and that lower-level brother should respect you, salute you; but your interaction should be the same brotherly interaction you have always had, and you should be present among them. The secret of the Corps' progress was that the overall commander of the Corps sometimes appeared on the front lines. Of course, we were often opposed to such things; but in possible and non-dangerous cases, this state must always exist; that is, commanders should go to different levels of units. They must feel your presence. This presence is extremely important and has very positive effects.

The last point in this regard is the complete implementation of the disciplinary regulations. Implement this regulation to the letter and do not leave anything out; because in the Corps, there was absolutely no habit of implementing the regulations. People interacted with each other with the usual revolutionary and religious upbringing. Of course, for a non-military group, it is not a problem; but for a military group, such a thing is not possible. This regulation is obligatory and necessary; implement it to the letter.

The main point regarding the Corps is that undoubtedly during the war, the Corps was the effective and decisive element of the war, and most of the victories we had from the beginning to the end of the war were associated with the name of the Corps; either exclusively belonging to the Corps, or the Corps played the main and important role in them. Why was this? This is a question whose answer is clear to all of you. Although for many of our future generations this answer may not be clear, this very answer is the secret of continuing victory in the great struggle we are still engaged in. What was really the cause of these victories and advances? The answer is in one sentence: self-sacrifice arising from revolutionary religiosity. Religiosity without a revolutionary spirit can coexist with seclusion and isolation and lack of movement; but religiosity with a revolutionary spirit—which is the pure, true, and Quranic religion—carries with it a spirit and state that includes self-sacrifice, initiative, belittling obstacles, self-reliance, and absolute trust and reliance on Almighty God.

These spirits caused you, in many instances, to overcome larger groups as a small group. This must be preserved. Be careful that this is not taken from us. If, God forbid, it is taken or becomes shaky, the existence of the revolutionary armed force will no longer have meaning; the revolutionary movement that attracted the world's attention will have no meaning or realization. This is with constant religious training, which of course, the respected scholars present, as well as the representative office and ideological-political groups, are the facilitators and leaders of this matter for teaching and education and some supervision; but the truth and essence of the matter depend on the will and desire of each individual and commander.

Brothers! We must be with God so that Almighty God helps us. "Whoever is for God, God is for him." If we are for God and intend and decide and move, Almighty God will place His will in the direction of our progress, and then all the laws of the world will be with us. Without this, we will be like another group of people in the world. When a person is not with God and does not work for God, whether his name is Iranian, or somewhere else, whether his name is Muslim or non-Muslim, what difference does it make? What guarantee is there that if someone, for example, has a religious belief in Islam and also performs some acts of worship, this Islamic dignity will also be with him; as we saw, centuries passed, and Islamic dignity was not with us.

Even now, Muslims whose name is Muslim live in utmost humiliation; infidels dominate them, America dominates them, unfaithful, conscienceless, uninterested Western experts dominate them. If the name of Islam is sufficient, all nominal Muslims should be dignified; we see they are not. What makes a person and a group dignified is real Islam; that is, submission to God; "Islam is submission." Religion is the same. Religion is submission; "Indeed, the religion with God is Islam." Religion is submitting to God; "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him." Your religion must be submission to God. Our elders, our young, our clerics, our military, our ordinary people in society, especially our officials, must truly submit to God and in their decisions, not give any place to their desires and personal interests.

Of course, a person does not naturally and normally turn into an angel. After all, desires and wants affect an ordinary person—not those high-ranking chosen ones; but the important thing is that these desires and wants do not affect his life's course; especially in those places that deal with the fate of a group or the fate of the Islamic society. In such places, he must submit to God and make God's will prevail over his own will, God's desire over his own desire, and divine goals over his personal interests. If this happens, the same dignity that Almighty God gave you, to the Muslims, and to the people of Iran, and you truly became the crown jewel of the world's nations for these twelve, thirteen years, "You are the best nation produced for mankind" and the enemies admitted this and you made many advances, this will continue.

Brothers! We are really still at the beginning and start of the path. These twelve years of struggle and what was done before that put us on the path; now we must walk this path. Let us not think that we have reached the destination; where have we reached?! Where is that ideal Islamic society; and what do we have today? Where is that ideal Islamic leadership; and what do we have today? Where are those crafted, polished, ideal Islamic individuals; and what is in the heart of our society today? Although we have many high and chosen individuals, and indeed some of our people who were tested especially during the war were greater and more valuable than many of the early Islamic figures, but this must happen; Islam wants this.

This society must be like a vast and endless sea, so that it can lead the whole world towards reform in relation to itself. If it is a shallow water, those who washed in it will become dirty. This sea must be so vast and deep and full of clear water that if the world's disbelief is poured into it, the world will be purified, but that water will not be polluted. We must be like this.

"You are the best nation produced for mankind" means what? The world must move towards righteousness and prosperity in relation to our society, but this society must not be polluted. We must reach there. Where are we, and where is that ideal state? Can we not reach it? Why can't we reach it? We must reach it. Has there been any shortcoming so far? No, a good movement has been made so far; however, the path is long and difficult. We must all train ourselves, we must all purify and refine ourselves, we must all strive and work for God and bring about illumination in ourselves so that we can move forward. You brothers of the Corps must look at your major duties with this perspective.

The enmities of the enemies against us have not ended. Of course, today when they analyze politically, they say the likelihood of war on these western borders is not very high. Of course, political analyses show this; but when have political analyses in the world ever been realized one hundred percent, that we now say they will be realized? When have the events that have happened so far been in line with political analyses? Were the recent events in the Persian Gulf, for example, created and progressed according to political analyses? No, there are thousands of human and non-human factors for such an event to occur; one must be prepared.

What I personally have no doubt about is that if we want to keep this revolution and this Islamic structure Islamic, even a hundred years from now, the enmity of the superpowers and their decision to uproot this structure will not decrease in the slightest. Of course, when we say superpowers, they do not exist in the previous form today; but the world's bullies, headed by America, and then the rest of the small fry that exist—the world's materialists and global tyrants—will not reconcile with the Islamic Republic in the slightest. Of course, they have political exchanges and comings and goings and transactions. These are their worldly and immediate needs; but their long-term need is that this center of spirituality—which has proclaimed the negation of all injustices and evils in the world—should not exist. Now, its non-existence is twofold: either they can change it in terms of quality with the propaganda and various measures they have; or if they cannot, they physically eliminate it.

In such conditions, what is our duty? Our duty is to be prepared to counter that spiritual transformation and not let this transformation take place; not let the revolution become hollow and decayed from within; that is, to keep people healthy and strong and good in terms of spiritual foundation. Also, we must prepare ourselves to counter the second measure; that is, to keep our military forces efficient and active in terms of military readiness. Both of these require that the Corps constantly supervise itself, strengthen its organization, and raise and improve qualities day by day.

In my opinion, the duty of the brothers is a heavy duty; both the Ground Forces at the level of command and their staffs, and at the unit levels—which you gentlemen are—down to the lowest unit, and also at the higher levels of the Corps; that is, the overall staff of the Corps and the rest of the Corps' organization. Of course, the main help for this work is the brothers of the representative office, and your desire and determination and seriousness must also help. In any case, both in terms of training and practice and preparation and apparent and organizational and military readiness, and in terms of inner readiness, you must always keep yourselves ready. In my opinion, this is the duty of all of us today.

God willing, may God help you and grant you success and appreciate your efforts; for we are unable to respond to all the struggle and effort and endeavor of the brothers. Try to cooperate in duties, God willing. Gentleness is part of the duties. At different levels and from all sides of the matter, carry out the necessary cooperation. Sometimes there may be some disharmony over some issues. Both sides of the disharmony should try to eliminate the disharmony, God willing, so that things progress better and faster.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings