Response to the Congratulatory Messages of the Martyr-Nurturing Nation of Iran on the Occasion of the UN Declaration of Iraq as the Aggressor

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

The acknowledgment by international organizations of Iran's righteousness in the eight-year war, although very delayed, is nonetheless a great victory for the great and noble nation; a nation that fought for eight years like a heroic oppressed, to prevent its enemies - that is, all the powers of wealth and force - from imposing humiliation and dependency behind Iraq and separating it from dear Islam; and finally, with the help and grace of Almighty God and the attentions of His Holiness Baqiyatullah al-Azam (may my soul be sacrificed for him), achieved victory in all fields - which was its right.

I bow my head in gratitude at the threshold of God and congratulate the dear nation. This great joy is accompanied by the bitterness of the grief of the loss of the high-ranking martyrs and the withered flowers of Khomeini's garden, which these days the return of the pure body of our estranged martyr, Engineer Tondguyan, the devoted and selfless minister of the Islamic Republic, renews it and portrays the greatness of the sacrifices that led to these victories in the eyes of the wise of the world. The place of that elder guide, wise sage, and compassionate and sharp-sighted leader is empty, who would see the fruit of his miraculous steadfastness in the successive victories of his nation and observe the vitality of this robust tree - which was planted by his capable hand.

I, while appreciating all those who sincerely worked on the issues related to Resolution 598; thank the honorable President (Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Hashemi Rafsanjani) and the heads of the legislative and judicial branches (Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Karrubi and Ayatollah Yazdi) and the honorable son of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) and the eminent scholars and respected Friday prayer leaders and government and military officials and other individuals who have congratulated this victory to me and the Iranian nation, and I ask Almighty God for the success of everyone.

Seyyed Ali Khamenei

27/9/1370