Promotion of Commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

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

First, I sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate the dear brothers who today have adorned their shoulders and bodies, which have endured hardships and trials in the battlefields, with the honorable ranks of command.

I will present two or three brief points. The first point is that if we want to measure your efforts, struggles, and endeavors with real criteria, certainly no sign or symbol can represent even a fraction of the sacrifices made by the devoted, selfless, and dedicated Mojahedin brothers who have risked their lives on the battlefields. Ranks are symbols and conventions. The meaning of rank does not precisely value the boundless sacrifices of a selfless devotee and cannot do so.

The second point is that when we look with this perspective, we cannot assign a rank to our dear martyrs, as it is said: "Above every good is a better one until a man is killed in the way of God; when he is killed in the way of the Almighty, there is no good above it." Ultimately, for the sake of determining the position of everyone within the armed forces, we usually consider a rank for our dear martyrs, and those who attain martyrdom are usually given a rank higher. This is not a valuation of martyrdom; it is a form of respect for the martyr.

The third point is that you brothers who received ranks today are very dear; however, this does not mean that in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, if we were to measure accurately, we could claim that we have measured and given ranks to those whose sacrifices are the greatest. No, I can never make such a claim, nor do I. There are many devoted ones, many great men, many pure and exalted souls, many indescribable moments of duty in the way of God that remain unseen by me and others responsible in the armed forces' headquarters.

This is our weakness and deficiency. This is not a devaluation of those dear devoted ones. We are limited, incomplete, and incapable of observing truths and realities accurately. This is a human limitation. Ultimately, a group of the best, the highest, and the tested ones had to be honored with receiving ranks first, and today this dear group was chosen. The reward, value, and amount of effort made by other brothers—who will surely be given ranks in subsequent rounds—must be preserved and is preserved before God and insightful humans.

The fourth point is that rank is a symbol and a sign. Behind this symbol, there are many things that must be precisely achieved with the rank. Rank signifies precise order and a special position and relationship among those serving in the defense of the revolution and the country. This order and organized system must certainly manifest with the rank; otherwise, the rank will become meaningless.

The military logic is the logic of order. Military structuring is fundamentally done with order, and without order, there is no military system or organization. What distinguishes a military organization from outside and non-military is this precise order that must be observed. This order does not come with the rank; rather, its prerequisites must be ensured before the rank, and they have been; however, this rank also emphasizes it. Whether in the army, the Guard, or in the future when the Basij forces will receive ranks, all of these must bestow that high and pure Islamic order to those who are honored and proud with this uniform and implement it within their command. This is a responsibility.

To the brothers who sometimes come here for us to place a turban on them, we say that this turban on our heads weighs little and is only a few ounces—of course, the turban of people like me—but it is a very heavy burden. Weak necks will surely break under this heavy burden. One must be spiritually strong-necked to bear this burden.

Now, I want to convey this same point to you dear brothers. The few ounces that this rank weighs are very heavy. This task is very great. It is true that until now, without rank, you have done everything, gone to battlefields, fought, sacrificed, gone to the brink of death, and some of you sitting here may have few intact and healthy limbs in your bodies, perhaps a lot of bomb shrapnel and these many and usurped things are in your body—these are certain and known—but you must know that what is now placed on your shoulders with these characteristics is a heavy burden, and God willing, you must carry this burden to its destination with the ability derived from faith.

We are pleased that today, thanks be to God, you pure, faithful, and sincere young people—whether from the Guard or the army—are taking on these high military ranks; it is truly a source of joy. Where else in the world can we find such faithful, healthy, sincere, pure, and God-fearing individuals in these ranks, with these names, and with these titles? This is one of the blessings of the Islamic Republic, and we are grateful to God.

We hope that, God willing, God will make us more successful and advance us further in His path. Today, thanks be to God, most of our military forces have been ranked with these ranks, and the organizations have been coordinated, so the expectation is that cooperation between military organizations will, God willing, increase day by day in the same manner and that they will cooperate and be in harmony, as was always the testament of our dear Imam.

We hope that, God willing, with your sacrifices, power, and determined and resolute hearts in defending divine and Islamic values, the Islamic Republic will become stronger and more successful militarily day by day.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings