Statements of the Supreme Leader in Meeting with Commanders and Officials of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

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

Welcome, dear brothers and distinguished young members of the great nation of Iran. The end of September and the beginning of October remind our nation of an instructive event and incident in which many truths are revealed. These will remain in history and are also recorded in the book of 'Noble Writers' and in the vast knowledge of God and the register of rewards and recompense of the Lord. That instructive event and incident is the eight-year valiant defense of the Iranian nation, in which you brothers played a very prominent and decisive role.

Of course, all the armed forces, including the army and others, each had a role for which God Almighty will grant them reward and recompense. However, the IRGC, with its sincere presence and sacrifice, which is the embodiment of the noble verse 'They fulfilled their covenant with God,' revived a truth of Islam; that is, how ordinary human beings, when they establish a relationship with God, can attain such great power and spiritual authority that they even overcome the undeniable causes and factors of the material world. We had appreciated this. In Islamic teachings, there was no doubt about this; but knowing is one thing, and seeing and experiencing is another. With the sacrifices you showed during these eight years and the other sacrifices that entered this field, we felt, experienced, and saw this. The whole world united and attacked the Islamic Republic. No one doubts this. We said it then. But after the end of the war and the subsiding of the issues, everyone said, and even hidden secrets were revealed to us. Everyone attacked Islamic Iran to extinguish this flame that had ignited here and which they feared. What was their intention in waging war and aggression against the Islamic Republic? You always observed during these eight years that in terms of armaments, propaganda, and politics, America and the Soviet Union of that time, the powers of the great defense pacts of the world, the reactionaries across the globe, and those dependent on the dual powers of that time were always against us and supported our cowardly, oppressive enemy. Why was this? It was so that both sides would be occupied for eight years; then the international borders would remain, and the issue would be resolved, and the Islamic government would become stronger and more powerful?

What was their intention in this war? Was it not to overthrow the Islamic system or to accuse the Islamic system of incompetence? To say, 'You could not; your borders were violated, broken, and your country was divided.' They wanted these things! Or they wanted the Islamic Republic, seeing that behind Iraq were global powers, to abandon its principles to soften the hearts of the powers; to compromise with global dominations; not to be so stubborn against Israel and not to enter so explicitly in defense of Muslims and the oppressed?

Eight years of war passed; but which of these enemy objectives was realized? They spent billions of dollars. Was it a joke?! They transported weapons from all the great arsenals of the world to the borders fighting us. All those thinkers and top political minds and strategists of the world, from Russian, American, British, and others, sat together. But which of these objectives was realized? The whole world is a witness, and the Iranian nation is a better witness than all, that not the slightest objective of the enemy was realized. They could neither overthrow the Islamic government nor weaken it. Rather, the Islamic government, under the divine and astonishing management of the war period and that great spiritual organization and the formation of this unparalleled great spiritual force, appeared stronger in the world; it became more appealing in the eyes. They could not move our borders an inch. They could not weaken our sovereignty. Rather, we were able to further stabilize our sovereignty over the areas they wanted to destabilize. They could not divert us from our principles.

Now the question arises, 'How did these great victories come about for us?' The answer is one word: 'In the shadow of faith and spirituality.' Something that you held like a valuable asset and always worked with its help. In war, military tools are undoubtedly an extremely important factor; but they are not the determining factor; because tools are used by humans. What kind of human is he: a strong human, self-reliant, fearless of death, or a weak human who wants to hide behind tools? What factor gives a human that strength so that the tool in his hand becomes a real factor for crushing the enemy? Faith, reliance on God. Of course, along with skill and expertise. Who had this? From which hearts did it spring?

O faithful youth! O true nurtured ones of Islam! Our generation was not nurtured by Islam; but you are nurtured by Islam. You are the generation that when a divine and spiritual man, whom our nation has rarely seen in its history, looked at you, his heart was filled with hope. The generation nurtured by Islam, by the blessing of faith and reliance and belief in God; true belief in divine and Islamic values, was able to accomplish one of the greatest tasks in the world.

Today, which country in the world do you know (go to the strongest countries) that if the whole world unites against it, it can stand on its own feet and not be shaken? Go and see these strong countries of the world one by one. Is there such a capacity in these countries? Who could stand like that, except one whose heart truly believed in the great God and the promise of divine victory? 'And God will surely help those who help Him.' This is not open to interpretation; and the reality of our society and the events of our history have proven this. And you are those young people. Know your worth, that is, know the precious gem that is within you. All the great problems of the Islamic world can be solved with that divine trust that is in your hearts and beings. What you see is that the Islamic world, after forty-five years of being struck, suffering losses, and sacrificing, suddenly, by a few weak, insignificant, and incompetent elements who have no faith in God in their hearts and are completely alien to the Islamic spirit, with a disgraceful betrayal, is destroyed and the enemies complete their conspiracy regarding the issue of Palestine, is because this precious gem that is abundantly present here, by God's grace, is unfortunately scarce where it should be. In some places, it is not present at all!

Today, the Islamic world needs more than anything for Muslim youth and the masses of Muslim nations to trust in divine promises and believe in the Quran. Saying 'We have faith,' 'We are Muslims,' 'We are true Muslims,' is not enough. With these words, they come to the Islamic Republic and the tested people of our nation, a nation that has proven its faith in practice, and criticize and say, 'What you say is not true faith and true Islam. True Islam is what we say.' This does not solve the problem and does not establish anything.

Everyone talks. When our nation speaks, it has proven this word in the field of action. In these fifteen years, we have not allowed the arrogant powers to interfere in our destiny and affairs in the slightest. In the Name of God; this is our faith: 'And when the believers saw the confederates, they said, 'This is what God and His Messenger promised us, and God and His Messenger spoke the truth.' When our people saw the East and the West united and allied against them, they said, 'We expected this.' And they stood and resisted and finally repelled them and left them frustrated. This is the experience of the field of action. The one who says, 'True Islam is what we say,' and then goes and endorses something that is contrary to the explicit and necessary Islam, or remains silent in front of it, or acts on it; this is a meaningless tongue twister.

In the case of Palestine, the truth of the matter is the same issue that the Islamic Republic has publicly and logically stated for many years. A band and group dependent and mercenary to global powers, relying on this dependency, came and usurped the land of Palestine. Can anyone deny this?! Of these few million Zionists who are today in our occupied lands in Palestine, how many of them are Palestinian? Was their father in Palestine or were they born in Palestine?! They are foreigners who were brought here from various places with sinister goals, to make this place a base, and to easily expand the influence of arrogant powers in the region. Is this not usurpation?! Is this not oppression?! Is this not condemned?! If a group goes and takes another's house, another's city, is this not rejected in the eyes of freedom seekers and ordinary and fair people of any religion and sect? If we said, 'Zionists are usurpers, oppressors,' have we said something wrong?! A number of oppressed people, who are the same dispossessed and oppressed nation, have started struggles over many years. Is someone who fights to defend his land a terrorist or a hero? From the corners of the arrogant world, the official apparatuses of the people, not with the propaganda that belongs to the Zionists themselves and is in the hands of capitalists dependent on Zionism, have repeatedly said for many years, 'These are terrorists; why are they fighting?' Until finally, they arranged these arrangements of one or two years ago and called it peace! Is this peace?! That man over there has also become an Islamic scholar for us and says, 'The Quran said to make peace.' Is this peace?! Did Islam and the Quran say to make this kind of peace?! That someone oppresses another and then the oppressed is forced to accept his oppression without the oppressor showing the slightest flexibility and reducing his oppression, is this peace or disgrace?! This is submission to oppression. This is the same subjugation that is forbidden and condemned in the sacred law of Islam.

Today, they, thinking that the issue of Palestine is over, are celebrating. I say: the issue of Palestine is not over. Do not be mistaken! Of course, the arrogant world, because 'God has taken away their light and left them in darkness, so they do not see,' with all the scientific analyses they supposedly conduct, cannot conceal these human truths.

The issue is not over. The issue has not changed. The issue of Palestine remains as it is. The Palestinian side, that is, the apparent Palestinian signer, the infamous, disgraced, apparently Palestinian, God knows what he is in reality, was not the one to go and sell something. Is the Palestinian nation 'Arafat'? What role does Arafat have to go and negotiate Palestine with the usurpers of Palestine and the Zionists who have hundreds of catastrophic incidents recorded in history, apart from those that are not recorded?! The issue of Deir Yassin and the villages destroyed with dynamite and collapsed on the people, has it been forgotten?! Can it be forgotten?! Who did these things?! Now those same people come and take a signature from a nobody that we have been usurping here for forty-five years, now you come and sign that this place belongs to us ourselves! Can it be?! Can anyone accept it?! The American and Zionist leaders, as well as those cowardly and insignificant ones who sat at this negotiation and signing table, should know: Palestinian fists will continue to strike the usurpers. They flaunt global propaganda with a clamor to everyone, that 'a number of Palestinians are happy.' Yes; everywhere there are mercenaries, weak people, unaware people who do not know what their tomorrow will be, of course, they exist. It may be so. Why is the opinion of the Islamic world not sought in this matter? This issue is an Islamic issue. In the same Arab world, where unfortunately some Arab leaders have disgracefully surrendered to this betrayal and submitted, in those countries, if you claim that global propaganda is free, go and interview the masses. When it comes to this, freedom of propaganda and freedom of expression no longer have meaning. It is no longer considered part of the principles of Western democracy.

Go and interview the people to see what they say? Is the Islamic nation ready to give up all the sacrifices it has made in these forty-five years?! Is the Islamic nation the same four treacherous kings and presidents who hand over whatever the Americans point to with both hands?! The Islamic nation is the Islamic nation! The Arab nation, too, within its limits, is more courageous and proud than these words. This struggle will be drawn into the nations; just as it has been drawn.

So it became clear that nationalism and ethnicism cannot solve great problems. These issues must be solved by Islam and, by God's grace, will be solved. Muslim people are present everywhere in Islamic countries and have Islamic zeal and Islamic concerns. Will they give up so easily?! Someone went and signed? He made a mistake, he signed! What right did he have to sign?!

The Palestinian nation will not give up either. Of course, this stage is a very important stage. This is a great conspiracy. In all parts of the Islamic world, the concerned must be more vigilant than ever. Here too, it is the same. The enemy has captured a trench and advanced; but this is not the final victory. This is not the real victory. They will be slapped in the face. The Islamic world must rise. Everywhere in the Islamic world, young people, intellectuals, scholars, and especially religious scholars, must feel responsible.

I also say here to the political leaders of Islamic governments: do not think that by backing down in such a great matter, the usurping Israel and behind it America will stop their aggressions and transgressions. They took a step forward; you surrendered, they will take another step forward. Until now, those who held onto this slogan had a weapon. Why did they lose it? With what correct analysis? The Islamic Republic of Iran, in these fifteen years, has spoken its word from the tongue of its great Imam and from the tongue of the Iranian nation, and the word is still the same. Right does not become outdated with the passage of time and does not become wrong. Oppression does not gain legitimacy with the passage of time.

Forty-five years ago, an oppression occurred: the house of the Palestinian nation was usurped from them. This house, in its entirety and unconditionally, must be returned to the Palestinian nation. The Islamic government has the characteristic that it does not retreat with propaganda. They keep saying, 'Sir, you will be isolated!' 'Isolated' means what?! If the brazen powers of the world, with noise and clamor and uproar, come and want to make an untruth a truth, should we also step aside like others and say, 'You are right'?! Then what is the meaning of the Islamic government?

Well; it is clear that among individuals for whom nothing matters except falsehood and illegitimate force, a person will be isolated. 'They take you only in mockery.' It is clear! Was not the Prophet, peace be upon him, isolated when he brought the call? Was not our great Imam, during the reign of the tyrant, a stranger and isolated in his own home? What does isolated mean?! The Islamic government has the bravery and courage to say what is right and not fear America and the united powers in the world. The difference between us and that weak dependent country is here. Those governments are afraid because they are not connected to their nations. If they were connected to their nations, they would have the courage to say what is in their hearts. We are connected to our nation. We are not a government without support. We are not like a covering curtain that a force pulls to one side and there is nothing behind it. Our backing is very strong. Our backing is a great nation, a nation of over fifty million believers. Our backing is the logic and reasoning that governs us and our spirit.

We do not submit to oppression. We do not submit to the arrogant and brazen bullying of America and the united powers of America. The Quran has taught us to speak the truth with power and insist and persist on it and mobilize our forces for it. God Almighty will also bless and help; just as our destiny in these fifteen years of the epic story of the Iranian nation proves this.

God Almighty is with you. Know this. The statement that our great Imam repeatedly said both in gatherings and to us privately, I have felt with my own eyes, that 'God Almighty helps this nation and the hand of divine power is behind this nation.' I see this with my own eyes.

Rely on divine help. You are the hope of the world today. You are the point of hope. Do not pay attention to the clamor that the world's agitators make. These are not the people of the world. These are not the intellectuals and thinkers of the world. They lie. Brazenly, they come and start mocking and talking nonsense. These are not the nations. The nation that stands on the right word is the point of hope for all nations that like the right and reasonable word. That nation is you today, and may the blessings and grace of God be upon you.

We hope that the pure prayers of the Guardian of the Age, may our souls be sacrificed for him, will always include you, dear nation, brave nation; especially you faithful, righteous, and devoted young people, and that God Almighty will show you the true and complete victory.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings