Statements of the Supreme Leader at the Zulfiqar Maneuver Ceremony

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

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon our Master and Prophet, Abul-Qasim Muhammad, and upon his pure and noble family.

One of the revolutionary organizations and institutions that, from the beginning of the revolution until today, has consistently and continuously become closer and more intertwined with revolutionary values is undoubtedly the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The nature of a truly revolutionary and faithful organization is precisely this. Every passing day, every opportunity that arises, and every event that occurs in the country should bring that organization, those individuals, and that collective closer to the goals outlined by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The army has been like this.

Undoubtedly, today's army is both more efficient and more revolutionary than the army of previous years. The hardworking and dear officials of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran must continue on this path. The stronger, more efficient, and more faithful you are, and the closer you get to the goals of the revolution, the more your benefits and blessings will be for the Iranian nation and the sacred system of the Islamic Republic.

The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran—whether the army, the Revolutionary Guards, the law enforcement forces, or the great popular Basij—have been an adornment for the Iranian nation and the Islamic revolution until today. Wherever their name and memory are mentioned, it is a mention of the good of the Islamic Republic system. Their courage, their being of the people, their faith, their fairness and chivalry even with the enemy, and standing alongside the people are great honors that the armed forces of the Islamic Republic possess. This distinction belongs to Islam. These belong to the religious teachings and instructions. It is Islam that taught us how to be an armed force and, among the country's organizations, to possess the power of weapons, yet be even more of the people and more intertwined and closer to Islamic values than many others. These are the arts of Islamic teachings.

If the armed forces of any country possess these characteristics—meaning they are both efficient and faithful, with spirit, and alongside the people and not against them—they are an adornment and a strong support that can preserve their dignity, greatness, and honor.

The fact that you see the propaganda apparatus of global arrogance—which are the loudspeakers of arrogance worldwide to advance the arrogant goals—occasionally criticize some countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran, for possessing weapons, building weapons, conducting maneuvers, or equipping the armed forces, is a sign that the Islamic Republic has rightly focused on organizing, arranging, and completing the armed forces and military power.

Military power is one of the most essential necessities for a country threatened by powers. Today, this point is not exclusive to the Islamic Republic. All countries that want to be safe from the interference of great powers must first have political systems reliant on the people; secondly, they must possess self-sufficient, efficient popular military power; but they do not want this.

Today, the arrogant American regime has a military presence on five continents of the world; thousands of kilometers away from its own soil, it has a military presence and armed forces—in large volumes—yet it questions countries that want to rely on their national power and provide themselves with defensive power! Yes, they want to sell their military tools as much as possible to those who have money and can buy them; but they are not even willing to give them a true popular military force or issue permission for it.

In the previous regime of our dear country, vast and unaccounted sums of money were given to foreigners—which the files of those funds and transactions are still open in international courts, and the Islamic Republic of Iran is pursuing those cases; we have not abandoned them—and military tools were provided to that regime; but they were completely under their control and supervision! The aircraft they sold to Iran, they did not even allow spare parts to be made here; they did not even allow the composite parts to be opened and recognized here! They would mount the part in a sealed package on the aircraft and take it to the manufacturing country; there, they would sell another part at an exorbitant price and send it to Iran; while Iranians could repair it!

Iranian industrial youth, who today in the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran have the audacity and courage to think of building a fighter-bomber aircraft and constructing an advanced and equipped fighter, were present in the army of that day and throughout our country; but they were not efficient. There was talent, there was potential; but there was no power to activate it, and they were not given the opportunity.

Today, our youth, our industrialists, our engineers, and our technologists, with the creativity that is unique to our nation—in the sense that our nation, thanks be to God, possesses it in a special way—have been able to achieve significant advancements in the field of military equipment manufacturing. They built this Azarakhsh aircraft using their own experiences; because we have various aircraft from different countries here; aircraft from Western countries, aircraft from Eastern countries. What they gained in their training and experiences, they combined, and this aircraft has been built today, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, through these faithful forces of ours, has joined the ranks of advanced fighter manufacturers in the world; but such opportunities were not given in the past.

My dear ones! Youth of Iran! Military and army youth! The treacherous regimes that ruled over this country and this sacred land for many years humiliated your fathers and allowed foreigners to humiliate the Iranian people. Neither the Iranian politician dared to breathe, nor the Iranian scientist and technologist had the power to work, nor did the Iranian youth have the power of innovation and creativity, nor did the Iranian military even have the ability to defend the borders of this country. The Americans, the colonialists, the old colonial empire of Britain, wanted and preferred the Iranian nation to be like this; like a lifeless dead body with pockets full of money, so they could come and do whatever they wanted with it and plunder and take away its wealth.

Even today, the Americans want Iran to be like this. Even today, those who oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran and are hostile to it are hostile because they do not allow them to treat Iran the same way their predecessors did with this country over two centuries and with our fathers. They want Iran to be dependent on them forever.

O God! For the rare or unique opportunities you have given to this land; all these underground wealth and this great global position, this nation must forever be grateful to you. We are the gateway to Asia for Europeans and the gateway to Europe for Asians. We are located in a sensitive region. Neither the formation of the Soviet Union could change Iran's sensitivity as a fundamental axis between the East and West of the world, nor could the dissolution of the Soviet Union eliminate this centrality and strategic importance. Even today, like fifty or a hundred years ago, dear Iran is located in a very sensitive geographical point, and the powers of the world cannot—not that they do not want to—ignore it.

This is Iran's exclusive position.

On the other hand, the Iranian nation is a brave nation, an intelligent nation, a chivalrous nation, and a nation with very prominent human characteristics. This is something that we do not need to claim; both our enemies have said it, our friends know it, and our history has specified it. All the great disasters that have occurred in this country throughout history belong to non-Iranians who came to Iran and did these things. The Iranian, especially since the time when his life and soul were illuminated by the light of Islam, is a noble nation, a benevolent nation, a chivalrous nation, and possesses the valuable alchemy of love and affection; he also has talent, capability, and courage. Whenever he fights seriously, he fights innocently; he does not fight oppressively.

Today, you see our neighboring countries, each of which, as soon as they gain a little power, a military move emerges from them. That was Iraq, today it is Turkey, another country is interfering in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and so on; but the Islamic Republic of Iran, throughout the entire period after the revolution—and even before that, the Iranian nation—has always behaved with kindness and chivalry towards its neighbors.

Today, in addition to these blessings, God Almighty has given this nation another great blessing, and that is the abundance of youth in this country. Most of the population of this country is young. Just a few days ago, nineteen million students went to school; meaning those who can either defend their land and soil right now or gradually, in a few years, become a defensive and steadfast force for this country and this system. Such a country fears no foreign aggression and should not fear; it should not be afraid of any backwardness and should not be hopeless about any future.

A country that has so many young people, so much talent, so much capability, and thanks be to God, has a popular system—the government belongs to the people, is related to the people, and is for the people; the armed forces are alongside the people, assisting the people, defending the people, and an adornment and source of pride for the nation—fears no one.

All the world-devourers, all the aggressors, all the ill-intentioned regimes, and all the arrogant powers whose intention is aggression and greed should know that Islamic Iran, with this nation, with these youth, with these capabilities, with this army, with this Revolutionary Guards, with these dear and proud armed forces, and with this capability in construction, will never surrender to any power.

It is fitting that today we call the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran the 'Party of God'; the Army of the Party of God. 'Indeed, the Party of God is the successful one.' (Quran 58:22). The Party of God is triumphant and victorious. Advance as much as you can on this path of the Party of God.

The Party of God means someone who makes the best use of God-given opportunities—uses knowledge, uses intellect and thought, uses human resources, uses creativity and experience, makes the most of the experiences of the eight-year Sacred Defense period—and also cherishes the human and divine values that Islam has taught him, considers them a source of his progress, relies on them, and is proud of them.

O Lord! Place the army, the Revolutionary Guards, the law enforcement forces, and the great popular Basij under the shadow of your continuous support and grace. O Lord! Increase the kindness and unity among the individuals and organizations of the armed forces day by day. O Lord! Make the sacred heart of Imam Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and the pure soul of the late Imam and the pure souls of the martyrs of Islam, especially the martyrs of the armed forces and the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, pleased and satisfied with us, with these youth, and with these hardworking and devoted officials.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings