In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Dear brothers and devoted and hardworking commanders of the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army, welcome. I hope Allah the Exalted will help you and give all of you the opportunity to increase the dignity of the Air Force - which has thankfully been obtained through numerous efforts - and the dignity of the Air Defense Command. I hope today's meeting with you dear people in this Hussayniyyah, the good comments by the honorable commander and the significant and beautiful song which was performed by the dear youth will be memorable for all of us.
The 19th of Bahman - which started with a brave move [Air Force pledging allegiance to Imam Khomeini (r.a.)] by the Air Force in the year 1357 and went down in history - is a significant and meaningful day. In fact the brave brothers who entered the arena together with the people made two important achievements. First, they created an identity for the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army. They presented a novel identity which was not familiar to the people up until that day. As far as different governmental organizations are concerned, the people often see the surface. The surface did not look very good at that time. There were many faithful, independent and liberated people in the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army - people who used to cherish the same ideals as the Iranian nation. They used to aspire to the same ideals. But they needed a few opportunities to prove themselves. The Army enjoyed such a great capacity, and the people did not know about it. The movement by the young members of the Air Force defined a new identity for the Army. This is an important issue. Later on this identity was further strengthened over the following years - during, before and after the eight-year Sacred Defense Era. What I am trying to say is that the brilliance and prominence of this identity increased even more over the following years.
Creating movements for change was the second outcome of that move. A living human being acts as an agent of change and affects the environment in which he lives. His progressive movement leads to other [Air Force pledging allegiance to Imam Khomeini (r.a.)] progressive movements. This is what happened at that time. There is no doubt that the move - which was made on the 19th of Bahman before the Imam (r.a.) in Alavi School on Iran Street - had an effect on what happened on the 22nd of Bahman. On the nights of the 21st and 22nd of Bahman I heard and saw some people shouting in the streets which led to the Imam's residence. They did this in order to wake up the people who were sleeping in their homes. They said that the young members of the Air Force - the Homafaran and the commanders - were in danger because they had been attacked. This is very significant. That move led to this great movement. It sparked new activities and created a new spirit.
This is just an example - the situation of only one part of our society which shows the general mood in our society. The country was saved through this move. This great country, with this cultural background and with all these material and spiritual capacities, was trapped in a frustrating situation. This is a bitter fact which has not been appropriately explained yet, and it was caused by the interference of different people and the existence of different conflicts, disagreements and issues. The country was trapped in a frustrating situation. It had been humiliated. It had been insulted by the bullying and domineering powers of the world. It had been sidelined. Our great and glorious country which enjoys deep Islamic faith did not have any influence on the region. This was because the millstone of foreign hegemony was weighing it down. Our nation put an end to this nightmare. The movement of the Iranian nation on the 22nd of Bahman - and during the events that led to the 22nd of Bahman - was such a movement.
I have repeatedly said that looking back on the past 32 years, stability and resistance seem to be the most important issue regarding our Revolution today. That is to say, we insisted and did not take back what we had said. Insistence on values is an honor for a nation and a community. Values are what we must insist on. It is necessary to safeguard values. Islam has been the most important value for our nation, and it will be the most important value in the future as well. There is independence in Islam. There is freedom in Islam. There is material progress in Islam. There is national unity in Islam. There is the blossoming of talents in Islam. All these things are included in Islam. This is why the Imam (r.a.) used to insist on the phrase "Islamic Republic". The reason behind insisting on the republican aspect is that relying on the people is an important point. Spreading the rule of Islam over a society is not possible in the absence of public faith. Therefore, the presence, votes, decision and involvement of the people is a crucial point, hence the phrase "Islamic Republic". We should preserve this. We need to keep this flag flying. If we manage to get closer to the depth of this significant phrase, our achievements will increase on a daily basis. And this requires intensified effort and labor. Fortunately this year, one can see the effect of intensified effort and labor on different organizations of the country. If this happens, the Iranian nation will turn into a model. The Islamic Republic will turn into a model. It is not necessary for nations to say that Iran is their model. It does not matter whether they say this or not. The important point is that this revitalizing wind should blow over other places and inspire people to take action. And this has already happened.
The great movements that you see in some countries have not suddenly emerged out of nowhere. Different motives, wishes and understandings accumulate over time and manifest themselves at an appropriate point in time. Today these movements have only manifested themselves. The necessary motives, understandings and wishes have accumulated over the past years. And the people of Iran and the officials in charge of the Armed Forces have played a significant role in this regard. It is necessary to keep this in mind.
Today we are in the middle of the arena, and we have moved halfway along the path. I do not want to say that we are at the beginning of our path. Maybe from a long-term perspective, we are - in a sense - at the beginning of our path. The important point is that we are treading our path. It is necessary to continue the path. Some people start treading a path, but they do not reach their goals because they fall by the wayside or change their direction. Such people are not very different from those who decide not to start treading the path. As far as the final result is concerned, these two groups of people are not different, as neither group achieves the desired result. Therefore, it is necessary to move forward in a steady manner. And this depends on the determination, faith and efforts of the people and the presence of the youth. Fortunately you dear youth are in charge of different affairs of the Armed Forces today. Everything depends on you. If the youth rely on God and have self-confidence, they can perform miracles. All of our daily life issues and all great achievements are divine miracles. It is just that we are used to them, and we do not realize their miraculous nature. These miracles depend on the determination, courage and efficiency of the people involved. Therefore, it is necessary to be persistent.
Let us take a look at the factors that stand in the way of progress. Undoubtedly lack of adherence to the values is one of the things that stand in the way of progress. It is necessary to keep values in mind.
One of the things that will definitely work against progress is discord - discord among the people, discord among the government officials, discord among different sectors of the system, discord between the government and the people. The solidarity that the Revolution brought for us should be safeguarded like our honor. One of the most important techniques that the enemy utilizes in its soft war is to undermine unity and create a chasm. They are making efforts to do this. They are trying to cause discord between Shia and Sunni by instigating religious conflicts. They are trying to cause ethnic discord among Persians, Arabs, Azeris, Kurds and others. They are trying to cause regional and partisan conflicts. They are trying to cause discord within and between different organizations.
It is necessary to confront all these things with perfect vigilance, and this is the same thing that I call insight. We should know where we are. We should know our stronghold. There is a difference between the soldier who is safeguarding a strategic stronghold and knows how sensitive his stronghold is and how important his position and his job are, and the soldier who is in the same stronghold but does not know how important his stronghold is. The latter soldier may fall asleep. He may let down his guard. He may abandon his stronghold. He may fight with the soldiers who are safeguarding the same stronghold. We should know how sensitive the position of the Iranian nation is.
Today the Middle East has awakened. The world of Islam has awakened. The era of the domination of the superpowers is coming to an end. The superpowers attacked this region due to its great resources and started the era of colonialism, neocolonialism and colonialisms beyond those. This is a fact. One day two superpowers - namely, America and the U.S.S.R. - used to dominate all political affairs of the region. The region had been carved up between the leftists and the rightists. They used to have conflicts, and then they would reach a compromise. The superpowers which were behind them - America and the U.S.S.R. - also used to compromise with each other, and suddenly we found out that, for example, Egypt had been sold! In fact it was a war between two camps. Then they sat around a table and negotiated behind closed doors. All peoples, their rulers and their interests used to be trampled underfoot.
This is no longer the case today. Today the peoples of the region are witness to the gradual decline of the superpowers. With its impressive cultural background and great resources, Islamic Iran is a pioneer in this regard. Iran relies on Islam. Islam has been infused into the hearts, souls and thoughts of this nation. It is necessary to preserve this. This is very valuable. Each sector has its own role in this regard. The Army has its own particular role, and within the Army, the Air Force has another particular role.
I have repeatedly quoted this hadith from the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.): "God bless those who take on a responsibility and do it appropriately." The report that I received from the Air Force - parts of which were read out by the honorable commander - was a promising report. I receive such reports on a regular basis. But what I want to say is that you should not be satisfied with these achievements. Manufacturing the parts we need, the issue of simulation, the issue of production, different kinds of training - these are very valuable things. Management is very important, both in the Air Force and in defense sectors. But do not feel satisfied. See what the flaws are. If an athlete pays attention to his strong and big muscles only and ignores his weak muscles, he will be defeated in a sensitive situation. See what the flaws are, and try to eliminate them. Everybody should do so in their own job. Try to improve on a daily basis. Improvement has no limitations. No matter how much progress we make, there will always be room for further progress and improvement.
I have repeatedly told the dear commanders of the Air Force as well as other parts of the Armed Forces that there are shortcomings in different sectors: there are sanctions, financial limitations and various other problems, but try to overcome these problems. The best and smartest people are those who evaluate the situation to see what advantages they enjoy, and then they make use of those advantages. Otherwise, it is not acceptable to see the shortcomings only and then give up. The shortcomings should not stop us. The shortcomings should encourage us to explore our new capacities. For example, two decades ago, who would have thought the Air Force would be able to produce so many facilities for itself? The same is true of other sectors as well. Two or three decades ago, who would have thought we would be able to make such achievements in aerial, medical, pharmaceutical, scientific and technological areas? But our youth made determined efforts and made the achievements possible. We have made such achievements that even our enemies acknowledge them today. Of course they continue their enmity. They use our achievements as a tool to further their anti-Iran and anti-Islam policies and to promote fear of Islam and Iran. But they acknowledge the existence of these achievements.
What I am trying to say is that you should not be discouraged by the shortcomings that exist in different sectors. Try to utilize your undiscovered talents and your new intellectual and physical capacities to make up for the shortcomings. This is doable.
They imposed sanctions on us in certain industrial sectors. They thought their sanctions would put an end to the activities of those sectors, but what happened was the opposite. The sanctions caused our youth to start thinking of producing what the enemy would not sell to us. They produced them. In certain cases they even produced better, cheaper, lighter and more efficient models. This is how you should move forward within the Air Force. This applies to the honorable commanders, the officials in charge of different sectors and the staff - especially you and the youth.
I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow success on you. I hope the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam - who started this movement and opened up this path in front of us - and the pure souls of our dear martyrs, who sacrificed their lives on this path, will be satisfied with all of us. I hope we will all benefit from the prayers of the Imam of the Age.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings