Ayatollah Khamenei's Opinion on the Sacred Defense

Ayatollah Khamenei's Opinion on the Sacred Defense

What glad tidings did the angels bring for the Iranian nation during the 8-year war?
What glad tidings did the angels bring for the Iranian nation during the 8-year war?
2016
  • It was not only the regime of Saddam that had confronted Iran in Sacred Defense era

    Sep 28, 2016

    During the Sacred Defense Era, everything that belonged to the country became subject to attack. Not only the borders of the country but the national identity of the country, the Islamic government of the country, the great Revolution of the people of Iran and the numerous values that these great people had placed within their sight were also attacked during the Sacred Defense Era. In that era, it was not only the Ba’athist regime of Saddam that had confronted us, rather it was a general and international war against the people of Iran. NATO helped Saddam, so did America and the Soviet Union of those days. Moreover, the Arab reactionary system deluged their financial and monetary help and their oil revenues towards them like a flood. As for their propaganda, it belonged and continues to belong to the Zionists. It used to work, day and night, against the Islamic Republic of Iran and in favour of them and it did so throughout the world.

  • Martyrs’ memory and names will not become old and lost

    Sep 26, 2016

    Despite the fact that about 28 years have passed from the end of the Sacred Defense Era, martyrs’ memory and names will not become old and lost. The reason is that Allah the Exalted has said, “They are alive in presence of their Lord” [The Holy Quran, 3: 169]. They are alive, as are all martyrs in history. So many great ulama, great personalities and great politicians have passed away throughout history, but only a few of them are remembered by society. However, the memory of the individuals who have been recognized as martyrs is and will continue to be alive. The same is true of our martyrs...This is because martyrs are the deliverers of a happy message: “And with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them in their bliss, the martyrs glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they cause to grieve” [The Holy Quran, 3: 170]. Martyrs say to us that we should not have any fear and worry. They say to us that we should not be disappointed and hopeless.

2013
  • Sacred Defense Era was key for unlocking hidden talents

    Dec 16, 2013

    The Sacred Defense Era was a great test for the people of Iran. It was a test for showing talents - of both individuals and of different areas in the country. On the issue of individuals' talents, I believe that there is an important and noteworthy point which does not receive attention. That is to say, it is so clear that it is ignored. It is so obvious that it goes unnoticed. This point is the fact that the Sacred Defense Era became a tool for discovering the hidden talents of individuals in an astonishing way. For example, a youth from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps entered the arena of war and turned into a military strategist over the course of one, one and a half, two years. This is while he knew nothing about military issues at first. Well, if you look at great martyrs and commanders such as Shahid Hassan Baqeri, you will see that they were undoubtedly war strategists. Anyone who denies this is not well-informed about such issues.

  • Identifying enemy attacks from a distance is crucial

    Oct 13, 2013

    It is necessary to identify enemy attacks from a distance. Before the imposed war, certain people should have realized that a war was about to break out. In Tehran, there were constant reports that the enemy forces were being deployed in Kermanshah and Ilam and those activities were mostly in Kermanshah. Our politicians used to dismiss those reports, saying that there were no such military activities in the country. This continued until the enemy dropped bombs on Tehran. In fact, the war did not break out on Shahrivar 31, 1359: that was the time when Tehran was bombarded and the war had already started. If the officials who were in charge of the affairs of our country at that time - the same people who proved later on that they were not competent enough to run the country - had identified the threat and prepared the country for the war, those things would not have happened to Khorramshahr, Qasr-e Shirin and certain other border cities.

  • Each and every event during the Sacred Defense Era is outstanding

    Oct 7, 2013

    Each and every event during the Sacred Defense Era is outstanding. The more deeply and carefully one looks at such events and the more one obtains information about them, the clearer the greatness of this astonishing phenomenon and this important eight-year event becomes. At that time, when commanders reported to us about different events and when we were informed about different issues, we thought that we knew everything. However, when we read such books, it becomes clear that we knew very little about the great ocean of activities, and jihadi efforts during the Sacred Defense Era. These phenomena are really excellent.

2011
  • Kermanshah: 1st on Iraqi Ba'ath regimes' list of air raid targets

    Oct 12, 2011

    During the Sacred Defense Era, this province[Kermanshah] went through a great test. The eight-year war started and ended in Kermanshah province. This province and its cities - including Eslamabad, Gilan-e Gharb and other border areas -were the first targets of the air raids by the Iraqi Ba'ath regime. And the first borders which were attacked were the borders of Qasr-e Shirin in this province. The war ended in this province eight years later. The last defensive operation of our country and our dear people during Operation Mersad was also carried out in this province. That is to say, this province was constantly engaged in defense, resistance and bravery throughout the eight-year war.

2010
  • Young generations managed to liberate the country from the enemy in Sacred Defense era

    Mar 31, 2010

    The youth throughout our country should know that the young generation managed to liberate the country from the clutches of the enemy during to the Sacred Defense Era through their sacrifices, cleverness and strong determination. The goal of the enemies of the Islamic Republic was to humiliate the Iranian nation by occupying a part of our Islamic homeland. They wanted to impose their power on the Iranian nation. They wanted to humiliate our nation and have full control over the lives and wealth of our people. Who prevented this? It was the selfless young soldiers who stood up against the huge number of the enemies, relying on their strong determination and faith. America was helping our enemy, just as the Soviet Union was. European countries that are now claiming to support human rights were helping this evil enemy to kill, destroy and set everything on fire, and our enemy was going to do so thoughtlessly, but the young children of our people did not let this happen

2009
  • Managing the 8-year war was the manifestation of realizing potentialities

    Sep 15, 2009

    Fighting a war is a complex issue. Managing and leading a war is very difficult and complicated, but our youth used to do these things. Their acumen was incredible - it was the manifestation of realizing potentialities. Many of our youth went to the battlefields and managed to make great achievements there. Some of them were martyred, and some became assets for the Revolution and benefited the country later on. In fact that was how the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps turned into a center for providing different parts of the country with manpower during the past 27-28 years. That was because war helped the newly established Islamic Revolution Guards Corps become an efficient and capable force. The war that was waged on us helped the young members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps realize their talents. The Sacred Defense is the embodiment of these values. These are not things that a nation can dispense with.

  • The enemies started the imposed war in order to smother the Revolution

    Apr 15, 2009

    The enemies started the imposed war in order to smother the Revolution, but this war only helped promote the Revolution and infused it with more revolutionary power and enthusiasm. Our dear youth regained their glory in the battlefields. Their talents started to flourish. The war turned them into great indefatigable commanders at a young age. It helped them to become resourceful and wise men. The Islamic Republic will always be indebted to these youth and their actions.

2008
  • Basiji were the most devout people of the Sacred Defense

    May 3, 2008

    During the Sacred Defense Era, it was not only the Armed Forces who sensed the responsibility. All the people were involved. They entered the scene wherever there was a willing heart, or a group of people filled with enthusiasm and genuine faith. Amidst this great nation and land, what remained was Basij which I would like to liken to an immaculate tree. The most devoted, enthusiastic, and motivated people present on the scene were Basij members who never gave up. The establishment of Basij was one of the innovations of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). Turning Basij, which first meant a combination of sacred motives, commitment and devotion, into an organization was one of the major innovations of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.). This was indeed a great movement by Imam Khomeini (r.a.).

2006
  • Two major differences between a defensive and offensive war

    Oct 21, 2006

    As for the issue of war, first, this war was a defensive one. There are two major differences between a defensive and an offensive war in terms of meaning and content. One difference is that an offensive war is based on transgression and aggression, but this is not the case with a defensive war. The second difference is that a defensive war is a place where zeal, courage and deep loyalty to ideals emerge. These ideals may be related to one's country or more important than that, one's religion, belief and Islam. This does not exist in an offensive war. For example, when America attacks Iraq, an American soldier cannot claim that he is doing it for the love of his country. What does Iraq have to do with his country? This war is at the service of other goals, but if an Iraqi person resists this military invasion and presence inside his country, this means showing resistance and defending one's country, national identity and those values that one believes in.

  • Our war was a defensive war

    Oct 21, 2006

    Our war was a defensive war. The people of Iran showed that they were not willing to invade and to transgress. Rather, they showed that when it comes to defending national identity and those ideals which are even dearer than national identity, their resistance is an instructive resistance. The resistance that the people of Iran showed was not an ordinary one, rather it was a kind of resistance that can be considered as a model and a lesson for other peoples. And it was considered to be so during the Sacred Defense Era. The Palestinians said to us, "We learned from you". The people of Lebanon too repeatedly said to us that they learned from us in the course of these years. Those people who were not Muslim and who became Muslim later on or those people who were Muslim, but who became followers of the Holy Prophet's (s.w.a.) household said over and over again that they learned from our war, our defense and our resistance and that they became sure about our sincerity.

2005
  • Efforts should be made to preserve the memories of the Sacred Defense

    Sep 22, 2005

    Efforts should be made to preserve the memories of the epical events created by the Iranian people during the eight years of the Sacred Defense for the present and future generations, so that the young and coming generations may know that the Iranian people, relying on Almighty Allah, stood up to a wide-scale international aggression against their country empty-handed and turned out victorious in this confrontation, and so that they may recognize the grandeur and capabilities of our nation and follow the path of their previous generations with honor and dignity.

  • The Sacred Defense Era was a Manifestation of a Nation's Spiritual Power

    May 24, 2005

    On Khordad 3, 1361 (May 24, 1982), just a few hours after Khorramshahr had been liberated from occupation, the late army commander Major General Sayyad-Shirazi telephoned me to present a report on the condition of the battlefield. I was the Islamic Republic's president then. He told me that thousands of Iraqi soldiers and officers had lined up to surrender to the Iranian forces! This is the manifestation of the spiritual power of a nation. This power was manifested not only in the liberation of Khorramshahr but also in other military operations such as Karbala-5, Valfajr-8, Khaybar and Badr operations. Indeed, our great nation displayed its spiritual power during all the eight years of the Sacred Defense.

  • The victories achieved in the Sacred Defense should never fall into oblivion

    May 24, 2005

    The glorious past of our nation and our honorable history should be preserved. The victories achieved by our brave and faithful youth in the course of the eight years of the Sacred Defense should never fall into oblivion. These victories bear great significance, since they were achieved not just over one aggressor regime, but actually over a circle of arrogant powers. These powers, noticing that all their calculations had proved wrong because of the uprising of a nation in a sensitive part of the world like Iran and its achieving independence under the banner of Islam, extended all kinds of support and assistance to the Iraqi regime in its military aggression against the Islamic Republic.

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