In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and may peace and greetings be upon our Master and our Prophet, Abul-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his untainted, pure, immaculate Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
Welcome our dear brothers from the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force and Air Defense Force.
Today, we again commemorate the blessed, glorious memory of February 8, 1979. The significance of this day is more because on this day a flag was raised and a foundation was laid that determined the course of the new Army. The Islamic Republic of Iran Army essentially followed the path that those young people took on that day in the Alavi School, where they created that heroic epic. In fact, February 8th should be recognized as the birthday of the new Iranian Army.
Perhaps it can be said that the factor that brought numerous individuals and prominent figures from within the Army to join the Revolution was the movement of these young people on February 8th. There were people within the Army who held various ranks, from junior officers to higher ranking officers and senior officers, whose hearts were with the people and the Revolution. However, they lacked the ability, opportunity, or environment to express themselves within the Army. The factor that was able to draw these people in and elevate them to this high level was that courageous movement. Individuals like Martyr Namjoo, Martyr Sayyad, Martyr Babaei, Martyr Sattari, Martyr Kolahdooz, Martyr Fallahi, and others — great martyrs, some of whom are considered to be among the most renowned martyrs of the Islamic Republic throughout time — emerged from within the Army, were seen by the people, and played the role of heroes. It is highly likely that the factor that brought them into the field in this manner was the movement of these youth three days prior to the victory of the Revolution. These young people, the youth in the Air Force, carried out this movement in the face of danger just three days before the victory of the Revolution.
There are several features that I have always emphasized in my discussions. All of them were present in this movement. One is the courageousness of this action. Courage is very important. It is truly significant for a person to have the courage and boldness to enter a difficult field of action. This movement was a courageous movement. No one knew on that day that three days later the regime, the Pahlavi regime, would be overthrown. No one knew this. There was the possibility that all of them would be sentenced to death. They were courageous.
Another feature was the timeliness of the movement. Some actions are very good and courageous, but they aren’t done at the right time. The Tawwabin movement in Kufa, which took place the year after Imam Hussain’s (pbuh) martyrdom, was a good movement. However, it lacked the correct timing. On the day when they should have come and helped Imam Hussain, they failed to do so. Later, they regretted this, they came, they took action, and all of them were killed. The battle was a difficult one too, but what was the use? One must enter the field at the right time. A movement must be carried out at the right time and at the right moment. The movement of these young people was at the right time, at the right moment. What I am saying is not merely in order to praise a group. I’m saying this because we still need these qualities today.
Another very valuable feature of this movement was its calculated, rational nature. It was well thought out. They had sat down, thought things through, and worked on this. The nature of the movement showed that it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. It had been thought out, worked on, and studied. It was obvious. Those of us who witnessed the situation understood that they had sat down and calculated beforehand what they were going to do. This is necessary for a revolutionary movement. Some people imagine that revolutionary movements are without calculations and are the exact opposite of rationality. This is a completely false notion. A revolutionary movement needs calculations and rationality more than any other kind of movement does. This is another feature.
Another feature was that they took advantage of the enemy’s negligence. That is, if the counterintelligence agencies and top commanders of the Royal Army at that time wanted to speculate on where a movement from within the Army may emerge in support of the Revolution, the last place they would have thought of was the Air Force. That was because they catered to the Air Force. It never crossed their minds, “… but Allah came at them from whence they did not expect” (Quran 59:2). They were struck from a place where they didn’t anticipate it. These brothers of ours, these young men of that time, used the opportunity of the enemy’s negligence and carried out this movement.
Well, I firmly believe that this move gave the Iranian Army its identity. Under that [Pahlavi] regime, the overall plan was for the Iranian Army to be defined within the framework of the US military apparatus. There was no independence. Its organization was American, its weapons were American, and even access to weapons required America’s permission. That is, they had given [Iran] the F-14s, but the Americans were the ones that had to give permission where and how they would be used. For example, where the advanced aircraft had to be repaired and where replacement of parts had to take place wasn’t in the hands of Iranian technicians. This was controlled by the US.
I have said this many times in these gatherings that when a part wasn’t working, they would send it by plane to the US where the part would be replaced and then they would return it to Iran. They wouldn’t allow the part to be repaired here. That is, truly the Iranian Army had to be defined under the US military and US military structure. Key appointments were made by the US. The weapons were from the US. The training was done by the Americans. The deployment of the Army was dictated by the Americans. They didn’t even ask the permission of the country’s officials. I read somewhere that Mohammad Reza [Pahlavi] said, “The Americans came and took the Army, and they used it without even informing me.” Not only they didn’t ask permission, they didn’t even inform the shah that “We’ve taken this unit of the Army and used it.” This is how the Army was.
One of Imam’s [Khomeini’s] (may God’s mercy be upon him) objections in his 1964 speech against capitulation was precisely this. He said that this was an insult to the Army. Capitulation was truly like this. Capitulation means that when a government or a country signs such an agreement of capitulation with another country, if a military officer or official from that [foreign] country commits a crime in this country, they cannot be tried here. The US imposed this on the monarchy of that day. These weak officials of ours, from the shah himself to members of the Senate and the National Consultative Assembly of that time to prominent government figures such as [Asadollah] Alam, [Amir Abbas] Hoveyda, and the like, they all signed it. It was an agreement stating that if an American, whoever they may be, committed a crime in Iran, they must not be prosecuted. This meant that if an American sergeant slapped a high-ranking Iranian officer — a colonel, for example — not only would that colonel have no right to hit him back, but the American sergeant wouldn’t even be tried in Iran. Instead, they would have to take him to the US, where a court would decide whether he had done something wrong or not! Is there any humiliation greater than this? The Imam objected to this.
In that speech, the Imam objected to the US’s humiliating domination of the Iranian Army, the Iranian government, and Iran as a country. The Islamic Revolution gave the Army an identity. And the Army proved its merit. The Army became a proud, independent army. Then came the experience of the Sacred Defense. The Army was present on the front lines of the Sacred Defense. They gave martyrs, fought, and carried out various activities. I have repeatedly related many memories about this in my speeches. Today, thousands of shining stars — people like Sayyad, Babaei, Sattari, and others like them — shine in the history of our country. These are outstanding personages.
What should the Army do today? I raise this question, “What is the most important duty of the Army today?” The answer is that the most important duty of the Army today is to strengthen itself. Strengthening itself is the most important responsibility of the Army. The Army must strengthen itself in terms of personnel, weaponry, training, combat readiness, and military readiness for defense. These are the most important tasks for military organizations in times when there is no conflict. They must look carefully and identify the weaknesses, gaps, and vulnerabilities that may exist within the organization as a whole, work on them, and make themselves stronger. The Army must strengthen itself day by day.
This movement toward innovation and creative development, which began several years ago — whether it’s in the Ministry of Defense, the Army, or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — must continue. Fortunately, our military institutions and defense industry have proven their competency and demonstrated that they can do great things. You can do even greater things than the great things you have already done so far. Defending the country must be at the forefront of your intentions, and this is only possible by strengthening the Army’s institutions. With the same spirit, courage, bravery, innovation, and precise calculations that [the movement of] February 8th taught us, you must move forward in the field of strengthening the Islamic Republic’s Army and continue your work, God willing.
And now the discussion of negotiations. For some time now, we’ve been hearing discussions in newspapers, in the internet, and in people’s speeches about the administration’s negotiations. Well, what is being discussed by these commentators, both inside and outside [the country], is negotiations with the US. They use the term negotiations, saying that negotiations are a good thing. It’s as if someone disagrees about negotiations being good! Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the busiest foreign ministries. That’s what its job is. They negotiate, come and go, talk, and sign contracts with countries around the world, Eastern and Western, all kinds. The exception is the US. Of course, I don’t mention the Zionist regime, because it isn’t a government. The Zionist regime is a criminal gang that came, usurped a land, and is committing crimes. They aren’t the topic of discussion. The exception is the US.
Why is the US an exception? What is the reason? First, negotiations with the United States have no effect on solving the country’s problems. We must understand this correctly. What they say shouldn’t make it seem to us that if we sit at the negotiating table with that government, this or that problem will be solved. No, negotiations with the US won’t solve any problems. The reason? Experience!
In the 1390s (2010s), we sat down and negotiated with the US for about two years, and an agreement was formed. Of course, it wasn’t just with the US. There were several other countries as well, but the central country was the US. It was mainly with the US. Our administration at that time engaged in negotiations. They went, came back, sat down, stood up, negotiated, talked, laughed, shook hands, and were friendly. They did everything, and an agreement was formed. In this agreement, the Iranian side was very generous and gave many concessions to the other side. But the US didn’t carry out that very agreement. The same person who is now in office tore up that agreement. He said he would tear it up, and he did. They didn’t carry it out. Even before he came, those with whom the agreement was reached didn’t carry it out. The agreement was supposed to result in the lifting of US sanctions, but they weren’t lifted. US sanctions weren’t lifted! As for the United Nations, they added to the wound, making a constant threat to hang over Iran. This agreement was the result of negotiations that lasted for two years, more or less. Well, this was something we experienced after all. We must learn from this experience.
We gave concessions, we negotiated, we gave concessions, and we made compromises, but we didn’t attain the intended result. And even this very agreement with all its flaws was destroyed, violated, and torn up by the other side. One must not negotiate with a government like the US government. Negotiating with it is not wise, is not intelligent, and is not honorable.
Of course, there are problems inside the country. No one denies that problems exist. There are many problems in people’s livelihoods. Almost all segments of society face hardships and challenges. However, that which solves these problems is an internal factor. The internal factor is the determination of committed Iranian officials and the cooperation of a united Iranian nation. This is exactly what you will witness in the [upcoming] rally, God willing — the unity of the people. Every year, the rally on the 22nd of Bahman is a demonstration of national unity in our country. A perceptive nation and indefatigable officials are what will solve our problems. The officials are busy working. Praise God, they are getting things done, and I am very hopeful that this esteemed administrion will at least be able to ease people’s difficulties in their livelihood and remove hardships.
The US is sitting and redrawing the map of the world on paper. But it’s only on paper and has no relation to reality whatsoever. They make comments about us, talk, give opinions, and issue threats. If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out their threat, we will carry out our threat. If they disrupt the security of our nation, we will definitely disrupt their security as well. This approach is taken from the Quran, is the command of Islam, and is our duty. We hope Almighty God grants us success in carrying out our duties.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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