At the gathering, Alireza Mokhtarpour, researcher and former head of the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI), underscored the importance of women’s narratives in the Sacred Defense, stressing the urgency of documenting these accounts amid ongoing attempts to distort the history of that victorious resistance.
Mokhtarpour also highlighted the Leader’s guidance and support in the quantitative and qualitative growth of these works, as well as the delicate yet powerful presence of women authors and narrators in their creation. He noted that of the 30 notable books that have received the Leader’s endorsement from February 2012 to November 2025, twenty were authored by women.
Mehdi Ebrahimzadeh, deputy and chief of staff of the Islamic Revolution Cultural and Research Institute, addressed the gathering, emphasizing the power of language and literature. He noted that, just as Ferdowsi in the Shahnameh (Book of Kings) established Iran’s national identity and shaped the epics and narratives of nations, “the literature of jihad and resistance likewise portrays the real heroes of our time — those who have stood resolutely against oppression and arrogance. This depiction reflects the rebirth of ‘Divine Iran,’ in the continuity of the grandeur and strength of the Islamic Revolution, unlike Pahlavi-era nationalism, which was a fabricated project aimed at marginalizing Islamic identity.”
Ebrahimzadeh concluded by describing the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of Imam Khamenei’s commitment to publishing the Leader’s endorsements as a continuation of his longstanding concern for strengthening the cultural foundations of the Iranian nation. These foundations, once reinforced, can help those following this path remain steadfast amid the tempests of the times.
Later during the National Hero Event, Mrs. Sara Torabi-Kia, wife of Martyr Lieutenant General Gholamali Rashid, addressed the gathering, referring to the statements of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the history of Islam. She emphasized that the role of women is not limited to advancing movements but extends to being the principal architects in raising generations and serving as the central axis of the Jihad of clarification
Mrs. Torabi-Kia stated that the Jihad of clarification, which the Leader of the Islamic Revolution has stressed for over 25 years, is rooted in a framework where the family and women occupy a central position. Highlighting the significance of mothers, wives, and women as the pillars of the family, she said, “The martyrs acted to explain with their blood. These martyrs naturally have a foundation, whose greatest axis is the family… and without women, this pillar of the family cannot take shape.”
Later in the event, a framed, previously unpublished photo of Martyr Lieutenant General Rashid’s meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution was presented to Mrs. Torabi-Kia.
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