The following is the full text of the speech delivered on March 31, 2010 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the people who had traveled to Fathol Mobin (a place in Khuzestan province in which Operation Fathol Mobin took place) to commemorate the Iranian soldiers who were martyred during Operation Fathol Mobin in the year 1982.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all sentient beings, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his immaculate and infallible household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.
The primary purpose of my presence in this historical place and among your dear brothers and sisters is to pay homage to the souls of the dear soldiers who were martyred, and this land was witness to their bravery and sacrifices and their great movement during the imposed war and the Sacred Defense Era.
I also wanted to express my gratitude to the dear people of Khuzestan and the dear brothers and sisters who emerged victorious out of a great test in this place during the most sensitive times and in the most difficult conditions. The enemies of the Iranian nation had a different idea of the honorable people of Khuzestan, and what happened was different from what they thought would happen. The first lines of our brave soldiers' defense were the selfless youth who were the children of this land - namely, the dear people of Khuzestan: Men and women. During the Sacred Defense Era, I visited some of the villages that had been under the oppressive rule of the elements of the Ba'ath Party. I went there and saw the conditions of the people and their spirit. Their ties to Islamic Iran, to the resisting people of Iran and to Islam - whose flag had been raised in Iran - were so strong that the enemies had not been able to undermine these ties by recourse to their ethnic and linguistic differences. Therefore, my presence in this place is a sign of my gratitude to the dear people of Khuzestan.
The third purpose of this trip was to express my appreciation to the people who have come to this place from different parts of the country to show your spiritual ties to the young men and brave soldiers who made sacrifices in this place - that is, Fathol Mobin - as well as other parts of Khuzestan and other provinces such as Ilam, Kermanshah and Kurdistan. Several years ago, the people of our country started the praiseworthy custom of making annual trips to these places, especially during the first few days of the year. This place is a shrine.
Most of you dear youth were not present during those days, and you did not go through those difficult and bitter times. There was a day when the enemies had occupied this beautiful plain, this attractive place and this fertile land. The soldiers of the Ba'ath Party had created such a bad situation in this land - which belongs to you - that one cannot help feeling sorry for different reasons, including how they managed to turn this beautiful land and this attractive nature into fire and hell. During the difficult times of the war, before Operation Fathol Mobin, I had seen this vast land from a region adjoining the northern part of this place. I will never forget that the enemy forces had gathered in this vast land with several divisions. They were walking on your soil, humiliating the Iranian nation. Your country was liberated by these selfless and resisting youth - members of Basij, the Army, the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution and the selfless soldiers whose family members live in different parts of the country or have been martyred. "So of them is he who accomplished his vow, and of them is he who yet waits, and they have not changed in the least." [The Holy Quran, 33: 23]
You dear youth who have attended this meeting on this plain and all 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. On this vast plain they laid down their lives and entered the battlefield. They defeated and humiliated the enemy, relying on their strong determination. They foiled the plot in which all the arrogant powers had played a role.
I want to tell you dear youth that this will always be the case. In all conditions, your strong determination, your cleverness and insight, your resistance and resolve, and your courage can bring all enemies to their knees, regardless of how strong they appear to be. This is true today, and it will be true tomorrow. If the Iranian nation wants to reach the peak of material and spiritual prosperity, it should have courage, insight, acumen and strong determination. And all of these factors should be based on religious faith. Religious faith of our soldiers was the factor that guaranteed their determination and effort. They believed in religion, God, the Day of Judgment and human beings' responsibility towards God. If this belief exists in a nation or a society, it will make that nation or society invincible.
Dear brothers and sisters, today we have made far more progress compared to the Sacred Defense Era. We are far more powerful. The Iranian nation has gained far more influence in the world of Islam. Today our capabilities are far more. The Iranian nation has gained these capabilities thanks to its resistance. Today more plots are hatched against us. However, through its resistance, the Iranian nation sneers at the machinations of the enemy and continues its path in a steadfast manner.
The important point is that the Iranian nation should never forget this sensitive historical stage - namely, the Sacred Defense Era. The Iranian nation should never forget the difficult, but glorious, days of the imposed war. These visits, the respect you pay to the memory of the martyrs and these commemoration ceremonies help keep these memories alive. I am truly satisfied with Rahiyan-e Noor - which has thankfully grown more popular in the country on a daily basis. I think this is a blessed initiative, and I believe this sensitive stage is an experience for us. If you dear youth had been present during those days, you would have entered the arena with strong determination.
Today you dear youth have proven your support and resistance in the arenas of science, politics, labor, national solidarity and insight. Sometimes military confrontations are easier than intellectual and political confrontations. The Iranian nation proved that its resistance and insight in the arena of political and security confrontations are as good as their resistance in military confrontations. Therefore, today our youth are thankfully competent and prepared, but they should not be satisfied with this situation. They should intensify their effort and labor. Increase your determined efforts. The Iranian nation should make up for the backwardness it suffered during the long eras of autocracy and foreign interference. I am totally confident that today the youth of our dear country are without parallel in the world. And this is promising for the future of the country. By Allah's grace, you dear youth will see the day when your country achieves a scientific, technological and political position that Islamic Iran and the great Iranian nation deserve.
I hope you will benefit from the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). I hope Allah the Exalted bestows His blessings on the immaculate souls of the dear martyrs of the imposed war and the Sacred Defense Era - especially those who were martyred in Fathol Mobin. I hope their souls are satisfied with all of us. By Allah's grace, the immaculate soul of our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) will be pleased with all of us.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings