Leader’s Speech to Armed Forces of Kermanshah


The following is the full text of the speech delivered on October 13, 2011 by Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in a meeting with the Armed Forces of Kermanshah province.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I salute all the dear commanders, every one of the military units that are present on this parade ground and all selfless and brave members of the Armed Forces of Kermanshah province - including the Army, the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps, Basij and the Police. I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow increasing blessings on all of you.

This military base and this region evoke extraordinary memories for me. Brave and selfless men and the people whose hearts were full of love for Islam and dear Iran, made many sacrifices in this region. Their willpower overcame the firm mountains of this region. Relying on divine blessings and assistance, they managed to defeat the armed enemy - who had been approved by the satans - and they managed to bring about pride, honor, dignity and immunity for their country. We will not forget the memory of those days. Those days are a lesson for us and we have always been hopeful that in different organizations the preparedness, faith and determination of our dear youth and Armed Forces will increase.

Among those who serve Islam and the country, the Armed Forces enjoy certain advantages. First of all, they safeguard our security. If security was taken away from a nation, all paths of progress would be closed to that nation. Security is an essential and vital requirement for all affairs. Knowledge, progress, technology, wealth and spirituality will only be achieved under the shade of security. The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are the guardians of security. They believe it is the duty to safeguard the security at our borders and inside the country and this is a great advantage.

The second advantage that the Armed Forces enjoy is that they lay down their lives in the arena of rendering services. Our youth and the commanders and members of the Armed Forces prepare themselves for self-sacrifice with enthusiasm and they enter the arena of rendering services. This is the nature of their Islamic faith. In our Armed Forces, there is no imposition. There is no pressure. Their motivation originates from within themselves.

Materialistic powers have to deal with the problem that their soldiers are a nervous wreck in different parts of the world, but the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran enjoy the advantage that their members enter the arena motivated by religious faith. This is a great advantage. Self-sacrifice and being prepared to lay down one's life make wearing military uniform a great honor for every honorable human being. You should appreciate this advantage. You should be proud of it and you should try to act according to these requirements.

My dear ones, the Islamic Republic, the great Iranian nation, our dear country has proven over the past three decades that its power is increasing on a daily basis. The eight-year war that was imposed on our country and our people showed everybody that attacking the Islamic Republic is expensive. It was not just Saddam Hussein's regime that had been deployed against us. Saddam's regime and army were being supported by evil powers of the world and the Great Satan - America. The defeat of the army that had attacked our country was in fact a major defeat for the armed forces of the global powers and their satanic policies. They realized who they were fighting: the Islamic Republic. The brave people of our country have always supported our Armed Forces. Allah the Exalted is helping you: He has made the hearts of the people kind towards you. Today the Armed Forces are regarded with respect among the people. These are great advantages.

Dear brothers, dear youth and honorable commanders, the duty that our nation is shouldering today is a great and sensitive duty. Today there are many opportunities lying in front of us. The arrogant powers are trying to promote Iranophobia and Islamophobia in the world through different policies. You see the different actions that they take. They have repeatedly used silly and idiotic methods to promote Iranophobia and Islamophobia and the futility of these methods have been proven, but desperate western politicians continue using these methods. These methods have not produced any results so far. They have not been able to realize their satanic goal.

Today Iran, the Iranian nation and the pious elements in our country are regarded with respect in Islamic countries. Today the Islamic Republic is honorable in the eyes of the regional nations. This is exactly the opposite of the policy that they wanted to implement. Yet they repeat these policies and they will be kicked in the mouth again. They continue trying old methods and they will continue experiencing the bitter taste of defeat.

Today the arrogant US regime is faced with serious problems. They are drowning in the quagmire that they have created in different parts of the world. The American regime cannot get out of the quagmire that it has created in Afghanistan because it does not know how to do so. They cannot save themselves. In a world in which people have awakened, it is not possible to solve one's problems with materialistic methods and perspectives. It is not possible to solve one's problems with an aggressive spirit and behaving as if that the world owes you. It is possible to do so only through logic, rationality and spirituality and this is the same method that the Islamic Republic of Iran has adopted.

My dear ones, be happy. By Allah's favor, you will benefit from divine blessings and approval. Allah the Exalted will help you. According to the Quranic verses which were recited at the beginning of this meeting, "(As for) those who say: Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved." [The Holy Quran, 41: 30] Do not fear and do not be sad because God is with you. "We are your guardians in this world's life and in the hereafter." [The Holy Quran, 41: 30] God's angels are your guardians even in this world.

Dear God, make us increasingly committed to our covenant with You. Dear God, associate the souls of our martyrs with Your saints and with the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and the martyrs of Karbala.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings