In a meeting with a group of war veterans, Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the Sacred Defense Era as "a beautiful and fine picture" and reiterated: "The path that was started by the Islamic Revolution will be continued and in order to graphically describe the beauties of the Sacred Defense days and the details of the sacrifices made by our soldiers, it is necessary to write thousands of books with artistic standards."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the achievements of Iranian soldiers in the imposed war as very valuable, great and astonishing. He added: "As the people who shouldered important and sensitive responsibilities during the Sacred Defense Era, you should know that after the lesser jihad, it is time for the greater jihad, which is far more difficult."
His Eminence reiterated: "In the current atmosphere of the country, if you insist on the principles and values and observe piety in different political, social, economic and cultural arenas, your work will be more important and more valuable."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "Today we are faced with two enemies: one is the evil arrogant powers and other is our inner selves. If we manage to move forward and make decisions while observing piety, the ground will be prepared for spiritual transcendence and material progress."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that avoiding sins is a requirement for transcendence, further adding: "By avoiding sins, half the path will be traversed. Of course, the sins of those who shoulder political, executive, managerial, public relations and religious responsibilities have far more dimensions."
His Eminence said that appropriate actions by government officials will bring about calm for society. "Through resistance and appropriate actions, we can give encouragement to our society and of course we should know that this movement of the Iranian nation will not falter and it will not be derailed because of the tiredness and impatience of certain individuals."
At the end of his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution added: "The path that was started by the Islamic Revolution will continue and you saw that those who failed to carry the burden of their responsibilities during the popular movement by the Iranian nation were immediately replaced by motivated youth. And by Allah's favor, these youth will carry out the responsibilities."