The following is the full text of the speech delivered on October 12, 2012 by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, in a meeting with the armed forces in North Khorasan province.
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and greetings be upon the messenger of Allah and upon his immaculate and pure household.
The program that was performed by you dear youth was very sweet and spiritual. Whenever the pure and enthusiastic hearts of youth enter an arena - whether worldly or otherworldly - the environment will be imbued with spirituality and spiritual dynamism and enthusiasm. The way one of the dear youth in this meeting recited the holy Quran was very good. We thank God for being present among you dear youth - who are engaged in the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Police Force and Basij - in this very important and sensitive area of the country.
The responsibility of armed forces in this area, like all other areas in the country, is sensitive and determining. On the one hand, powerful, well-organized and well-trained armed forces are a source of security for any country and any people and on the other hand, they provide security and immunity in the face of the foreigners whose transgressing greed makes them lay their hands on different countries. When a people show off their steel fists and powerful arms through their armed forces, this shatters the delusion of transgressors and makes the enemy realize who he is faced with.
You dear youth should know - and of course you know - that the interests of global imperialists and transgressors lie in warmongering. For a long time, warmongering has been one of the common methods of powers, imperialists and those who transgress the rights of other nations. In our own era - which is the era of the progress of materialistic civilizations - this motivation has gained strength because of promoting weapons and developing industries which are dependent on capitalists.
Global powers - whether politicians or those capitalists who are behind weapons factories - only think about waging wars and creating disorder. They only think about imposing crises on nations and countries. What can weaken and eliminate this motivation before it emerges is the preparedness of nations. This preparedness can be in the form of national and military preparedness.
Thankfully today, our dear people and youth throughout the country feel prepared to defend their country and help it move forward. Today, our armed forces - which lead the front lines of defense - are thankfully much more prepared and capable than they were in the past.
My dear ones, the Commander of the Faithful (peach and greetings be upon him) described the armed forces as a wall of security for nations. He says, "Soldiers are by the commands of Allah a fortress and stronghold to guard and defend the subjects and the state" [Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 53]. The armed forces play such a role by the command of God.
What plays a determining role is the divine will. The closer the pure hearts and souls of the armed forces get to God, dhikr and spirituality, the more their capabilities and resistance will increase. Notice that during the recent wars in the region - for example the 33-day war and the 22-day war in Gaza - small groups defeated seemingly powerful armies which used to boast about their military power. They were impious and totally materialistic, but these small groups were pious and they established a close relationship with God.
Our own military fronts are the best example of youth's lofty and spiritual attention to God. The prayers of our soldiers in trenches, in defense lines and during the nights when they engaged in attack, is one of the issues which is unique in our history and which will go down in history forever.
The honorable officials in charge of our armed forces should build these dear youth in a way that they can become prepared to defend national dignity and identity, the borders of the country and the borders of faith. Today, the people of Iran feel powerful in the face of their enemies. This feeling of power is not vain. It is a real feeling which is based on facts. Our enemies know this as well.
Because we follow the teachings of Islam, we do not want to violate the rights of other people. But we do not want to give in to any transgressor either. The people and the armed forces of Iran are so prepared that they do not allow the enemies to harbor any delusion of transgression. With their prepared and everlasting spirits, they have created such an impact in the hearts of people throughout the world that they think what our enemies say is an empty boast. You should preserve this preparedness and you should strengthen it on a daily basis. You should know that whatever move you make in order to enable, spiritualize and organize our armed forces is a good move that will be considered by God.
This area belongs to courageous martyrs whose memory is always alive in the minds of our veteran and experienced soldiers. I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow success on you dear ones. I ask Him to bestow on you the blessing of rendering services and to help you build a bright future.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings