Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met Wednesday morning with thousands of pilgrims of Rahian-e Noor caravans in one of the operational areas in Abadan. This was an area where the Iranian Armed Forces managed to lift the siege of this city in east Karun. Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence highlighted the necessity of commemorating the memory of the efforts and sacrifices which were made in different operational areas during the Sacred Defense Era, further reiterating: "The greatest lesson of the Sacred Defense Era was that it showed a people can take all the difficult paths in the shade of unity, faith and trust in Allah the Exalted and His promises. It showed that with resistance a people can defeat the enemy and make him retreat."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to Imam's (r.a.) edict for lifting the siege of Abadan and organizing Operation SamenulAemah in the Mared area in east Karun - in the month of Mehr of the year 1360, saying: "The victory of Islamic soldiers in this operation was the beginning of future operations such as Tariqul Quds, FathulMubin and BaytulMuqaddas. These operations could have ended the war in those years."
Ayatollah Khamenei added: "The camp of the enemies of the Islamic Republic - European governments and the government of America - used to encourage the Ba'ath regime of Saddam by providing it with modern and advanced munitions and military supplies. This led to the continuation of the imposed war for eight years."
His Eminence stated that the goal of the camp of arrogance was to prevent the people of Iran from achieving victory in this war and to show the weakness of the Islamic Republic in the face of the Ba'athist enemy, which was completely supported by arrogant powers. He stressed: "But Allah the Exalted showed His strong hand. He crushed and destroyed the enemies of the Islamic Republic with the steel fists of divine tradition."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution mentioned that one of the goals of the enemies of the Islamic Republic during the eight-year imposed war was to show no one has the power to resist materialistic powers in the world, adding: "A people are defeated when they themselves believe that they cannot do anything. But during the Sacred Defense Era, the people of Iran showed the entire world that the opposite is true."
Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated: "Each and every moment of the Sacred Defense Era is unforgettable for the people of Iran. The Sacred Defense Era has great influence on the movement of the people towards their ideals".