The esteemed families of the honorable martyrs and former prisoners of war (POWs) and war-disabled veterans of the Iraqi imposed war met the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Mashhad on Thursday, May 17.
Speaking at the meeting, the Leader stated that the Iranian nation's progress and honor are owed to the self-sacrifice and perseverance and commitment of martyrs and war-disabled veterans and the patience and fortitude of their families. He also emphasized that the memory of martyrs and the values for which their sacrificed their lives should never fall into oblivion.
"One of the major duties of government officials is to keep alive the epic and the honor that martyrs gave rise to," the Leader added.
Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the worth of the patience and forbearance of the families of martyrs and war-disabled veterans for the sake of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution may only be compared with the worth of the self-sacrifice of martyrs.
"The youth of this nation, who in the course of the difficult era of the Sacred Defense made every sacrifice and drove the aggressors out of their homeland with their strong will and resolution, have in fact displayed the invincibility and resistance and firmness of the Iranian nation to the world, and they are among the most prominent in the Iranian history," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
Further in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Republic pointed out that the power and sovereignty of the Iranian nation is the result of the valor and self-sacrifice of martyrs.
"Martyrs infused a new life into their society with their blood, and the high morale of our present youngsters who have not experienced the difficulties that existed before the revolution as well as those of the Sacred Defense era has indeed been caused by the great influence of the blood of martyrs," the Leader observed.
Ayatollah Khamenei stated that if brave Iranian youngsters had not strongly resisted the enemy in the course of the Sacred Defense era, today the Iranian people would be suffering the same tragedies that the occupiers are inflicting on the oppressed people of Iraq.
"The glorious epic created by martyrs and war-disabled veterans has caused the Iranian people's resistance against the global domineering system and their opposition to the world's division into dominators and the dominated to serve as a model for other Muslim and freedom-seeking nations," Ayatollah Khamenei noted.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader of the Islamic Republic made it clear that the domination that is being exercised by the domineering powers over other countries and the submission on the part of some countries in the face of domination are both wrong. He stressed that nations should try to preserve their identity and resources and protect their interests and prevent the domineering powers from exercising political and cultural domination.
"Today, the Iranian nation has shown in practice that it is possible to stand up to the domineering powers, and nobody in our country is able to act contrary to our national identity and interests," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
The Leader added that if any party or political group or any certain faction in the country decides to move in an opposite direction, it will face opposition on the part of the Iranian people.