In the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, Prophet Muhammad, and upon his Pure Progeny, particularly His remaining vestige of God on earth.
You’re very welcome here! This meeting on the 19th of Bahman (February 8) is one of our sweetest meetings every year. It is sweet both for you in remembering that important historic event, and it is even sweeter for me since I witnessed that event from close up and have followed the movement of the Air Force and the Army until today. May you be successful and triumphant, Inshallah.
The reports they presented are very valuable reports. Every single one of them is valuable; they have both operational value and reputational value. This kind of work brings honor to the Army and to the entire government of the Islamic Republic. These things didn’t exist before. Our young people, you, launched these things in the Army. I also thank you for the anthem that was arranged – very good lyrics, very good music, and a very good performance.
Today, I will say a few sentences about the 19th of Bahman and about the Army. I will also tell you, who have graced [us] with your presence, a few short sentences [about] some general issues regarding the Revolution.
Well, I have talked a great deal about the 19th of Bahman. Every year, I have presented an analysis and an interpretation of this important, great event to the respectable audience. What I would like to say this year is that this event was an effective prelude to the victory of the movement and to the actual, real emergence of the Revolution. This event was not just, for example, a group of young people from the Air Force coming to greet the important Leader of the Revolution on that day. No, this was a move that had an impact on the victory of the Revolution itself.
Why? Because this move created waves. The reason for this creation of waves was that it was reflected quickly. Approximately three to four hours after this event took place, Tehran’s afternoon newspaper (Kayhan) published a picture of the event. Suddenly, the situation changed considerably. Well, I’m not saying 180 degrees, but the situation changed a great deal. On the one hand, it raised the people’s spirits and they felt the Army was not against them, because the only method the despicable, cruel Pahlavi regime had was suppressing the people by means of the Army. The people saw that this was not the case anymore. Now the Army was on their side, on the side of the people, and on the side of the Revolution. This raised their spirits. At the same time, the other side became disheartened. The commanders of the Army, the heads of the Armed Forces, their supporters, people like the American general, General Huyser, and the like, were disheartened when they saw that they had been struck from a place they had not anticipated.
This increase in people’s spirits on the side of the revolutionaries and the sense of spiritual defeat of the anti-revolutionaries had a very important impact. It was for this reason that on the same night and the next night of those strange clashes in the street between the Air Force and the Guards, the people immediately went to the scene and to the aid of the Air Force. That is, fear and the like had been set aside. This is an important point. This is a very strange thing.
Well, the interesting thing is that the 19th of Bahman has been the same throughout the past years in these few decades and up until today. That is, the 19th of Bahman has always been a prelude to the 22nd of Bahman. That is, like today, when you gather and the news of this spreads, this excites people when they remember that day. And the 22nd of Bahman is a day of dignity for the Iranian nation. It is the day of showing the dignity of the Iranian nation. In these 40-some years, each 22nd of Bahman has shown the greatness of the people. The 19th of Bahman has been the same in these years. That is, it has become an influential prelude to the 22nd of Bahman. In other words, people remember this glorious day of that year, and this increases their excitement.
Well, events are usually indicative of certain truths. Various events should be looked at in this way – both natural disasters and human tragedies. Every event that takes place has a message and shows us a truth. This event is the same. The event that took place on the 19th of Bahman also showed some truths. The most important of these truths was that it showed the shape, composition, and truth of the new Army that was supposed to be formed in the new system. The 19th of Bahman showed to all the onlookers what kind of structure the Army of the future, the Army of the Revolution, [or] the Army of the new system is. What is its essence? What is it made up of? That day showed all of these things.
It showed that the new Army was first of all an Army from the people. It was from the people. They went to the place where thousands of people went every day to pledge allegiance to Imam [Khomeini]. They went there as well and pledged allegiance to the Imam. It [showed that] it was from the people and that it was revolutionary, [because] it stood before the Leader of the Revolution, saluted him, and declared its obedience. It [showed] that they were believers. The signs of belief in spirituality and belief in Islam were clearly evident in that group. This showed that the Army of the future would be a faithful Army.
It [showed] that it was an Army dedicated to order. Look. [There is] perfect order in that picture, and it is ready to take risks. That day, it was not yet known where the fate of the Revolution would lead to. Nothing was known yet. The story of the order of military men for this military presence and the like belongs to those days after all. They were always present. At that time, “martial law” had been established. That is, it was not clear what the outcome would be. It was possible that the events would last for another month or two. In that case, they would have been dealt with harshly. They didn’t know what was going to happen, [but] they took risks, they showed courage, and came. This showed that the Army of the future was willing to take risks. And to be fair, the Army has in fact taken risks over these consecutive years. They showed that the Army was a clenched fist confronting the aggressor. Of course, the aggressors that day were the American agents and the agents of the Pahlavi government. Later, other aggressors emerged too, [but] the Army stood up to all of them.
Well, now think of this image of that day, which you now know by heart and so do I, in your minds. [Think of] the picture that was published in the newspapers on that day and that everyone has seen over these many years. The Imam was sitting there. He was the embodiment of power, the embodiment of dignity, and the embodiment of unshakable faith. It is completely evident that the Imam was like a mountain, like the Damavand peak there. This great, dignified, authoritative person was looking at these young men who were in the Army at the time of the monarchy, and he was looking at them with a kind, paternal look. That day, they were still part of the Pahlavi Army, [but] the Imam looked at these young men with a paternal look accompanied by complete affection and complete trust. That day, not even one person imagined that there might be a person in this group who had a bad intention. No, the Imam looked at them with complete trust and confidence, reviewed them, and talked with them. Well, this became a model of the new Army. That is, it showed that a new Army like this would be formed.
This notion was formed in the minds of all the onlookers that the situation will be like this in the future. The Army that would be formed would have determination, decisiveness, be ready to take risks, be faithful, and believe in this center of power and honor. And that’s what happened. The Army was supposed to stand by the people, and it did while remaining revolutionary.
One of the important things that I always emphasize is “remaining revolutionary.” Some are revolutionary, but they don’t remain revolutionary. They become revolutionary, but they do not remain revolutionary. The Army remained revolutionary. Let me tell you this, I was in the Army from the first day of the Revolution. I was in the Army from almost the very first days of the Revolution. I would visit different parts of the Army, and I was in contact with everyone. Today, our Army – the Army of the Islamic Republic – is much more revolutionary than in those early days. They are more pious than those days of excitement. They are more faithful. They are more prepared. With the passage of time, the Army has become purer. They took their lives in their hands that day. Those youth who came to the Alavi School to salute the Imam took their lives in their hands. Even after that, they took their lives in their hands as well. In the case of the conspiracy to divide the country – well, you know, the conspiracy to create division in the west of the country, in the east of the country, and in the north of the country – the Army went there, struggled very much, made great sacrifices, and it stood up.
It is the same in the case of the Holy Defense. I have many anecdotes about the Army during the period of the Holy Defense. I have talked about them. At that time, I used to tell people during Friday prayers about some of the things I had seen up close. The Army stood up. They stood by the people. They stood up valiantly. They stood up with selflessness. And wherever it was needed, the Army played a role. It has been the same after the Holy Defense. Whenever it was needed, wherever it was needed, the Army has played a role.
Well, I would like to add this here that the transformation that has taken place in the Army – comparing the Army of today, the Army of the Islamic Republic, with the Army of the Pahlavi era – is one of the things that manifests the truth and identity of our Revolution. Compare this Army with that Army. The criteria for making this comparison are completely clear. They are in front of everyone’s eyes, and there is nothing hidden. This comparison shows what role the Revolution plays, what the Revolution can do, and what a great elixir the Revolution is that it can move the identity of the people toward higher degrees.
Well, the Army before the Revolution, the Army of the Pahlavi era, had much pomp. Well, some of you may remember, but most of you don’t remember. You didn’t see those days when the Army had so much pomp, was costly, and was pretentious. In the events of Shahrivar 1320 AHS (August 1941), when the country was attacked, the same pretentious Army was unable to resist for more than a few hours. The Army with all its pomp fell apart. This is despite the fact that before this, there was someone at the head of the Army who was himself an Army man. Well, Reza Khan was an Army man after all. In other words, he was a military man. He worked on the Army, struggled, and exerted his power as much as he could. But that same Army that had been under the supervision of Reza Khan was unable to resist for more than a few hours in Shahrivar 1320 AHS. And that resistance that was made was due to those who made sacrifices. We have heard that in those few hours, there was resistance in the western parts of the country, in Kermanshah, and in those areas. There was a good commander there who was self-sacrificing. They sacrificed their lives. They were able to resist for two or three hours, but they were martyred. We had a few like this, but then we didn’t have any more. The Army fell apart completely. That pretentious, awe-inspiring Army was unable to resist.
Later, during the time of Mohammad Reza, they once again laid their hands on the structure of the Army to build it up and strengthen it. They built an Army that, next to the American and British spies, rose up against the people and suppressed them on the 28th of Mordad in 1332 AHS (August 19, 1953). The Army at that time was like this. The Army had no identity. It was an Army that was overcome by the domination of the foreigners. Did an Army general ever have the courage to speak against a low-ranking American officer at that time? These brothers who were officers at the level of major and colonel during the time of the Pahlavis at the beginning of the Revolution – such as the late Zahirnijhad, the late Salimi, and others like them who were religious people who became friends with us – narrated anecdotes about the way Americans treated Iran’s senior officers and generals and about how they treated them offensively. This is how it used to be.
They used to pay an immense amount of money to buy fighters from the US, [but] the technical officer of the air force or the Homafar of the Air Force, who was a specialist in technical work, was not allowed to open many parts of the plane, to look at them, and to get to know them. He didn’t have that right, so that they wouldn’t find out what was going on here. They gave the money, they bought it, and it was theirs. It was the nation’s money, but this officer didn’t have the right [to look at it]. I have said this many times that they had to put the part in the plane, take it to the US, they [the US] did whatever they wanted, they would bring back a part instead, and they were charged an inestimable, immense amount of money for it again. Their domination was like this. At that time, the Army was like this. It was afraid, defeated, and under the yoke of foreigners.
Well, now let’s look at today’s Army. Today, the Army is a symbol of independence and strength. Today, the Army is “beloved.” It is beloved by both the people and the officials. It is trusted. It is trusted by both the people and the officials. That day, it was not like that. That day, even the officials who had raised their status looked at them with suspicion. That day, the Army had nothing to do with the people. Today, the Army is with the people and is by the people’s side. It is a part of the people. In all the events where the people are present, one sees that the Army is present there as well.
Today, instead of not being allowed to look at or touch a part of a fighter they had bought at an exorbitant price from the Americans, the Army builds the plane itself and knows how to build it. Today, the Army is engaged in the production of parts, in the construction of great projects, and in the building of amazing works similar to what was shown on TV yesterday. Brigadier General Mousavi and others were present there. It is a source of joy and pride for the people. This is how it is. Today, the Army is constructive, creative, and pioneering. In this environment of sanctions, which is very important because they don’t allow money out or goods in, it carries out such great projects, both the Army and the IRGC, and [in general] our Armed Forces. Everyone is doing great things. Today, the Army is the epitome of these things. What our young people are doing today astonishes the onlookers. Today, the young men in the Army are sitting and designing big projects, both in terms of equipment and organization.
Well, each of these things has a spiritual result too, which is greater than all of this. That is, when you work, strive, resist, and persevere, each of these things has value. But when these values are added together, they become, “Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks, as if they were a compact structure” (Quran 61:4). You become beloved by God. Becoming God’s beloved is higher than all these things that I have just mentioned. You were able to do this. In other words, the Army has been able to make such big moves.
Well, both the nation and the officials appreciate the Army. You should appreciate your organization as well. The people in the Army should appreciate the organization of the Army. You have good strong points. Increase these strong points. There are also weaknesses. Identify the weaknesses, reduce them, and increase the strong points. This is how to appreciate the organization of the Army. Be proud! Be proud that you are part of the Islamic Republic’s Army. It is truly an honor. May God have mercy on Martyr Qarani’s [soul]. We were in touch with him before the Revolution, close to that time. When the Revolution took place and he had taken on a position of responsibility, I was also a member of the Council of the [Islamic] Revolution. We would see each other. I told him that I was ready to join the Army. I was also young then too. I said that I was ready to join the Army and that I don’t even want a rank - just a star, no more! He said come and I will give you the rank of colonel, which was actually the highest rank at that time. In other words, one is proud to be part of such an Army, to be part of such a military organization. Well, these were the remarks that I wanted to make about the Army and about the 19th of Bahman.
About the Revolution, I will just talk briefly. Well, it is the 22nd of Bahman again. It will be the 22nd of Bahman in two or three days. The 22nd of Bahman is the peak of the Iranian nation’s movement and pride. The 22nd of Bahman this year, like the 22nd of Bahman of other years, is a reminder of the most glorious day in the known history of the Iranian nation. That is, there is no prouder day for the Iranian nation than the 22nd of Bahman as far as we now know in our long history. Of course, we have had proud days, [but] none have been like the 22nd of Bahman or like the greatness of the 22nd of Bahman, when the Iranian nation was able to regain its dignity like this, with its own strength, with its own ability, and with its own determination. The 22nd of Bahman in the following years are all reminders of that day.
And the 22nd of Bahman has been kept alive, and it must be kept alive. A revolution is alive when it can keep its own embellishments and its own beautifications alive. A living revolution is one that can recognize its own needs in any era, recognize the dangers it faces, find a way to meet its needs, and find a way to neutralize those dangers. Such a revolution will survive. You may see great revolutions have not survived in history, revolutions such as the Great French Revolution and the October Revolution in Soviet Russia. They disappeared, turned into bitter, harsh, strange dictatorships, or they returned to the way they were before. For example, after the revolution and all the events in France, all the killings, and all the trouble, Napoleon came to power. He was a king after all. He was an emperor. Well, at least he brought some honors for France, but after him, the same dynasty that was destroyed by the revolution came back to power. Those who were expelled from the country by the revolutionaries returned again, sat on the throne, and ruled over the people for decades. What was the reason? The reason was that they didn’t understand the needs of the revolution, the dangers facing the revolution, and the requirements of the revolution. They didn’t pay attention. They became busy with their own fights and personal issues. From the day the French Revolution was victorious until the day Napoleon came to power again, it took about ten or eleven years. Three times this board of directors underwent violent changes, and each of those who came to power killed the previous ones. They completely eradicated them for the sake of personal issues, for the sake of senseless whims. That is how the situation was.
A living revolution is a revolution that can protect itself from these plights. The Revolution of the Islamic Republic has kept itself safe. Yes, we have had problems too. After all, the efforts made have not always been the same during these forty-some years. Some administrations’ efforts have been better and more, and some have been less. Some have made more accurate assessments, some less. The circumstances have been different, but the movement has been a continuous movement toward the peak and toward progress, both material progress and spiritual progress. You saw how many ridiculous jokes were told to people about those born in the [13]80s [2001 to 2011 AD]. Well, according to the reports, about 70% of the people who participated in Itikaf this year were born in the 80s. This is how it is. The nation has progressed both spiritually and materially. I just mentioned the Army, but there has been tens of times more progress made in various other organizations in addition to the Army. Creativity, progress, ingenuity, having full hands, and strong logic are widespread everywhere. This is the progress of the Revolution. This is a living Revolution. The prerequisite to being alive is to be able to provide and fulfill these needs.
Well, I mentioned that this prerequisite has been fulfilled to a large extent during these few decades. This has been done more and better by the people and also to a large extent by the authorities. Of course, all of us in charge, wherever we are, should pay more attention than this. Well, this need still exists today. Today, there are many needs, and I want to draw your attention to one of them. I emphasize one need, and that is “national unity.” One of our most important needs today is national unity. National unity is a barrier. It is a strong, soaring wall standing in front of the enemy. National unity is something that played an enormous role in the victory of the Revolution and then in the progress of the Revolution. National unity. Today, we need to increase this unity as much as possible. The enemy has moved in the opposite direction. The enemy’s plot is clear to us. That is, we have no doubts about the enemy’s plot and what it wishes to do. We must know the enemy’s plot, analyze it, and plan against it. We [now] know the enemy’s plot.
Some of their plot has been revealed by the enemy itself. Some of it has been revealed by its foolish agents here. And some of it has been shown in the reports of the organizations that prepare such reports. The enemy’s plan is clear.
Well, there is a goal. There is a strategy and there are tactics. The enemy’s goal is to force the Revolution and the government of the Islamic Republic to its knees. Of course, they claim otherwise. The president of the United States wrote to me some 10 or 15 years ago clearly stating that ‘we do not intend to change your system.’ At the same time, we had reports that in their private centers, they were discussing how to overthrow and destroy the Islamic government and the Islamic Republic. They lie, but this is the goal. Why do they want to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees and destroy it? Well, there are various reasons. After all, the Islamic Republic has come and taken this important, strategic, profitable region, which is rich in natural and human resources, out of their hands. This is one reason. But another reason is that the Islamic Republic has raised the call for independence and not giving payoffs. Pay careful attention to this! We are not the only ones who want to be independent from the US and Global Arrogance. There are other countries that want to be independent too. They want to not be under their command. The difference is that this is [only] a policy [for] them, but here it is a religious belief and conviction. This is important. This is what is important for the enemy.
Yes, countries have this policy to not be under the influence of the US, but this policy changes with trade, dialogue, sitting at the negotiating table, and perhaps bribing some influential people. You see this happening in the world, don’t you? Today, they announce one thing, tomorrow the opposite. Yes, their policy is independence and not giving payoffs, but policies can be changed. This is not the case here. Here, independence and not giving payoffs are a part of religious beliefs. This comes from religion. “And do not incline toward the wrongdoers, lest the Fire should touch you” (Quran 11:113) Do not trust or rely on [the enemy]. “Do you secretly nourish friendship for them?” (Quran 60:1); “Allah forbids you only in regard to those who made war against you on account of religion and expelled you from your homes” (Quran 60:9). These are the verses of the Quran. The Holy Quran says that you must not trust that arrogant, cruel, oppressive government. This faith, of course, cannot be bought and sold. One who is willing to give up his faith no longer has the qualifications to work in this system. This is the difference. That is why they emphasize the Islamic Republic more than anywhere else. They are more hostile [to us] than to anyone else. They want to extend the scope of their influence over others as well. [But] here, this intention is many times more. This is the reason. I mentioned that in addition to the advantages that your country has – natural advantages, advantages in human resources, geographic advantages, climatic advantages, and everything – it also has this important [advantage] which is wanting to be an independent government, wanting to not be under another, not give payoffs, and to not accept the aggression of others. This originates from faith. That is why this is their goal. Therefore, their goal is to force the Islamic Republic to its knees. This is their goal.
What is the strategy? Sowing discord, sowing distrust – distrust between political groups, the people’s distrust of one another, the people’s distrust of the government, the government’s distrust of the people, distrust between this person and that one, this organization and that one, so that [everyone] will distrust each other and be pessimistic about one another. When distrust arises, hope in the future will also disappear. Well, there are some differences inevitably, but these differences should not be turned into earthquake fault lines. Sometimes they bring up [the issue of] “women,” sometimes they bring up the “Shi’a and Sunni” issue, sometimes they bring up “differences between generations,” and sometimes they bring up various other issues in order to sow discord. The enemy’s strategy is to sow discord. Of course, the tactics are different. Each time they use a new tactic. The main tactics are lying and spreading rumors. They do these things so that they can sow discord. So when we see that the enemy has made unity the target of its attacks, what is our duty? Our duty is to preserve this unity, this solidarity. We must not let the enemy be victorious in its evil objective. These are examples of what exists.
The 22nd of Bahman this year, God willing and with God’s grace, will be a demonstration of the people’s presence, a demonstration of the people’s dignity, and a demonstration of the people’s trust in each other. It will be a demonstration of national unity. My recommendation is that all our dear people try to make this march, this great day, and this glorious movement a demonstration of national unity and national solidarity. Send this clear message to the enemy that their efforts aimed at eliminating national unity have already been defused, and they cannot separate people from each other. They cannot separate the people from the government. They cannot make the government pessimistic about the people. They cannot push different groups of people to fight each other. Political differences, differences of opinion, and natural differences are not a problem in society. However, these differences mustn’t lead to fights, slander, accusations, and the like. This is the strategy that we must take in confronting the strategy of the enemy. If we strive and are resolved, the Almighty God will help, God willing.
My remarks are over. We feel great sorrow for our disaster-stricken brothers in the two countries of Syria and Turkey, and we ask the Almighty God to bestow His mercy on their deceased and grant patience to those who are grieving. We ourselves have been afflicted [by earthquakes] before too. We know how when an earthquake hits and families lose their loved ones how hard it is and how bitter it is. We feel their pain and ask the Almighty God for patience and tranquility for them. Well, the authorities have helped, thank God, and they will continue to help.
May Almighty God bless the pure soul of the Imam, who brought us onto this path and guided us. And may He elevate the ranks of the deceased and the martyrs, God willing.
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