In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
I would like to extend a warm welcome to you. I am very happy to see the cheerful and youthful faces of the personnel of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Air Force.
All of us - both you and I - must be grateful to those who created and safeguarded 19th of Bahman [February 8, 1979] through their action (not just words) and their determination. A sincere and well-thought-out measure, implemented in an appropriate manner, is characterized by permanency. Many of our actions may be stagy. Carrying out orders may not be accompanied by sincerity. Such actions disappear with time. The events that took place on Bahman 19 were not like these. Those events originated in the faith, sincerity, and determination of the people. Although those events took place only a few days before the final victory of the Islamic Revolution, at that time nobody could predict that 19th of Bahman would bring about what happened on Bahman 22. No one could predict what happened on Bahman 22 with any certainty. The youth of that time, who were like you, were firmly determined to show - through their action - their faith, unity, and deep understanding of the significance of the events that were taking place. It was of course dangerous, but they took that measure and 19th of Bahman went down in history.
19th of Bahman was not a sudden, isolated event. What the Air Force did was a deep-rooted phenomenon. The roots of this measure could be traced back to the imposed war, both in defense as well as offensive operations. The Air Force showed that Bahman 19 was a deep-rooted event during the 8 years of defense, when the Iranian nation felt insecure and when the enemies attacked our country and dropped bombs on us. During the Sacred Defense the best, the earliest, and the most glorious moves were made by the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. What they did then was the offshoot of other events and even today none of their measures are isolated.
The important point is to have a clear understanding and evaluation of the developments that take place around us. There are several things that are invisible to many people, but visionaries can discern what will happen in a certain situation. That is a very important point. The transformation that took place during the Islamic Revolution was one such example. Some people could not perceive it. Some other people mistook it for a blind move - which is common in different parts of the world - and acted accordingly. Some opportunistic and greedy people tried to take advantage of this event and further their personal interests. That was all due to lack of foresight. The Revolution was first and foremost a transformation in the Iranian society and then a transformation in the entire Muslim Ummah. The Revolution was also a transformation in the political equations of the world. Our Revolution transformed the balance of power, especially in some parts of the world. That was such a great event. Today the magnitude of this event is being reflected. What happened in Iran was the fundamental transformation that was required to wrest power from a despotic, oppressive, and bullying regime and its greedy, immoral, self-seeking, inhuman, and dependant rulers. This fundamental transformation turned our country into a brave, vigilant, firmly determined society with free, honorable, and influential people. That was the great transformation which took place.
You see, hear, and read that all the world powers believe that Iran has a decisive role in various regional issues. Even our archenemies accept that it is not possible to find or implement a solution to the Middle East issues without involving our country. This state of affairs is not comparable to the time when our country - with all its glorious history, with all its historical heritage, and with all its [courageous] people - was a simple pawn in the hands of domineering and colonial powers - they took advantage of our country the way they liked and ignored the public. The present situation is not comparable to the time when domineering powers had absolute control over the country's economy and its resources (such as oil, mineral and human resources) and geopolitical position and used them as they wished. The Revolution brought about a fundamental transformation.
Of course this transformation has other meanings as well. A nation that enjoys such willpower is capable of turning such a political system into a favorable democratic system. Such a nation would undoubtedly succeed in its economic plans and in propagating its culture, human values, and ideology. And our nation did succeed in these areas. That was the fundamental transformation that some of us failed to understand at that time - and some people still have difficulty understanding this transformation.
When a nation is vigilant and realizes the value of its determination and when a nation realizes that no power can stop them from doing what they have decided to do, it is not possible to confront such a nation. Superpowers - whose only goal is to dominate and bully other nations - do not want to accept this. Superpowers may impose some penalties on that nation, but they cannot dominate it. They cannot enslave such a nation. They cannot impose their opinions and will on it. The superpowers still have a hard time understanding this.
It is 30 years now since the beginning of this fundamental transformation. The enemies of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic have employed various methods in the vain hope that they will regain control over our nation. They had absolute control over our country for several decades and refused to relinquish this control. Now they hope to re-establish their domination over our nation. That is the Islamic Republic's problem with its powerful enemies today. Our nuclear energy or missile programs are just pretexts. The problem lies somewhere else: A nation has managed to fight foreign domination. They seek to regain control over us. They have been unsuccessful so far and they will not mange to dominate our nation in the future either.
Out of the different sanctions that they have imposed on our country for many consecutive years, the Omid satellite suddenly came out and was launched into space. Out of all the restrictions that they imposed on us, suddenly there emerged the capability to enrich uranium, which is supposed to be an exclusive right monopolized by superpowers - a technology which must not be used anywhere in the world without their permission. It shows that the enemies have been unsuccessful and that their sanctions and threats have proven ineffective. How come? That is because our nation has so far preserved its determination which is based on deep religious faith. Our nation is making progress and the enemies cannot stop us.
While the well-equipped, modern propaganda machines of these superpowers are broadcasting against the Islamic Republic and the Islamic movement, the propagation of this idea [the revolution] led to the events that took place in Gaza. Such a small group, living in a small geographical area, stood against a government that considers itself among the top world powers. That enemy used all its facilities to dominate this nation, but it failed to do so. That is no mean achievement. The events in Gaza were preceded by the events in Lebanon two years ago. The Zionist regime used all its facilities and Americans provided weapons for it at that time. Although Israel itself is a manufacturer of bombs and an exporter of military equipment, the US provided it with military equipment during the 33-day war to help it defeat some determined and faithful youth - who were defending their country - but they could not do that. Are these feats trivial?
All of these have helped change the balance of power in the world. The unfair balance of power in the world - in which the world is divided into the dominant and the dominated - has changed as a result of these events. After the advent of colonialism in the 17th and 18th century, the world got used to the situation in which a limited number of governments had full control over the fate of other governments and nations throughout the world by relying on their military power, and not their ethical power. Sometimes a certain government gains natural influence among other nations or governments as a result of its ethical appeal or intellectual power. That was not the case with colonialism. The influence that colonialism gained was due to the terror it struck into the hearts of nations. It was due to its military power. The world was used to the situation in which a number of people held this power and the rest of the nations and governments yielded to their power: depending on their intelligence, some of the dominated governments and nations were better off than the others. They were like servants and slaves some of whom could get some food while others went hungry.
The Islamic Revolution put an end to this state of affairs. People realized that the domineering powers did not necessarily have the last word on everything. They realized that nations and their faith and determination have the last word. That was what the Iranian nation taught the world. Of course the Islamic Revolution was not the only revolution in the world. However, if you take a look at the history of different revolutions - including the French Revolution as well as the revolutions that occurred before and after it - you will realize that no revolution has ever managed to maintain its original principles for several consecutive decades. The Islamic Revolution has been unparalleled in that no revolution has ever maintained its original principles, moved on its original path, refused to yield to different powers, and kept making progress.
That is the prescription for the future. You as well as the entire Iranian nation know that the only way to achieve final victory is to keep treading the straight path of faith in God, in your capabilities, in national power, in national self-confidence, in all types of sincere efforts - such as scientific and practical efforts and military action whenever necessary - and in jihad. We must not lose sight of these factors. The enthusiastic presence of our nation in the demonstrations on Bahman 22 each year is a symbolic act that bears testimony to the steadfastness of our nation and its adherence to the ideals pursued by the Revolution. By taking part in 22nd of Bahman demonstrations [marking the victory of the Islamic Revolution], our nation has proven its active participation. You have seen during the last 30 years that the people have taken part in 22nd of Bahman demonstrations in extreme cold and searing heat - in hot areas of the country. The people have taken part in different demonstrations and maintained their active participation. They have not allowed 22nd of Bahman to fall into oblivion. By Allah's favor, the situation will be the same this year. The Iranian nation will once again prove their active presence. This will frustrate the enemy in the true sense of the word. Taking part in demonstrations and other arenas - different elections, public presence in political arenas, and impressive scientific and technological achievements - will frustrate the enemy, and our nation has fortunately proven this over and over again. The efforts of our youth have constantly manifested their effects and these efforts must increase on a daily basis.
You have your own share of responsibilities. You have to shoulder certain predetermined duties in the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran. There are important duties that you have to shoulder both in air defense and other major parts of the Air Force. The most important duty is to feel that you should bridge the gaps. You must bridge the gaps in facilities, organizations, and management no matter where you serve. When a certain group of people are determined to make progress, they do not wait for anyone to offer help or advice to them. They carry out needs assessment and try to meet those needs. They try to do their duty in the best possible way. By Allah's grace, this has been the dominant characteristic of the Air Force personnel so far and this characteristic will be preserved in the future as well. I get this feeling whenever I see the youthful, determined, and faithful faces of the Air Force personnel. One could also feel the same thing when reading the reports in this regard.
I would like to commemorate all those esteemed martyrs of the Air Force and the Islamic Republic's Army as well all those who exerted efforts and laid down their lives for the Revolution. I would also like to commemorate our magnanimous Imam who founded this great movement. I also thank the honorable Air Force officials and all those who are active in different parts of it as well as all the innovators who laid the foundations of these innovations in the Air Force. I hope Allah the Exalted will bestow increasing success and determination on you so that the Army and the entire Armed Forces can achieve such a position that the Iranian nation would feel completely secure in the face of all threats.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.