In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, peace, and greetings be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his pure household.
A gathering with you, dear youth, at this ceremony is a sweet and inspiring event. This has always been the case, and every year we feel that, by Allah's favor, the students of our military Universities in the manifold forces of the Army make more worldly and otherworldly achievements. It is a source of great joy for me, and this is really good news in a genuine sense.
I have said many times that you, youth, are the true source of wealth for the country. Wherever you are, you are a provision for the dignity, survival, independence, and progress of the country. Of course, some areas are more significant, like that of ensuring the security of the country, which has fallen upon your shoulders today. You, youthful individuals, in the Armed Forces have undertaken one of the greatest and most important responsibilities in the country. Today, those who received their epaulets and insignia have, in fact, taken lofty steps on a path which is glorious: a path of preserving the security and dignity of the country.
When we say that security is one of the most important areas, this is because every other achievement depends on security. If security does not exist, then scientific, industrial and economic achievements will not exist either. If security does not exist, tranquility, peace of mind, and psychological comfort will not exist among the people either. In an unsafe environment, big dreams and brilliant ideas are erased from the people's minds; because in such circumstances, everyone only thinks about saving their own lives. When security exists in a country, this prepares the ground for the growth of all elements that help the country develop: you have such a responsibility.
Security is important throughout different areas of the country. Because, in the present time, one of the fundamental matters of the country surrounds the people's livelihood, I would like to point out that the economy needs security as well. The economic structure of the country should be built on a solid foundation. Our problem – our historical problem, one that has lingered from the tyrannical era [of Pahlavis] – is the dependence of our economy on oil. This dependency has caused us to be highly concerned regarding security in the area of economic matters.
We are always concerned about the price of oil, the forbidden sale of oil under certain circumstances, the problems arising when exporting it and certain customers' refusal to give us our money. When every economic dimension revolves around oil, then the economy becomes insecure. The economy should become secure. I said this here because, despite the fact that the military environment is not an environment for economic matters, the significance of security should become evident in all areas. --This holds true even for economic matters which are not apparently relevant to soldiers and the Armed Forces.
Dear youth, you should appreciate your own value. You should appreciate the value of your country and your security. You should also appreciate the value of the Islamic Republic, which has bestowed dignity, tranquility, and honor upon the country. The same country, the same geographical entity, and same dear Iran – you sang that beautiful song in the chorus to honor it – with its rich history and its endless talents, which used to bow down to American, Zionist, British and other such agents at one time. Dependent, cruel and subservient rulers had once dragged this nation, this country, this brilliant history and these erupting talents to the level of bowing down to others. However, Islam came and saved the country. The Islamic Republic came about and made Iran powerful.
My dear ones, my intelligent and talented youth, today powers of arrogance fight us because our strength has engulfed the region. Such is the power of the Islamic Republic. What is considered as elements of national power in our opinion is seen as disturbing elements in the eyes of our enemies, and that is why they are fighting against those elements. They are opposed to the expansion of the Islamic Republic's power among and beyond regional nations. They are opposed to the country's defensive and military strength because this is an element of power and this is the strategic depth of the country. Our enemies are opposed to every means of power and every element of national strength.
How do we confront this issue? You should think about this. One way to confront this is that we should rely on our elements of power despite and contrary to the desires of the enemy. We have announced before and we would like to announce once more that the defensive resources and power of the country are not negotiable, and they cannot be bargained over. Can they come along and criticize us for having defensive means, for having various forms and versions of them, and for producing and researching into them in the first place? We will not bargain and negotiate with the enemy over those things which increase, and provide support to national power. We are moving forward on the path of the country's power, and this falls on your shoulders.
Dear youth, the future of this country belongs to you. The youth of the past carried out their duties. Thirty, thirty-five years ago, during the Sacred Defense Era, the students of this University voluntarily insisted on fighting in the arena of Sacred Defense: they did so while they were students! The commander of the university described this place as "the Army's Feyzieh" [referring to the Feyzieh Islamic seminary in Qom from which the Revolution was launched]: this is an accurate description. --This is like the Army's Feyzieh: a place which has witnessed many martyrs who were University professors, students, commanders, and managers. Those students insisted on fighting in the arena of war because the army would not allow them to. It was against the regulations, but a number of students from this University joined the Armed Forces voluntarily. They engaged in fighting in the area which was known as the "Irregular Warfare Headquarters."
It's been many years – tens of years – now that they have been holding this ceremony here annually. One day, individuals like you received their epaulets and, thankfully, achieved high military ranks. This is one of the glories of this University. You should prepare yourselves, this country belongs to you. You should help the country reach the peak of dignity under the shade of Islam and with inspiration from the great Islamic Revolution. The Islamic Republic is the pursuer of such an important responsibility, and you are, thankfully, busy working in the Islamic Republic.
I ask Allah the Exalted to bestow increasing success upon you. I thank your commanders, your professors, and those who endeavor and work hard. I also thank those who organized this exquisite and meaningful maneuver.
Greetings are upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings
