There was a day when English warships used to come to the strategic Persian Gulf region and give orders from the warships. And there were certain people who thought it was their duty to carry out the orders given by the commanders of those English warships. This was the case in this region for many years.
Today everything has changed. The long coast that belongs to the Iranian nation is being controlled by an independent government and a proud and vigilant nation - a nation that relies on God the Exalted, a nation that knows its power and is proud of it, a nation whose willpower overwhelms any domineering political and military power, a nation that forces back all those who want to impose their rule on nations.
In spite of the unpleasant and detrimental presence of warships from different European and North American countries, today the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are free and independent, thanks to the presence of the Islamic Republic and the powerful Iranian nation.
There was a day when certain people used to come to our region and determine the destiny of this region through their military presence, but those days are gone. There may be some people among the regional rulers who might still want to act according to foreigners' orders. But today nations have awakened. Nations are vigilant. Today nations know that foreigners' military presence in a region - in any region and not just in our region - is a source of insecurity for that region. The same is true of our region: foreigners' military presence is the source of insecurity for our region as well. The security of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will be ensured only through the presence of the countries of the region and their cooperation. The benefits of these waters belong to everybody. The advantages belong to the nations of the region. How can the regional nations use these blessings to further their national interests? By gaining power. This power can be ensured by you members of the Armed Forces who are very familiar with the meaning of jihad and selflessness.
Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic, we have never provoked any power or any country into confrontation and war. And we will try as much as we can to avoid any kind of calculated or accidental confrontation. We are a peace-loving nation. But those who want to further their interests through military presence and conventional bullying should feel that they are faced with a powerful nation. And you members of the Navy - who have been deployed along this long coast - are the manifestation of our nation's power at sea.
