In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and Prophet, Ab-al-Qassem Al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, immaculate and chosen household, especially the one remaining with Allah on earth.
You are very welcome dear brothers and sincere personnel of the very sensitive and important Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. I thank the honorable Commander of the Air Force for his statements. Also, I thank the chorus for their song and their performance and I thank the presenters. It was very good.
It is many years now that we have been holding this meeting on such a day on the occasion of an unforgettable and miraculous event. Thankfully, you youth were raised in an environment where it is not so easy to imagine the circumstances that existed back then. In the Pahlavi era, the Air Force was one of the closest forces to the center of power, to the court and to the Americans. We should learn lessons from that event because it is instructive.
The first lesson that would be good to pay attention to is that the taghuti regime received a blow from an area that it least expected. In the Holy Quran, God says about the Bani al-Nazir Jews, “But the wrath of Allah came to them from quarters from which they least expected” [The Holy Quran, 59: 2]. Allah the Exalted dealt a blow to them from a place where they least expected it. Despite the special situation that the air force found itself in – its tight relations with the Americans, American managers and American trainers and the like – all of a sudden, it entered the arena to the advantage of the Revolution at the most sensitive juncture.
Their first move was made on the 19th of Bahman when they met with Imam and pledged their allegiance to him and after that, they resisted against part of the army that had attacked them, which led to those astonishing incidents. I do not know if those incidents have been recorded somewhere in the Air Force or not. If not already, it should be noted what happened at the Tehran base and how they were attacked and how the people defended them. So, one issue is that Allah the Exalted dealt a blow to the enemy from an area where it did not expect it at all. This is one side of the issue.
On the other side, there is the fact that believers were strengthened from an area that they did not expect. In our Islamic terminology and Islamic culture and in our religious literature, this is referred to as “unimaginable sources of provision”: “And for those who fear Allah, He prepares a way out, and He provides for him from sources he never could imagine” [The Holy Quran, 65: 3]. Those who are involved in revolutionary activities would never have thought that they would achieve such a big matter which was the fact that one of the most sensitive centers of the army rushed to the help of the Revolution and pledged its allegiance to Imam.
Well, this is one of the lessons of the 19th of Bahman. This should be taken into account in our calculations. You should know that the enemy might be harmed from an area that he does not expect and you – who are God’s servants, who believe in Allah and who tread on the straight path – might reap benefits from “unimaginable sources of provision”, sources that you did not expect. In my opinion, this is a very fundamental point that we should pay attention to. Not all incidents in the world based only on worldly and materialistic calculations. Sometimes, Allah the Exalted shows us a shortcut and brings about such circumstances and this should be included in our calculations.
Another issue is trusting divine promises. In several parts of the Holy Quran, Allah the exalted has specifically and clearly promised that He will help anyone who takes the path of God and of religion. This is a divine promise. In one ayah, He says, “Allah will certainly aid those who aide His cause” [The Holy Quran, 22: 40]. In the phrase “Allah will certainly aid”, there is an emphatic word. “Certainly” indicates emphasis and showing that Allah the Exalted will surely help those who aid Him and His religion. Well, this is a promise, a divine one, which should be trusted.
On the 19th of Bahman, despite the fact that that incident had already occurred and that part of the army had pledged its allegiance to the Revolution, there were some people who were not yet confident and assured. They did not have hope that it would achieve results. However, Imam had absolute confidence in that divine promise. Imam and the people who were following Imam’s guideline, verdict and path knew that that promise would surely be fulfilled. Therefore, they did not let the movement slow down. When there is trust and hope in the future, you do not let your movement slow down.
These are important calculations that let us know that Allah the Exalted will fulfil His promises. This is another Quranic ayah in this regard, “And who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah” [The Holy Quran, 9: 111]. No one is more loyal than Allah the Exalted when it comes to the promises that one makes. Allah the Exalted has made a promise and He will fulfil it.
Well, these matters are not merely related to personal affairs. They are related to social and public affairs as well. When a pious society, pious group of people and pious air force have such confidence, then they will turn threats into opportunities with firm determination. Today, the speakers reported that we have repaired and overhauled such and such a number of fighter and passenger planes. Well, when did these things become possible for our Air Force? They became possible when they stopped pinning their hopes on others. Others threatened that they would not give and sell us their planes, that they would not let us have them. Military products and commodities belonging to us are still available in the warehouses of American military firms! They are still there and they have not given them to us. And we do not know what they have done to them. What is interesting is that a few years ago, they demanded that we pay them a maintenance fee. Those are goods whose money they have received, but which have not been delivered to us. That is while they are requesting a maintenance fee!
Well, this means that according to them, the Islamic Republic is supposed to lack the capability to manage an efficient air force, but what is the result of these measures? The result is that although one day our Air Force could not and did not have the right to repair such and such a component of a fighter plane, today it can build the whole plane! This signifies that it has turned threats into opportunities, that it has turned dangers into profit. This is the quality of a pious group of people.
If you take a look at the country in general, the same conditions exist. Since the beginning of the Revolution, we have been under sanctions. In recent years too, sanctions have been intensified and they are proud of imposing the harshest sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The sanctions are a crime in the true sense of the word. What they are doing is a crime. It is an important threat which is condemned by public opinion in the world. As it happens, issue is not about the sanctions that the US itself imposes, rather the issue is about the US imposing sanctions on others by force. Different American organizations are trying to be in contact with various companies, firms and individuals in order to force them not to have transactions with Iran. This means imposing unilateral sanctions. Whether they will succeed or not is another issue, but they are doing it anyway which is really a criminal act.
The sanctions can be an opportunity as they have provided certain opportunities for us until today. From now on, they can create big opportunities for us as well. If we officials act in an intelligent manner, this can liberate the economy of the country from reliance on oil and it can cut off the umbilical cord of the economy’s dependence on oil. The main and most important factor in our economic problems is this: dependence on oil, which has caused us to ignore domestic forces, domestic energy, various talents and various domestic capacities for our national revenues. This made us feel assured as we could sell oil and provide sources of income. This is the main factor in the economic problems of the country. If we can do this, then we have managed to gain the best opportunity out of a threat – in other words, the sanctions – that the enemy has imposed on us.
They are aware of this as well, of course those of them who are intelligent. I am not discussing those who are confused and stupid and who are not aware of the circumstances. The intelligent ones among them are aware of this point. I have seen in certain reports where they recommend that they should not let Iran experience an oil-free economy. They say it among themselves: that they should not let Iran experience an oil-free economy. They recommend that even if the Americans do not want to lift the sanctions, they should create a backdoor so that Iran will not be completely cut off. This is because if it is cut off from the world, it will try a non-oil economy.
They are aware of it and trying to achieve their goal. Therefore, we officials should be vigilant. The officials of the country – in particular, economic officials – should be vigilant. So, the important lesson that the 19th of Bahman presents is this: having trust in divine promises, anticipating “unimaginable sources of provision” and encouraging others to show their presence and to launch a continuous movement that will lead to divine assistance.
In the 19th of Bahman and a few days before that, the US brought all its resources to the arena including sending a high-ranking military official – namely [General] Huyser – to Tehran and contacting officials at the top so that they could possibly do something such as launching a coup with the hope of ending the Revolution. There were many things that they did. However, despite all those attempts, the nation won and they lost. It was because of trust in and reliance on divine promises.
Of course today, their measures and their instruments have become more complex. There is no doubt about this. Today, the enemies make more complicated moves, but our work has become more complicated as well. Today, by Allah’s favor, there are moves in the political, military and technical body of the country and in different areas which are completely calculated, exact, reasonable, sophisticated and progressive. It is thanks to this complication that the country has achieved a strategic depth, with which it has managed to frustrate the enemy.
What I want to say is that you – particularly the youth among you – should do whatever necessary in order to strengthen this force with a heart full of hope about the future. Wherever you work, you should consider it as the center and the main task. You should carry out the duty that falls on you carefully, including the ones related to technical matters, the matters related to flight, what concerns organizational matters and the other important tasks that exist. We need the country to become strong in all areas, one of which is the military. Of course, we do not want to threaten anyone with it. When we insist on strengthening the military and achieving military power, it is not because we wish to threaten any country and any nation, rather it is for the sake of preventing threats and ensuring the security of the country.
If you are weak, the enemy will be encouraged to harass you. However, if you are strong, the enemy will not dare approach. We should become strong to prevent a war. We should become strong to put an end to the enemy’s threats. You, the Aerospace Force of the Guards Corps and the industrial division of the Ministry of Defense should strengthen yourselves in the area of equipment, human resources and many other tasks that fall on an organization like you. You should do your best so that by Allah’s favor and grace, you can reach the point that is needed for an independent, free and honorable society. I am completely hopeful.
From the beginning of the Revolution until today, I have had very close relations with the Air Force and I have worked with high-ranking officials in this force. Today, the Air Force has thankfully made great progress and it has taken huge leaps. It has accomplished great feats. Today, very competent and efficient personalities are present in the Air Force of the Islamic Republic and the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces. I have seen youth who have made great breakthroughs and the force is thankfully full of power, talent and the capacity for progress. You should make the most of this power and you should become stronger on a daily basis, God willing. I too will pray that God will help you make more achievements on a regular basis.
And you should know that the enemy of the Iranian nation is condemned to failure. The reason is that the enemy of the Iranian nation is moving on a false and wrong path. If the predecessors to the current American rulers used to do certain things in a secret and clandestine way, the current officials are revealing their corruption, their deviation, their warmongering nature, their sedition and their greed about the assets and resources of other nations in an outspoken manner and without putting on any veil. The path is a false one. It is the path of Satan. Allah the Exalted said, “They are men whom Allah has cursed: And those whom Allah Has cursed, you will find, have no one to help” [The Holy Quran, 4: 52].
A person who is cursed by God and who is pushed away by Him will find no assistance and no helper. This is the truth of the matter, but you have a Helper who is Dear and All-Knowing God. By Allah’s favor, He will help you reach your goal.
I hope that all of you will be successful and that you will move forward on a daily basis.
Greetings be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings
