In a meeting with the commander and staff of the Army’s Navy Force, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei described November 28 as the Navy’s day of pride and glory and a symbolic day for the commemoration of its sacrifices.
“The Navy’s courageous operation against Iraq’s Ba’athist Army on November 28, 1980 had a lasting effect on the war and that valor, innovation, planning and move, reduced the maritime dominance of the enemy to zero,” said the Leader.
Stressing the need to keep alive the November 28 operation and the memory of its valorous martyrs, Ayatollah Khamenei added, “Martyrdom in the path of God is not a loss, but a bonus, and as the late [founder of the Islamic Republic] Imam [Khomeini] correctly put it, a nation with martyrdom is one without captivity.”
Pointing to the importance of the Naval Force, Ayatollah Khamenei added, “The Naval Force is at the forefront of defending the country and has before its eyes important regions such as the Makran [coastal strip], the Sea of Oman and the high seas, and its presence in the high seas must continue as before.”
He underscored the need to increase the capacities of the Naval Force in equipment and combat power and the necessity of utilizing the facilities of various sectors of the Islamic establishment to remove the shortages, saying, “Good growth and mobility have been initiated in the Naval Force, and the Navy is much more advanced and capable than 20 years ago, but this level of progress is not enough, and fast-pace movement must be pursued in all sectors with resolve and [high] spirits, great endeavor, innovation and action.”
Prior to the remarks of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Navy Commander Rear Admiral
Hossein Khanzadi offered a report on the objectives and activities of the Naval Force, saying, “Increasing the combat power, effective presence in the high seas and oceans, safeguarding the security of the country’s maritime routes, creating deterrence and developing the Makran coastline are on the agenda of the Army’s Naval Force.”