Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei took part in a New Year meeting with senior commanders of Iran's Armed Forces on Sunday, saying that the enemy is trying to implement a plan to undermine the morale of the Iranian people, officials and the Armed Forces and infuse them with the spirit of “it is not possible and we cannot do anything.” The Leader added, “The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran must enhance their abilities and potentialities on a daily basis through trust in God and self-reliance, and [take steps to] make up for [the existing] shortages and voids through their innovation and strong resolve.”
Elsewhere in the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei wished a blessed and prosperous year for the entire nation, especially the sacrificing staff of the Armed Forces and their families, adding, “The best of prayers and the highest achievement for a person are to know and recognize the direct path and stand fast on that path.”
The Leader said the Iranian Armed Forces were forces endowed with thinking and faith, noting, “Offering service with knowledge and selflessness to people is among the greatest acts of worship and this opportunity must be appreciated just in the same way that during the period of the Sacred Defense [the eight-year Iraqi imposed war on Iran], the [Iranian] combatants and martyrs took advantage of and today, achieving martyrdom is the aspiration of all those treading the path of God.”
The commander-in-chief of the Iranian Armed Forces then stressed the necessity for boosting the operational and organizational capabilities of the Iranian Armed Forces on a daily basis. The Leader added, “Financial shortages must not be an obstacle to progress and just in the same way that during the Sacred Defense period [and] despite many shortages, a lengthy war came to an end with a decisive victory and without even a one-meter shift in the country’s borders, [all] current shortages can be done away with through innovation and strong resolve.”
Ayatollah Khamenei then touched upon the all-out support provided to former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, by Western states during the imposed war against Iran, saying, “The hypocrite European governments, who currently claim that chemical weapons have been used in the case of Syria, supplied Saddam with tons of chemical weapons during the imposed war, so that, he would attack our [war] fronts [as well as the towns of] Sardasht and Halabjah with those weapons.”
The Leader described the current military advances of Iran as incomparable with what was achieved during the period of war, saying, “Through trust in God, self-confidence as well as discipline and managerial follow-up, today, we can overcome [all] obstacles as well.”
Ayatollah Khamenei mentioned “bolstering the morale of the Armed Forces” as another duty for senior military commanders, and while pointing out the enemy’s plan to “undermine the morale of [Iranian] officials, people and the Armed Forces,” added, “The enemy is trying through the use of psychological warfare tactics to create weakness and shakiness among officials and infuse them with the sense of ‘it is not possible and we cannot do anything’.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader emphasized the necessity for “the promotion of research,” and “veneration of the retired personnel of the Armed Forces” as other important points, saying, “The retired [personnel] are valuable reserves for the Armed Forces and solutions must be found through thinking and planning for their material and livelihood issues, and especially in order to respect and venerate them.”
The Leader also pointed to the enemy’s effort to prevent the further strengthening of the Iranian Armed Forces, saying, “The enemy criticizes every sector of the Armed Forces like the Army, the IRGC (Islamic Revolution Guards Corps), the police force, and the Basij force in different ways, so that, they would become depleted [of their vitality], but the Armed Forces must become stronger in terms of organization on a daily basis.”
Referring to the recent missile attack by the US military on an air base in Syria and some analyses, which bring up the possibility of a repetition [of such strikes] in other parts of the world, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “[Committing] crimes, aggression, [as well as] a breach and violation [of international law] is totally possible for Americans and they have already taken such steps in other parts of the world. However, the question is where [in the world] they will dare to do this?”
The Leader emphasized, “The Islamic Republic has shown [to the world] that it will not retreat as a result of such irrelevant remarks and wrong measures, and [Iranian] people and officials, who believe in the revolution, will not step back in the face of threats and harsh words through trust in God, because if they were to step back, the country would have been currently plagued with spiritual and civilizational helplessness and bankruptcy.”
Offering an assessment of the recent US military aggression against Syria, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “What Americans did is a strategic mistake and error and they are repeating the mistakes of their predecessors.”
The Leader then pointed out, “Former American officials created Daesh or helped it, and the current officials [of the United States] are also strengthening Daesh or a group similar to it.”
Stressing that the threat posed by such groups will target Americans in the future, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “Today, Europe is in trouble due to the wrong step it took to strengthen the Takfiris and people do not have security at their homes and on the street, and America is repeating the same wrong move.”
Before the Leader’s remarks, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri submitted a report on the activities of the Iranian Armed Forces. He said increasing the strategic depth of the Islamic Revolution, promoting support for the resistance front and conducting a serious fight against Takfiri terrorists and their supporters, creation and promotion of sustainable security, safeguarding the territorial waters and interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran, bolstering defensive and offensive capabilities and preparedness of the Armed Forces, as well as round-the-clock monitoring of the country’s air space were among the most important measures and activities of the Armed Forces during the past Iranian calendar year.
Major general Baqeri also mentioned conducting numerous drills covering various aspects of Iran's military activities, updating the assessment of threats and operational plans, developing operational ability of the Armed Forces and augmenting the country’s defense budget as other measures taken by the Iranian Armed Forces. He added, “The Armed Forces are committed to further boosting their efforts and continuing their combative movement in order to achieve the goals of the Islamic Revolution.”
Following the meeting, the noon and afternoon prayers were said under the leadership of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.