A joint graduation, oath-taking and epaulet-awarding ceremony for Army cadets was held at Imam Ali Military Academy in the presence of Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Armed Forces Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
Upon entering the campus, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution visited the martyrs’ memorial site and commemorated the dedicated martyrs by offering prayers to their souls.
The commander-in-chief then reviewed the troops present in the premises.
He also paid tribute to the honorable war-wounded veterans present on the campus.
In the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, said the most important responsibility of the Armed Forces is to ensure the country’s security and stressed that progress in various sectors, including science, industry and economy, is contingent upon security, saying, “Security is the grounds for the growth of all components of power and progress because great and brilliant ideals will be forgotten in an atmosphere beset by insecurity.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out that in the current situation the most important issue in the country is economy and the people’s livelihoods, adding, “The foundation of the country’s economy must be a secure one.”
He described as insecure the country’s economic foundation due to its dependence on oil and stressed, “The reliance of the economy on oil is a historical problem persisting from the pre-Revolution era and this issue has resulted in us having concerns about the sales of oil and its ensuing revenues in various eras.”
He stressed that so long as the country’s economy does not distance itself from oil, no proper and secure foundation will emerge. The Leader said, “Stating this economic issue in this military environment is to show the importance of security in all fields.”
Ayatollah Khamenei urged all people, particularly the youth, to appreciate the country’s present security, dignity, peace and pride, which have come about courtesy of the Islamic Republic’s establishment, saying, “There was a time when beloved Iran with its ancient and resplendent history and endless talents was under the feet of American, Zionist and British advisors and was humiliated at the hands of dependent, feeble and lowly rulers; however, Islam rescued this country, and the Islamic Republic made Iran proud and powerful.”
He pointed to the irritation and indignation of hegemonic powers at Iran’s regional prowess, adding, “The enemies of the Islamic establishment consider the elements of the country’s national might as irritant factors for themselves and are therefore opposed to the growth of the Islamic Republic’s power among nations, in the region and beyond the region, because this might is the strategic depth of the Islamic establishment.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also said hegemonic powers’ opposition to the country’s defense capabilities is within the same framework. “The way to counter this opposition is to persevere and rely on the elements of national might,” he noted.
In this same regard, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “As we have already announced time and again, and announce once more, the country’s defense capabilities and power is not open to negotiations and bargaining, and we will not engage in any haggling or make any deal with the enemy on the country’s defensive means and whatever that ensures or supports our national might, and will strongly keep moving ahead on the path of might.”
Addressing the youth, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “This country belongs to you and just as yesterday’s youth fulfilled their responsibility, you, too, must push the country to the pinnacle of honor under the aegis of Islam and within the framework of the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.”
Expressing gratitude to the commanders and professors of Imam Ali Military Academy, Ayatollah Khamenei described this university as the Army’s Feizieh - a reference to the theology school in Qom where a number of students were killed, injured or arrested during an attack by Pahlavi forces prior to the 1979 Revolution – and commemorated Army martyrs, particularly the martyrs of Imam Ali Military Academy.
Welcoming the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Major General Mousavi, the commander of the Army, said in the ceremony, “We promise that the Army would not let go of the hand of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps until the foundations of the hegemonic regime collapse and the life of the Zionist regime comes to an end.”
Brigadier general Fooladi, the commander of Imam Ali Military Academy, also presented a report on the university’s undertakings and scientific, cultural and educational agendas and plans to improve its combat capabilities.
In this ceremony, awards were given to a number of outstanding commanders, professors and clerics of the academy as well as the wife of martyr Rostami, a martyr of the Army. The representatives of the graduates and students also had the honor to receive their ranks and epaulets from the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.
The commencement ceremony also featured the playing of anthems and field exercises.
At the end of this ceremony, the units present on the premises carried out operations to show their self-confidence and paraded before the stage.