The Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Ayatollah Imam Khamenei, visited the Ashura University of Aerospace Sciences and Technologies on Sunday, 19th November 2023, to see the latest achievements of the IRGC Aerospace Force at its permanent exhibition.

The exhibition, which includes missile, drone, defence and space pavilions, also showcased the achievements of young scientists and specialists of the IRGC Aerospace Force in their innovations and improvements under the banner, "From ideas to products for a strong Iran".

The presence of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution at the exhibition coincided with the unveiling of the Fattah 2 hypersonic cruise missile. Also unveiled were the Mehran Mobile Defence System, the upgraded 9D system, and the Shahid 147 drone.

The Fattah 2 hypersonic manoeuvrable missile is capable of posing a severe challenge to low, medium and high-altitude defence systems. The Shahid 147 UAV is a wide-bodied aircraft with a wingspan of 26 meters. It can fly up to 60,000 feet and cover more than 1,000 kilometres in its detection range.

For defence, the exhibition also displays systems that can intercept small flying objects and anti-aircraft missile systems that engage targets between the ranges of 20km to 320km.

The latest innovations and advancements in ballistic rockets and satellite launching technology are also included in the exhibition.

At the end of his visit, Ayatollah Imam Khamenei, in the company of commanders and officials of the Ashura University, described his visit as delightful and necessary. He also pointed out that its most significant feature was making correct needs assessments and applying science and research to solve various needs.

He deemed the achievement of such scientific achievements as resulting from motivation based on determination and faith. He said, “Whenever our young people committed themselves to something with determination and faith, they have been able to do great things, and the signs of determination and faith were clearly evident in this exhibition.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution mentioned initiative and innovation as another feature of the Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace programme. He warned, “Of course, we should not be complacent with the current level of success. When various military and civilian sectors worldwide are continuously active and advancing, we too must try to avoid falling behind.”

Ayatollah Imam Khamenei called the technological advancement in branches of the armed forces rapid and vital and emphasised that it was necessary for them not to slow down the momentum.

He said, “In some parts of the country, our situation is very good, but in others, our situation is not; there are shortages and deficiencies. In these areas, we must identify and actively answer the real needs.”

In another part of his speech, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution spoke about the developments in Palestine and the ongoing crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza. He said: "The events in Gaza have revealed many hidden truths to the people of the world, one of which is that the leaders of Western countries are people who support racial discrimination."

Ayatollah Imam Khamenei called the Zionist regime the manifestation of racial discrimination itself and said, “The Zionists consider themselves a superior race and look at other human beings as inferior; this is why they could kill thousands of children without any pangs of conscience.”

He said, “When the President of the United States, the Chancellor of Germany, the President of France and the Prime Minister of England, despite all their pretensions, support and help such a racist regime, it means that they, too, support racial discrimination which is one of the most hateful practices in the world.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “The people of Europe and America should clarify what their duty should be in this situation and show that they do not support racial discrimination.”

Another point that Ayatollah Imam Khamenei mentioned about the subject of Gaza was that the Zionist regime has been a military and operational failure.

He said, “Despite the massive bombings in Gaza, the Zionist regime has so far failed in its efforts because, from the beginning, they said that their goal was to destroy Hamas and the resistance and grind them to dust. Now more than forty days have passed, and despite using all their military power, they can still not fulfil their objective.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution saw the barbaric bombing of hospitals and women and children in Gaza as a sign of how distraught the leaders of the Zionist regime are about their impending defeat. He said, “The defeat of the Zionist regime in Gaza is a reality. Advancing and entering hospitals or people's homes is no victory because victory means defeating the other side; this is something the Zionist regime has not been able to achieve so far and will not be able to in the future.”

Ayatollah Imam Khamenei said that the Zionist regime itself could not comprehend the dimensions of this failure. He continued, “This inability also characterises America and the other Western countries. Now, the whole world can see the reality that a regime well equipped with the most advanced weaponry has not been able to overcome its rival, who does not have any of this.

Commenting on the obligations and performance of Muslim governments, he said, “Some Islamic governments openly condemned the crimes of the Zionist regime in public meetings, and some have not yet done so, which is not acceptable. The main task is for Islamic governments to cut off the economic artery of the Zionist regime by preventing energy and goods from reaching them.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “Islamic governments should cut off their political relationships with the Zionist regime at least for a limited period of time.”

Ayatollah Imam Khamenei also said, “People of the world should not let the oppression of the Palestinian nation be forgotten, and they should continue to hold their gatherings and demonstrations.”

In the end, he said, “We are sure of God's promise, we hope for the future, and we will do our duty.”