This morning, in a meeting with thousands of veterans and activists of the Sacred Defence and Resistance, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, explained the reasons behind the start of the imposed war and pointed to two factors: the new discourse and the attraction of the Islamic Republic in contrast to the corrupt and false global order. He said, "In addition to being a valuable defence of the homeland, the Sacred Defence was also a defence of religion and jihad in the way of Allah, which kept Islam alive, honoured the Iranian nation, and promoted spiritual values in the country."

Referring to the current conditions in the region and the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza and Lebanon, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution also described the struggle and steadfastness of the resistance forces in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon as a form of jihad in the way of Allah, similar to the period of the Sacred Defence. He said, "Despite the bitter events and the crimes of the usurping Zionist regime in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, so far, the side of jihad in the way of Allah has been victorious, and with divine success, the final victory in this scene will belong to the Resistance Front and Hezbollah."

In the meeting, which was held on the occasion to mark Sacred Defence Week, Ayatollah Khamenei explained the reasons behind the occurrence of the eight-year war.

The Leader of the Revolution, emphasising that everyone, especially the younger generation, was included in the audience to hear these words, explained the reasons behind the start of the war against the Iranian nation in 1980. He said, "The motivation for attacking Iran's borders was not limited to Saddam and the Ba'ath Party; rather, the leaders of the global order at that time, namely the United States and the Soviet Union, and their followers also had significant motives for this aggression."

He stated that the superpowers' hostility towards the unique popular Revolution in Iran was due to their intolerance of the new ideology and message of this Revolution, adding, "The reason for their hostility was that the Islamic Revolution was a clear cry against the false and destructive world order and the system of domination, which involved dividing the world into those who are dominant and those who are subjugated, and imposing the culture and views of the those who are dominant on other countries."

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasised that those who were dominant could not tolerate the new message of the Islamic Revolution, which was attractive and could be expanded for nations. He noted, "They were waiting for an opportunity to attack Iran, and Saddam, who was an ambitious, greedy, brazen, tyrannical, and inconsiderate individual, provided this opportunity for these powers. By inciting them, he launched an attack on Iran."

Referring to statements by some individuals inside the country suggesting that the Islamic Republic is at odds with the entire world, he said, "If they intended that we would sever political and economic relations with the world, this is patently untrue, as we are currently in contact with and interact with countries where half of the world's population lives. However, if by being at odds, they mean opposing the political order of the system of domination, then this is correct. As we were at the beginning of the Revolution, we are explicitly opposed to the system of domination, which today is represented by the Western powers, led by the United States, and we openly declare this opposition."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasised that today, thanks to the steadfastness and presence of the Iranian people in various arenas, the courage to attack Iran's borders is lacking. He said, "Today, they are engaged in deceitful and antagonistic behaviour in different ways, and it must be deeply understood that the reasons for their hostilities are not excuses such as nuclear energy, human rights, or women's rights. Instead, they oppose the new message of the Islamic Republic in the face of the corrupt global order. As long as the people and the Islamic system do not accept their unjust demands, these hostilities will not cease, and indeed, we will not accept their unjust demands."

He mentioned that in addition to the political appeal of the Islamic system, which is its resistance against the flawed global order, he also considered its spiritual appeal, namely divine faith, as influential in attracting nations and youth from around the world and instilling fear in those who dominate. He also mentioned that he would provide a report on the war in the second part of his speech. He said, "A report on the war is a descriptive report, meaning that it details the status of the enemy's army, including their equipment and organisation, the continuous support Saddam received from the United States, the Soviet Union, and Europe, the relaying of battlefield information by the United States, and financial support from some neighbouring countries."

Referring to the country's inadequacy in military equipment and combat organisation at the beginning of the war, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "According to predictions and ordinary material rules, the invading side should have reached Tehran in one to a few weeks. However, after one year, with the brilliant victories of our forces, who were initially weak at the start of the war, devastating blows were inflicted on Saddam's well-equipped army, and after eight years, they were driven out of the country's borders. The main factor in this victory was faith and perseverance."

He mentioned another type of war report, which is more critical than the descriptive report. This is an explanatory report on the war. He emphasised the need for the younger generation to be informed about both war reports. He said, "According to this report, the war was not only about defending the homeland. While defending the homeland is a value, the issue of the war was above this value; it was about defending Islam and acting on the commands of the Quran, which is referred to in Islamic literature as jihad in the way of Allah." The Leader of the Revolution stressed that the Sacred Defence kept the Revolution and Islam alive, brought honour to the Iranian nation, and promoted spirituality in the country. He added that, based on this, all the frontlines became places of worship, prayer, supplication, midnight tears, and selfless service.

Ayatollah Khamenei remarked, "Despite the many hardships that the Iranian nation endured during the eight-year war, with such a spirit, the Almighty God granted honour, assistance, and victory to this nation."

The Leader of the Revolution continued by describing the current events in Palestine and Lebanon as similar to the events in the time of the Sacred Defence and as examples of jihad in the way of Allah.  He said, "A Muslim country, namely Palestine, has been usurped by the most malevolent disbelievers in the world, and the definitive and religious ruling is that everyone should strive to return Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque to their rightful owners."

Ayatollah Khamenei added, "Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has taken up arms for Gaza and is exposed to harsh measures, is engaged in jihad in the way of Allah."

Referring to another similarity of this battle with the eight-year imposed war, he said, "In this battle, the disbelieving and malevolent enemy possesses the most advanced equipment, and the United States is behind them. The American claim that they are unaware of the actions of the Zionists and that they are not involved in the matter is false."

Ayatollah Khamenei attributed the victory of the Resistance Front to the criminal actions of the Zionist regime, including the widespread killing of innocent people, women, and children and the bombing of schools and hospitals. He said, "If the Zionist regime had been able to defeat the fighters, whether in Gaza, the West Bank, or Lebanon, it would not have needed to commit such crimes to pretend to be victorious and superior."

He regarded the blows inflicted on the resistance forces and the martyrdom of key and valuable members of Hezbollah Lebanon as a loss for this heroic group. However, he added, "These losses are insufficient to defeat Hezbollah, as its organisational and military strength and power are far greater than this."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, "Up to today, the Resistance Front has been victorious, and with divine success, the final victory will also belong to this front."

Ayatollah Khamenei devoted the final part of his speech to give an important reminder about domestic issues. He said that the combatants and warriors sacrificed their lives and left their families in mourning to prevent the enemy's flag from being raised on the borders of the country. He said, "Despite these sacrifices, the Iranian nation will not accept that the flags of cultural influence, lifestyle, and hostile temptations of the enemy be raised within the country and its institutions by infiltrators and those who have been deceived."

He strongly urged the officials of various sectors, especially the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science, the Ministry of Health, the press, and the national media, to be vigilant against infiltration.

At the beginning of the meeting, six members of the large family of martyrs and activists in the field of Sacred Defence culture spoke about the culture of sacrifice and martyrdom, its impact on their respective fields of work, ways to promote this culture, and some issues and concerns of the veterans.

General Bahman Kargar, the head of the Foundation for the Preservation of Sacred Defence Works and Values, presented a report on the foundation's activities.