The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Iran's military power is a thorny issue for the enemies.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the enemies are well aware of eight-year glorious defense by Iranian armed forces in an imposed war on Iran in which the western governments had mobilized all their defense capabilities to back Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
In a meeting with commanders of the armed forces, Leader of the Islamic Revolution said that both the western and eastern superpowers and their allies stood up against the fledgling Islamic Republic of Iran in 1980s and provided Saddam Hussein with advanced military hardware to destroy Iran.
Elsewhere in his speech, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces said that the western governments and so-called advocates of human rights provided Iraq with chemical weapons to kill Iranian soldiers on the warfronts.
"Despite all the treasons and all-out support for Saddam, the western governments could not bring the Iranian nation to their knees. The nation set a glorious record of national defense serving as a bright experience for the armed forces," IR Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that the nation must exercise patience, stay steadfast on the scene and continue its path towards progress and prosperity.
"God willing, the nation will set another example of glory vis-à-vis the current treasons against Iran."
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces called on the army to maintain the spirit of the Sacred Defense, a reference to the US-backed imposed war against Iran.
Prior to the Leader's address, chief of joint staff of the armed forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi presented a report on preparedness of the armed forces to defend the country.