Leader of Islamic Ummah Imam Khamenei: Military should prepare for its ‘great missions’ in times of need

Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei says the country’s Armed Forces should always stand ready in the face of enemy threats against the nation.

Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei was speaking during a graduation ceremony for Army cadets on Wednesday.

“Today, the Iranian nation faces a vast enemy front due to its dedication to Islam, independence and lofty values,” said the Supreme Leader, adding that “the Armed Forces should always be prepared to play their part should the need arise.”

Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei further highlighted the sacrifices made by Iranian soldiers during the eight-year war imposed by the former Iraqi regime on the Islamic Republic during the 1980s.

“The era of Sacred Defense served as a litmus test, during which the true essence of the Iranian Army came to light, and important and brilliant achievements were made by the Army Forces.”

The eight-year Iraqi offensive, the Supreme Leader added, was in fact “an international and all-out war waged by the world’s major powers, along with their global and regional followers, against the [country’s] frontiers, the identity, the Islamic establishment as well as the Iranian nation’s [1979 Islamic] Revolution.”

Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said Iranians, however, managed to counter all the big powers through reliance on their faith and resistance.

The ceremony culminated Iran’s Sacred Defense Week, which marked the 36th anniversary of the Iraq war.