Supreme Leader of Islamic Ummah and Oppressed Imam Khamanei: Iran Should Strengthen Capabilities for Defense

In a Wednesday meeting with eulogists on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) daughter Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA), Ayatollah Khamenei said it is crucial to strengthen national defense capabilities in the face of enemy pressures and threats.

He said Iran needed to boost its defense capabilities in order to strengthen its political clout in potential negotiations (in a clear reference to the recent nuclear talks and agreement between Tehran and the world powers).

“The global arrogance utilizes political, economic, cultural, and military means to undermine the Islamic Republic and the nation. A reality as such should never be overlooked,” he noted.

“They use dialog, economic relations, sanctions, military threat, and other means to realize their objectives. Likewise, we should make optimum use of all these tools to fight back and defend,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

“If the Islamic establishment seeks technology and negotiations but does not have defensive power, it will have to back down in the face of any petty country that appears as a threat,” the Leader noted.

“That they say the future of the world is one of negotiation and not one of missiles… if this is said out of ignorance, well it is ignorance. However, if this is said knowingly, then it is treason,” Ayatollah Khamenei maintained, arguing that “this age is the age of everything.”

“The Islamic Republic must utilize every tool,” the Leader said, adding, “I am not opposed to political dialog, not with everyone of course. I am fine with political dialog on the level of global issues. These are times of both missiles and negotiations.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized, however, that negotiations must also be conducted with political clout and confidence, and that Iran’s negotiating skills must be propped up equally.

“Negotiations should be carried out in such a way that we do not get a raw deal,” the Leader said, adding, “That we negotiate, put things on paper, but sanctions are not removed, and trade doesn’t get going, it shows something is wrong.”

On March 9, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully fired ballistic missiles as part of measures to assess its capabilities. Iran says its missiles are for defense and designed to carry conventional explosives only.