These days, separation from our Leader and Commander, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who was dearer to us than life itself, has been accompanied by profound sorrow and deep emotion. These emotions are noteworthy from several perspectives.
First, as one individual among this nation, enduring this separation is heartbreaking for me–a grief even greater than losing one’s father. Then, as a soldier, I neither wished nor was able to believe that my commander had attained martyrdom while I remained alive. Time and again, like millions who loved him, I prayed to God to shorten my life and add to the life of that beloved one. Yet God accepted his own prayer instead, which is a sign of the lofty station our martyred Leader held before God. At the same time, I sought to console myself with the thought that for that embodiment of the pure soul, no end other than martyrdom was worthy.
What we have inherited today from that martyred Imam is an independent identity which, inspired by the pure teaching of Islam, the Infallibility of the Holy Imams (peace be upon them), and the Founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini (may God be pleased with him), and forged through more than half a century of struggle, transformed Iran into both a regional and global power–so much so that even its enemies bow before its steadfastness.
The martyred leader of Iran has left us many precious legacies. The generation of power, which guarantees independence and progress; religious democracy; and dozens of other invaluable inheritances. Yet what has been most tangible in my own field of responsibility within the Ministry of Defense and the Army has been the country’s scientific advancement and the progress of the Iranian armed forces through the policy of self-confidence and reduced dependence, the rapid movement toward self-sufficiency and self-reliance, the promotion and development of science and technology, and advancement at the frontiers of knowledge.
Through his close supervision, leadership, and precise guidance throughout his years of leadership, significant achievements were attained in vital sectors, including space, air, and sea, as well as in the design and production of the equipment required by the Army’s four powerful branches, founded upon the principle that we must progress, can progress, and must never cease advancing.
If our Army, through his emphasis and special attention, has been adorned with the qualities of being devoted to revolutionary, powerful, strong, and loyal, then the source of this growth and this unbreakable solidarity must be sought in the vision of the two leaders of the Islamic Revolution.
The same approach was reflected in the message of our beloved Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei (may his shadow endure), issued on 18 April 2026 (29 Farvardin 1405), which, with the same foresight and confidence as our martyred leader, infused the hearts of every courageous member of the Army with renewed determination to defend religion and the homeland.
Strategic foresight and a profound understanding of the requirements of defensive power permeate every word and writing of the martyred leader. Strengthening both spiritual and combat readiness; steadfastness and resistance; recognizing the enemy; tireless scientific endeavor; education and training founded upon religious and revolutionary values; faith and hope in God’s assistance and in a bright future through struggle and doubled effort–all stood at the forefront of his strategic guidance for the Army and the Armed Forces as a whole.
He taught us that power dependent upon foreign technology is not enduring, and that we must draw infinite power from the heart of limitations. His legacy lives not merely in words, but in the faithful hearts of every sincere Army warrior, in every Iranian missile and drone, and in every safeguarded border of this land.
Our beloved Imam regarded determination, resolve, trust in God, resistance, and perseverance along the path toward one’s objective as the essential prerequisites for success. It was these empowering teachings that, during the imposed Twelve-Day War, despite the enemy’s organized aggression and the martyrdom of commanders, elevated the fighting spirit of the Armed Forces through his direct and prudent leadership and secured victory. During the recent Forty-Day War as well, that same strategy brought about the failure of the enemies.
Imam Khamenei (may God sanctify his pure soul), despite the immense responsibilities and burdens of leadership and of serving as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, always maintained a fatherly concern for the institutions responsible for educating the future generation of managers and commanders, especially the military academies.
To him, young cadets were the nation’s and the Islamic system’s reserves of hope. The spiritual and educational blessings of his nearly fifty visits to the Army’s military academies, particularly mam Ali Military Academy, laid the foundation for the Army’s growth and excellence and for the devotion of those who sacrifice themselves for religion and homeland. Today, I proudly state that every general and officer serving today is the fruit of that very foresight.
Among these memories, one remains permanently engraved in my mind. At my first meeting with Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei after assuming the post of Minister of Defense, I had the honor of presenting him with three photographs taken together at different stages of my career: when he bestowed my shoulder boards upon me, when I received my graduation award from the military academy, and when I received the rank of Brigadier General, which was the highest rank I had attained by the time of that meeting. I told him that the shoulder boards, the award, and my military rank had all been conferred by his blessed hands, and that I, as a military officer occupying that position, was the direct product of his personal efforts and guidance.
The Imam’s special attention to the youth–one of whose highest expressions was the Second Phase of the Islamic Revolution statement–played an exceptionally important role in nurturing officers worthy of the Islamic Revolution. It was this continuous upward path and the self-sacrifice of the young men educated under his guidance in the military academies that brought the Army the honor of receiving the Medal of Sacrifice from him.
His eminence possessed such mastery over both the general principles and the detailed aspects of military affairs that commanders, in addition to following him out of religious devotion with all their hearts and souls, accepted his precise and specialized guidance without the slightest hesitation as the final say. They were certain that implementing his directives and commands would elevate their organizations and bring honor to the forces under their command.
Through the profound thought and exceptional insight of its martyred leader, Iran was elevated from a dependent actor into an independent and history-making global power.
Following the example of Imam Hussain ibn Ali (peace be upon him), our martyred Imam taught us that, in the crimson school of Hussaini martyrdom, the martyrdom of an Imam and Leader marks the beginning of a new stage of struggle and jihad in the cause of God.
Today, in seeking justice for the blood of our beloved Leader and in continuing along his luminous path, the strategy of resistance, independence, and strength flows through the veins of every soldier and every lover of Iran–from the fighters on the battlefield to the ordinary people standing steadfast–under the leadership and command of a worthy successor to a worthy predecessor. We affirm that, under the leadership and command of Imam Mojtaba Khamenei (may his shadow endure), we will defend Iran’s independence, the ideals of the proud Islamic Republic, and the security and interests of our steadfast nation, even at the cost of our lives.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
