Statements in Meeting with Commanders and Personnel of the Air Force

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among the people of the earth.

Welcome, dear brothers, dear youth, and very dear children of the Islamic Republic who are serving in one of the most sensitive and important positions of power in the country and the Islamic Republic system; God willing, may you all be successful, supported, and recipients of divine grace, and may your tomorrow be far better than today. I also thank the esteemed commander for his very good and comprehensive speech, as well as the anthem performed by these dear youths, which had both good poetry and excellent execution; God willing, may you all be successful and supported.

I take this opportunity to share a few words with you dear ones. The 19th of Bahman is an important day for the country and a significant honor for the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran; this is true! Therefore, every year we commemorate this day, and so do you, and we sit down to discuss it. The important point is that the 19th of Bahman is not just a sweet and glorious memory; [of course] it is, but beyond that, the 19th of Bahman is an increase in the reserves of the revolution and the capital of the revolution. All the days of God are like this; the 22nd of Bahman is the same. Each of these days of God, these memorable days, days in which a manifestation of greatness, humanity, and sacrifice has shone, when repeated every year and given attention, adds to the reserves of the revolution and strengthens the foundations of the revolution; therefore, the 19th of Bahman is of this kind.

The revolution is a living entity; I want to tell you this. Now, God willing, I have some discussions on this topic that I will present; [of course] not today, God willing, in the near future and on an appropriate occasion, I will speak. The revolution is a living entity; those who think the revolution was a spark that ignited and then ended are very far from understanding the truth of the revolution. No, the revolution is a living truth, a living entity that has birth, growth, stability, and a long life under certain conditions; and it has illness, death, and destruction under other conditions; the revolution is like this; like any other living entity. Since the revolution is a living entity, it has growth, development, and perfection. You see, the Holy Quran says: وَمَثَلُهُم فِی الاِنجیلِ کَزَرعٍ اَخرَجَ شَطئَه فَئازَرَه فَاستَغلَظَ فَاستَوی عَلی سوقِه; (2) meaning the example of the companions of the Prophet, the Islamic community - that is, the revolutionaries - is like a plant that sprouts from the earth, shows itself, then gradually grows, gradually its stem becomes firm, gradually it grows taller, gradually it transforms into a stable, blessed, and astonishing entity; its astonishing nature comes from where? The continuation of the verse states that "yُعجِبُ الزُّرّاع"; it is astonishing for the one who has planted this plant in the ground, and it also enrages the disbelievers; the revolution is like this; it can grow and evolve day by day.

Well, you young people who make up most of the attendees and are my dear ones and my children, most of you have not seen those days; well, you have not seen the days before the revolution at all, but you have not seen the early days of the revolution either; they were passionate, they were full of epic, but today the stability of the revolution and the strength of the revolution are greater than those days. The revolutionaries whose faith in the revolution fills their hearts are today more established, more steadfast, more aware, and more insightful in pursuing their path and considering their end goal and the objective they are after; today it is like this; the revolution has progressed, the revolution has evolved; hence, I have repeatedly said that change and transformation are part of the essence of human life, so they are also part of the essence of the revolution; however, what kind of change and transformation? A change and transformation in which the principles and foundations remain firmly established. Have you not seen how God has struck a parable: a good word is like a good tree, its root is firm and its branches are in the sky; (3) the root is firm, the foundation is strong, the pillars are the same original and solid pillars; the results, the fruits, the margins, day by day are blossoming and manifesting in the realm of life, in the environment of human beings and society, and presenting and donating new fruits; this is the characteristic of the revolution, our revolution has had this characteristic.

If you look at the history of revolutions in the world - now in these centuries of revolutions, not much information do we have about the earlier centuries, nor do we deal with them now; but from the last two or three centuries when revolutions began in the world, for example, consider the independence of America from the British or the French Revolution or the October Revolution in the Soviet Union and similar ones, up to the small revolutions that have occurred in countries [there]; I am quite familiar with all these revolutions - you will see that none of them had the characteristics that our revolution has, which is that the principles remain stable and firm, and new fruits emerge and manifest from this flourishing and rooted tree and are made available to the people and society. 39 years have passed since the revolution, and we are entering the fortieth year; this is a very important event. This relates to the issue of the revolution.

Of course, the enemy opposes this very point; who is the enemy? It is the one who has been harmed by the revolution; those who had a subservient puppet government in this very sensitive region that was obedient to them and had everything at their disposal; both its politics, its economy, and its income. They lost this and were harmed; now at the forefront of them is America and also some other European countries like England and others; these are the enemies. The enemy's goal is to prevent this continuity and steadfastness; they are making all kinds of efforts for this [goal]. They use every means they can: from pseudo-intellectuals - some are pseudo-intellectuals, they sit down and supposedly present thoughts that oppose the foundations of the revolution; you may sometimes see their articles and writings in some newspapers or electronic media and such; they use these, pay money, [saying] "sit down and produce thoughts against the revolution and against the foundations of the revolution" - to fake theorists who create fake theories, to journalists and pen-holders and mercenaries, to the facilities of cyberspace, to clowns, and to anyone they can use to expand their audience. All these efforts are being made, all these exist now; not just now, from the very beginning of the revolution - [that is] from 39 years ago - all these efforts have been made, but day by day they have intensified; there are tools today that were not there back then, they use all these tools. You heard in the sedition of [the year] 88, one of these active internet networks was supposed to do annual repairs, they said "do not do it; delay your repairs so that you can serve us" so that its services to [the CIA] in America and the political apparatus of America would not be interrupted; they use all these.

Well, all these efforts are made, [but] suddenly a 22nd of Bahman comes! Well, they counted on their audience, a 22nd of Bahman comes and you see in Tehran, in the cities, in all regions of the country, east, west, north, south, a flood of people emerges and in the cold winter, on ice, under the snowfall and rain, they chant unified slogans. Or suppose the 9th of Dey comes, like that. Now, if events occur like the 9th of Dey in 88 or the 9th of Dey this year [everyone comes]. You saw this year's 9th of Dey, people came to the streets with what fervor, with what excitement! Because they felt the presence of the enemy. The characteristic of a living entity is this! When it feels the presence of the enemy, it becomes more sensitive, more active. The 9th of Dey, [the presence of] people throughout the country; then, from the 13th of Dey to the 18th of Dey, four or five consecutive days, spontaneous [marches occurred] in various cities; I gave a brief report of this [presence] to our dear people who were here in the Hosseiniyeh on the 19th of Dey. (4) You see; being alive means this, growing means this! All that effort, all that activity [of the enemy had no effect]! And it is not just the effort in cyberspace and such, for example, sanctions; well, sanctions affect people's lives; economic problems arise that have come, and people are all tied to these problems, but at the same time, love for the revolution, attachment to the revolution, connection with the revolution and the Islamic system creates this kind of reaction.

Well, therefore, let us consider these days of God as a source of stability. I want to tell you that this year, thanks to God, by the divine power and grace, the 22nd of Bahman this year will be one of those spectacular 22nd of Bahman days. Because people feel that with the nonsense that some American officials and others have said, the enemy is lying in wait and preparing for an attack - not necessarily a military attack [but] preparing for enmity - when they feel this, people come into the field. This year, God willing, with divine grace, the presence of the people will be warmer and more enthusiastic than ever; with divine grace, everyone will come; this is one matter.

Another matter is about the fundamental issues of the Islamic Republic system. Of course, I mentioned that I have a discussion on these issues, and God willing, I will speak about them in the near future; today I will briefly mention them; well, the system that emerged from the Islamic revolution has outlined fundamental policies for itself. The Islamic revolution proposed and realized a political and social system; and principles were established for this system based on the revolution. For example, independence - economic independence, cultural independence, political independence, security independence - these were things that [previously] did not exist. Well, we have made significant progress in this regard; of course, we still have work to do in some areas. There is independence, there is freedom.

The progress of the country; one of the fundamental principles of the revolution is the progress of the country in various fields; in science, in technology, in ethics, in material fields, in spiritual fields, the country must progress. Good progress has been made in these areas; of course, there is a gap between what we want and what we should achieve, and we must bridge that gap.

Justice, social justice, eliminating the vast gaps between different classes of people. In this regard, of course, we have shortcomings, we have lagged behind, the work that should have been done in this regard has not been done as it should and is necessary; we must pursue this diligently and know that, with divine grace, we are pursuing this and will not overlook this matter; this is one of the main pillars of the Islamic Republic system. Of course, the way to achieve this is to fight against oppression and fight against corruption. Justice has a very broad and extensive meaning; it is present both at the level of society and at the international level, in economic matters, in political matters; in all areas, justice is a very important issue. Justice is an absolute value; that is, all other values are relative in a sense, [but] justice is an absolute value, in any case, it is necessary and must be pursued. We must fight against corruption, we must fight against oppression; of course, it is very difficult. I mentioned a few years ago that corruption is like the seven-headed dragon of legends; in legends, if you strike one head of the seven-headed dragon, the other six heads move; it is not easy to eliminate it. Corruption is like this; confronting and wrestling with those who benefit from corruption within society is very difficult, honestly, it is a challenging task, but it is one of those hard tasks that must definitely be done; it is one of those tasks that must definitely be done. Throughout the rule of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), who is our leader and guide, he spent almost all his time on this important issue and this significant topic; of course, it was not fully resolved. Of course, if there is oppression or corruption among the government officials, God forbid, the confrontations must be more serious and with greater intensity. All different agencies, all managers of the country, all of us everywhere in the country must pay attention to this and not overlook it; do not overlook oppression.

At the international level, the same is true; the oppression of global arrogance must be made clear. Today, the most oppressive and ruthless entity in the world is the government of America; it is the most oppressive of all. Did you see how bad, oppressive, and savage ISIS was? The government of America is worse than them. The American government is the very apparatus that created ISIS - not just ISIS - and facilitated their actions; [but] it was the cause. This is not just our claim; it is their own words. The very person who is now the President of America repeatedly mentioned the creation of ISIS as one of the actions of the Democrats - the opposing party - during his election campaign, he repeatedly stated it; he was right, there was evidence and documentation for this matter, and it still exists. They themselves created ISIS, they themselves supported it, they themselves provided military and financial support, and probably taught some of the methods to them as well. Those savage American entities that are affiliated with the government - like Blackwater and others - they do these things; they know how to do it well, they are specialized in these savagery acts against human beings, perhaps they even trained the ISIS members; otherwise, how could a poor person from the Caucasus know how to torture a human being, gradually drown them or gradually burn them? They probably taught him.

Despite the fact that [America] is the most ruthless and cold-hearted government in the world, in propaganda, it claims to be a supporter of human rights, a supporter of the oppressed, a supporter of animal rights! Well, these must be exposed; these must be said, these must be known worldwide. The oppression they have committed against Palestine! Now, daily oppression and tyranny are being inflicted on the Palestinians. For one year, two years, ten years, twenty years, seventy years, this [oppression] has continued, and the Americans have been behind it, and they still are; well, this must be said. The oppression against the Yemenis! Now, Yemen is being bombed daily; people are being bombed, gatherings and assemblies are being bombed, markets are being bombed, the infrastructure of the country is being bombed. By whom? By America's allies who are endorsed by America, they provide their weapons, they assist them; they watch the scene beautifully, without the slightest protest or frown. Of course, within themselves, some individuals, for example, writers, may protest, but the American government pays no attention to them at all. Then, with complete audacity, they place a few pieces of scrap metal there, saying these are [related to] the missiles that Iran has given to the Yemeni fighters! They make an unfounded claim. The Yemeni fighters and Mojahedin are besieged, they cannot receive anything; if they could, we would give them a hundred missiles instead of one; [but] they cannot receive anything; they are oppressed. KUN LIL-ZHALIMI KHASMAN WA LIL-MAZLOOMI AUNAN; (6) if you can help the oppressed, help them. We stand firm; in the matter of resistance, the Americans decided to uproot the resistance in West Asia, and they were confident that they would do this; we stood firm, we said we would not allow it. Today, it has been proven to the whole world that they wanted to and could not, and we wanted to and could; this has been understood by everyone in the world. One must stand against oppression. Now, these were external oppressions, [but] internal oppression is the same and perhaps has priority in some respects.

One more point that must also be mentioned is the issue of the people. One of the greatest advantages of the Islamic Republic system is its being popular; one of the greatest advantages is the popular and religious nature of this revolution. The Islamic revolution was religious, it dealt with the beliefs of the people, and the system that emerged was a religious and popular system. The people, because they believed in Islam, participated; hence, you see their children, their loved ones went to the battlefronts, fought, struggled, were martyred, their fathers and mothers' hearts burned, but they remained patient, gave thanks, did not complain; because it was for the sake of God, because it was for Imam Hussein. This is one of the characteristics [of the revolution]; the revolution is a popular revolution. In all programs, the people must be prioritized.

Well, the name of the people is mentioned; it is good that the officials of the country rely on the people and mention the name of the people; [that they] rely on this title is very good, but they must know the people; everyone must know the people. You see, during the tyrannical regime - which you do not remember; we spent all our youth and active period in the tyrannical era - there was a type of intellectual, or a group of intellectuals who were active; we were connected with many of them at that time; they would mention the name of the people; on every occasion, whenever a discussion arose, they would say "the people, for the people, defending the people"! Such words. While they were mistaken; that is, it cannot be said that now they all lied, but the matter was confused for them; they neither knew the people nor did the people know them; they neither understood the words of the people nor did the people understand their words. All those intellectual articles they wrote in magazines and newspapers. The tyrannical regime also knew that the people would not be influenced by these words; because they did not understand their words at all, and [they were just] weaving something, so they did not impose much restriction. I had seen in Mashhad that explicit communist books were easily distributed in bookstores, [but] an Islamic book about a certain Islamic issue, about Palestine, about such matters was met with all kinds of pressures. The reason was that what they wrote, the words they said, were not believable to the people; neither did they know the people, nor did the people know them. When Imam entered the field of struggle from the year 41, he both knew the people, and the people recognized the words of the Imam, understood them, followed them, and the revolution came into being; therefore, the people must be understood.

Who are the people? The people are those who create the epic of the 22nd of Bahman; these are the people. If you want to understand the words of the people, listen to what they say. The people are those who, after a number of rioters enter the field, if they had any objections, as soon as they see the slogans of the rioters, they withdraw. Then on the 9th of Dey, they come into the field and chant their own slogans. These are the people; do not misunderstand the people. They should recognize the people by their slogans, by their words, and work for the people; مُخلِصاً لِلّهِ و لِوَجهِهِ الکَریم; working for the people does not contradict working for God. It is not that we say they should work for the people, meaning it should not be for God; no, God has said that you must work for the people. God has asked us officials to be in the service of the people, to be servants of the people, to work for the people. The words of the people must be [listened to]; the words of the people are complaints about corruption, complaints about discrimination; this is the voice of the people. The people endure many problems, of course, they do not accept corruption, they do not accept discrimination, they have grievances, they complain. The complaints of the people about corruption and discrimination must be pursued seriously by the officials - whether the officials of the executive branch, the officials of the judiciary, or the officials of the legislative branch.

But the armed forces. My last word is this: the armed forces must increase their construction day by day. The construction of what? The construction of their personalities, their own selves. They must build themselves; they must develop themselves as an Islamic model human being and an Islamic model soldier. An Islamic model soldier is faithful, courageous, self-sacrificing, prudent, stands with full power against the enemy, but has no arrogance or pride in front of a friend; this is the characteristic of an Islamic soldier; an example of this is Malik al-Ashtar; against the enemy like that, against a rude young boy in Kufa - whose story is famous - like that. A boy who did not know who Malik al-Ashtar was insulted him, then when he realized, he panicked, ran after him, saw him praying in the mosque; he apologized, [Malik] said I have come to the mosque to pray for you. The military commander, that same Malik al-Ashtar in the battle of Siffin and those great deeds, behaves like this in front of a rude young boy! [That is] self-building.

And building equipment. Yes, the esteemed commander of the air force rightly said that the air force was the first place in the army that began the construction of equipment and self-sufficiency jihad, and it was very good and active. The air force has done many things; the stories of the air force are very numerous, one [of them] is this. You started the construction, in your force, individuals with determination who were there at that time began; now, thanks be to God, they are still there, and you can carry out this work. You can both renovate the equipment and build it; build it; you can; your talents are very good, young people. About one of these countries, I said the only thing they have is money; besides money, they have nothing else; no religion, no ethics, no intellect, no ability, no skill; they only have money; some are like this. You may not have much money at your disposal, but you have everything else: you have talent, you have intellectual ability, you have creativity, you have construction power. You can; build. Therefore, strive both in building yourself - [that is] your own self, which is the most important - [and] in building equipment and [also] in building the organization; grow your organization as much as you can. And know that, God willing, victory is with you; in all the events that have occurred in these years, by divine grace, the revolutionary forces have achieved victory, and in the future, to the dismay of the enemy, victory belongs to you and to the resilient nation of Iran.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.