Statements in Meeting with the Personnel Involved in the Construction of the Jamaran Destroyer

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

Today has been a sweet and pleasant day for me; not only because a destroyer has been added to the naval fleet of the Islamic Republic of Iran - which is, of course, a valuable and important achievement - but more so because our youth, our intelligent and knowledgeable personnel in this sector of the armed forces, have witnessed the result of their hope, trust, and reliance, and this will motivate them to take further significant steps; this is the essence of the matter. The essence of the matter is that our human resources recognize their capabilities and value; they should bring forth the talents and strengths that God Almighty has entrusted to them into the realm of action and not be afraid of the greatness of their tasks.

The grand plan that Admiral Sayyari has just outlined is ambitious; however, I fully endorse having such visions and ideas. Strive to demonstrate your powerful and courageous presence in defense of the dignity of your country and nation to everyone. Of course, this requires preliminary steps and necessary actions to be taken. When one looks at certain existing realities, some of these aspirations may seem out of reach; however, I say we will embark on this path, taking steps one after another, and the further we go, the easier it will be for us to achieve results.

The day when the issue of constructing a destroyer with acceptable dimensions for the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean, equipped appropriately, was raised here in these naval factories in Bandar Abbas, I believe there were some who thought this task was impossible. Not only was it possible, but given the determination you have today for great tasks, this is not considered a particularly large undertaking. That is, your ambition for greater tasks today is far greater than what the Jamaran destroyer represents and embodies before us. Although a lot of effort has gone into this work, and these efforts are highly valuable - utilizing intelligence, talent, capability, and round-the-clock work - at the same time, this task is not large compared to what you are now aspiring to achieve; your future tasks are more important. Certainly, Wave 2 will be superior to this, and Waves 3 and 4 will be even better; perhaps with much more valuable qualitative dimensions, which will undoubtedly be the case.

First of all, I must express my gratitude. Today, your experiences are abundant, they are dense; you can utilize these experiences. In any case, although a long time has passed, as I said, today is a very joyful and blessed day for me as I see the results of your efforts and hard work.

We have seven to eight hundred years of maritime history. The day when our ships from the ports of the Persian Gulf sailed to the farthest points of Asia, many of the countries that today have excelled and gained fame in maritime affairs did not even exist. With this history, with these capabilities that our nation possesses, with this good mindset, with this abundant intelligence, with these skilled hands that our youth have, why should we lag so far behind that now when we achieve something, we become so happy?

Throughout these centuries, our nation has been wronged. Who has wronged us? Have foreigners wronged us? No, corrupt rulers have wronged us. I do not complain about the Portuguese, the Dutch, or the English who came and seized our coasts and islands; well, they are countries and governments that pursued their own interests, and material powers do such things; they travel thousands of miles from their countries to impose their will; did they not seize the Indian subcontinent? Did they not conquer the eastern regions? Do they not continue to do such things in the world today? I do not complain about them; I complain about those corrupt and tyrannical powers that lacked the motivation and determination to preserve the dignity and honor of Iran and Iranians, allowing the enemy to come one day and take Bandar Abbas, one day take Hormuz Island, one day take Qeshm, and one day take the rest of the islands one by one from this nation and claim it. This was not the right of the Iranian nation.

If the Islamic Republic has only done this much, which is to restore the spirit of self-belief, the spirit of dignity and identity to this nation and this country and to us, it should be thanked for many years. And I want to tell you: Islam, Islamic thought, and the spirit arising from Quranic faith do not allow a nation to have its capabilities suppressed, its talents trampled; it does not allow it to fall into a state of lethargy due to neglect of its inherent abilities, allowing others to dominate its destiny. Islam does not permit this, and the Islamic Republic does not permit this either.

The reason you see the arrogant powers of the world, the bullying powers, attacking the Islamic Republic - of course, to the extent they can - is precisely this: they have become accustomed to taking whatever they want and can from this ownerless table. Now that they see that the nation, which is the true owner of this land, has awakened and does not allow it, pushing their hands away, it is natural that they become angry; this is the essence of the conspiracies. The sin of the Islamic Republic and the sin of a nation that has devoted itself to this Republic and this Islam and has moved in its path is only that it does not want to submit to the oppression and humiliation of others regarding its own identity. Of course, this is also a test for history, so that history and future generations know that if a nation, with a sense of identity, believes in its inherent power, brings its forces to the scene; whether its scientific force, its industrial force, its experiential force, its skills, or its faith - which is the highest force - when it brings its body and soul to the scene, no power in the world can overcome its determination, its will, or its ambition; they will be defeated. Until now, they have been defeated, and after this, they will continue to be defeated.

The more signs of your capabilities, your steadfastness, and your resilience are evident, know that they will become angrier. If they can, they will express this anger in action; if they cannot, they will be forced to gnash their teeth and watch your progress; and this will continue. After the twenty-second of Bahman, after this great popular movement, which they had envisioned the country, the nation, the revolution, and the Islamic Republic differently and became disappointed and disheartened, every significant movement of yours angers them. The statements made today by the Americans, from their president to the spokesperson of this or that ministry, as well as some other Westerners, indicate their anger. They are angry, furious, and hopeless; they do not know what to do. Sometimes they threaten, sometimes they retract those threats, sometimes they amend, and sometimes they slander here and there.

This repeated and worn-out claim that they make regarding the construction of nuclear weapons attributed to the Islamic Republic indicates their ultimate inability even in the realm of propaganda. The Islamic Republic does not insist on expressing strong emotions regarding its defense in this matter; no, we do not believe in nuclear bombs, we do not possess nuclear weapons; we will not pursue them either. According to our ideological foundations, our religious principles, the use of such weapons of mass destruction is absolutely forbidden, it is haram; this is a waste of land and generation, which the Quran has prohibited; we do not pursue this. We seek that which the dominating powers truly fear, and I believe they still fear the same thing, which is awakening the spirit of Islamic heroism and dignity in all of the Islamic Ummah. We will do this; let them know.

The Islamic Ummah, which incidentally is located in a sensitive geographical position in the world - both strategically and in terms of economy and natural resources - is being exploited against its will. Our mission is to warn the Islamic world. And this warning has indeed been effective; you see that in various parts of the Islamic world, hatred towards the dominators, the imperialists, particularly the United States, is increasing day by day.

They come here and falsely claim that Iran is against neighboring countries; no, the neighboring countries themselves know that this is not the case. If for a short while after the revolution, the countries of the Persian Gulf and some other neighboring countries made mistakes and thought that the Islamic Republic was against them, over time they have come to understand that this is not the case. They are our brothers, they are our neighbors. This collection of the Persian Gulf can be well managed with a wise and rational collective policy that benefits all the countries bordering the Persian Gulf. The element that threatens this correct and rational movement is the presence of foreigners, especially the presence of the United States in the region. The security of this region is undermined by the United States, not by the countries of the region; they are the ones imposing insecurity on this region and these countries; they wish for conflicts between these countries. They will do whatever they can in this regard. Of course, sometimes their tricks have worked, their schemes have succeeded; many times they have also failed, and God willing, they will continue to fail after this. They want to divert the eyes of the countries of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf and these sensitive centers from the real and primary enemy. The real and primary enemy of this region is the Zionists and the regime of the United States of America; they have their reasons, and these have their own reasons. They want to distract attention, turn eyes away from the real enemy; hence, they speak nonsense.

The Islamic Republic relies on the hearts of millions of people. When a single voice is raised from the throats of tens of millions of people with power, this speech cannot be erased; the waves of this speech remain and endure in the world. Is this a joke? Tens of millions of people together shout their hatred of global arrogance, their hatred of the system of domination, and their insistence on national dignity and Islamic faith; not just once, not twice; for thirty years, the people have been shouting this cry; this is not something that can be erased. The harmonious cry of all these voices and all these hearts is enduring; this is part of the inevitable laws of nature and history; like the law of gravity, like other natural laws; therefore, it cannot be violated. This voice is enduring. The condition is that each of us must do our part correctly. I have often quoted this hadith from the Prophet Muhammad to my audiences: "May God have mercy on the one who performs a deed and perfects it"; may God's mercy be upon the one who performs a task and does it well, correctly, and with precision. Work must be done with precision.

Well, one point is that the construction of this destroyer was not merely the construction of a destroyer; it was the institutionalization of the design and construction of large warships in the factories of the country; our universities benefited, Imam Khomeini University benefited, the naval industry benefited, the Ministry of Defense industry benefited; minds were activated, and various electronic devices were put to work. This intellectual and practical dynamism itself is an achievement for the country; this state of dynamism is no less valuable than acquiring and possessing a warship with these characteristics; this is very valuable; preserve this; do not let this scientific and industrial movement fall behind; continue working, continue innovating.

In the past years, we have not sufficiently benefited from the long shores of the Sea of Oman. Our minds have been entirely focused on the Persian Gulf, and the importance of the Sea of Oman has been neglected. This new perspective that looks towards the Sea of Oman, through the Islamic Republic's army, can accomplish great things; this is a divine blessing for the southeastern region of the country. Therefore, the government and various agencies - whether the Ministry of Defense or other ministries related to this work - must all assist in the advancement of this work. Well, these tasks may, God willing, be accomplished; but I want to say that if the proposals made by him are not carried out as he intends - which I also endorse - due to various limitations or for any reason, work must still progress, work must still be done. I say the capacity of human resources in all areas - which is my thirty-year experience in various managements - can compensate for many deficiencies. If funding is lacking, the lack of funding can be compensated by improving management quality. At first glance, it may seem problematic or impossible; however, it is practical, it is achievable; we have experienced these things; both in war and in various issues across different sectors of the country, it has been experienced. If we were to look at everything with the first glance, many things would be perceived as lost at first glance; then when one enters the work, they see that it is possible, it can be done. There is no funding, there are no resources; but there is management power, there is intellect, there is frugality, there is the ability to see and recognize opportunities in every corner.

Sometimes there is a possibility at your disposal that you do not pay attention to, you do not utilize it, and you are using another resource; then when that resource is closed, you look at yourself, and this possibility will present itself before your eyes. Therefore, do not let this movement fall behind. Follow up on the work; whether here, in the north, or in various other sectors.

Coordination among the agencies that are closely linked in this matter is very necessary; like cooperation with the Ministry of Defense. The Minister of Defense is also present here; attention should be paid to this point. Sometimes I receive complaints that some of the promises made have not been fulfilled in practice. Well, this may be the case. You must sit down and address these issues; including the backwardness of the industry in the "Wave 2" project. Of course, recently the army has made a proposal to us, and we have said to investigate what can be done to compensate for it. Some of the engines have been sent for overhaul and have not returned - as they say - like the main engines of the Peykan-class corvettes. There are such cases that are a source of complaint. Well, there should be no complaints. You are not far from each other; you are together, you belong to one center, you are connected to one goal; sit down and solve the problems. Of course, the General Staff must certainly assist in these coordinations and these approaches.

I want to make a recommendation: this very important construction must be completed with the production of the necessary parts. Now, perhaps during today's reports, I heard that parts manufacturing has begun. In any case, if this is not the case, I emphasize it. The issue of parts manufacturing is very important. Let us not wait until the time of need or close to the time of need to seek the necessary parts; no, from the very beginning, pursue parts manufacturing as an independent task; this itself has benefits and blessings.

I want to emphasize the issue of submarines as well. The naval force should have the issue of submarines as one of its main goals and orientations. Today, if, as we have said before, the naval force is a strategic force - which it is - and is among the certain lines of defense of the country, it must take control of the region with submarines.

Another issue is the issue of electronic warfare. I have repeatedly emphasized the issue of electronic warfare over the years, both in meetings with the naval force and in meetings with the air force, and I emphasize it again. Your enemies are focused on electronic capabilities in the field of weaponry and have been working on this for years. Electronic defense is very important for us. Work on electronic issues. Fortunately, we have the groundwork: our electronics industry is good, we have good scientists, we have good activists, and we have an immense, inexhaustible capital, which is our youth.

God willing, may God Almighty protect all of you. I pray for you and hope that you, the youth of the naval force, can, God willing, build a naval force that befits the Iranian nation.

They say our country is a maritime country. The reality is that it is; it is connected to the ocean and has seas, especially a sea of such sensitivity; whether its Persian Gulf or the Sea of Oman and the other parts and centers that have made this region so sensitive. Well, this maritime country needs a truly outstanding and excellent naval force; and this will certainly be achieved, and the doers of this work are you dear youth.

God willing, may God Almighty protect you, may you be included in the prayers of the Blessed Mahdi (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and may the pure souls of the martyrs and the blessed spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) pray for you in the realms of the heavens.

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