Supreme Leader’s Speech to Army Cadets

Supreme Leader’s Speech to Army Cadets
10/11/2010

The following is the full text of the speech delivered by Ayatollah Khamenei on November 10, 2010 at the graduation ceremony held at Shahid Sattari University.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

I would like to extend my congratulations to the dear graduates and the faithful youth who have finished their dignified studies and will start their services as members of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Armed Forces and the honorable Army of the Islamic Republic. I would also like to extend my congratulations to the dear youth who received epaulets, and I hope they will continue their education successfully.

When looking at the issue objectively, our Armed Forces and the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army are at a very favorable level. You are superior to other armies in terms of two things. First, your goal is a divine and human goal. Second, there is a strong heartfelt bond between you and the people. In order to provide security, tread the path of glory and achieve material and spiritual well-being, all societies and countries throughout the world are in need of power, and one important part of this power is provided by the armed forces in all societies and countries. The main difference lies in the fact that the paradigm of power in material systems - which is prevalent in today's world - is different from the paradigm of power in the Islamic system. In material systems, power rests on the foundations of material power - it is based on money, weaponry and deceptive and even hypocritical propaganda, if necessary. But in the Islamic and spiritual paradigm of power, this power is based primarily on spiritual factors and spiritual and divine values. It is based on faith. It is based on trust in Allah the Exalted. It is based on sincere efforts to achieve lofty ideals. This does not mean that we should ignore weapons. This does not mean that we should view discipline, weapons and training as insignificant. All these things are necessary, but the spirit of these things is the divine sense of responsibility, the feeling of reliance on Allah the Exalted. This is the factor which makes an army and a nation so strong that material powers become unable to bring them to their knees, and ultimate divine assistance and ultimate victory belong to that nation and army.

This is not just at the level of theory. This is not just an expression of our ambitious dreams. This is what we have experienced in practice. You dear youth can study these realties carefully in the recent history of the country. The victory of the Iranian nation in the face of the taghuti system is a perfect example of the triumph of spiritual factors over material factors. In this beloved and oppressed homeland, the taghuti, dependent and corrupt regime depended on different means of material power provided by international powers, but it was defeated by an unarmed nation that was equipped with faith and self-confidence.

The second experience is the one that the Iranian nation went through during the Sacred Defense Era. Both west and east were supporting the corrupt Ba'ath Party at that time. America was supporting it. NATO was supporting it. The U.S.S.R. was supporting it. Reactionary governments of the region were supporting it. They used to provide it with money. They used to provide it with weapons. They used to provide it with intelligence. They used to provide it with manpower. They were doing all of these things in order to defeat the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation. But amid comprehensive sanctions, especially sanctions on weapons and military equipment, the Iranian nation managed to defeat the enemy that had a mountain of weapons and military equipment at its disposal by relying on its faith, the faith of its youth and the valor of its Armed Forces. The Iranian nation managed to obliterate all the money that had been showered on that taghuti regime.

The same is still true today. The world of arrogance has not yet found a way to confront Islamic Iran. They rely on material power and equip their friends and allies with weapons. Just see how much modern weaponry is exported to this region, how much money the countries of the region are spending on this weaponry and how much this profits the owners of military industries of America and the west. But their efforts are futile. "The unbelievers spend their wealth to hinder (man) from the path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend, but in the end they will have (only) regrets and sighs." [The Holy Quran, 8: 36] They spend all this money, but they will not benefit from it.

Relying on its religious faith, Islamic Iran managed to overtake others in the arena of material means as well. Of course the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army and its honorable martyrs - such as Shahid Sattari, Shahid Babai, Shahid Khazrai, Shahid Doran and many others - were pioneers on this path. The first institute for self-sufficiency jihad of the Armed Forces was established in the Air Force. Both flight crew and technical support crew created values in one way or another. The Islamic Republic will never forget these services. In this arena, the Army stood up. The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution stood up. Different officials of the Armed Forces stood up. Universities helped, and scientists of the country cooperated. Today besides relying on its faith and spiritual values, the Iranian nation is relying on the material means that it has built on its own. This is a source of pride.

We want our youth to feel that they can rely on themselves and on the assistance of Allah the Exalted. We want them to feel that they can be independent of the arrogant powers of the world and that they can build Armed Forces that are equipped with the products of indigenous ideas and innovations. Look at everything from this perspective. Continue your studies with this principle in mind. Continue your research with this orientation. Rely on yourselves. This is the experience gained by you, your country and veteran members of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army and the entire Armed Forces. When you rely on yourselves, your talents flow like an inexhaustible spring and offer their outcomes to you, your organization and your nation.

The report that was presented by the commander of this university was a good report. What he reported has been done in different areas, and this is good. But you should not be complacent about these things. The path of perfection is an endless path. The more you move ahead, the more you will experience the pleasure of perfection. This is true of material issues as well as spiritual virtues - such as closeness to God, attention to God, love for God and spirituality, and treading the divine path. The more you move ahead, the more powerful and delighted you will feel. This path is the path of you dear youth. The country belongs to you. The Army belongs to you. The future belongs to you. Study hard. Engage in research seriously. Try hard to gain experience.

Allah the Exalted has promised that He will assist you if you promote His religion, tread His path and seek divine goals. God's assistance means the assistance of the forces of nature - all of them will help you. Even supernatural forces will come to your aid. You will be assisted, and you will move ahead - just as you have up until today.

You should know that today your country is very different from 10 years ago and that it has made a lot of progress. It has made more progress compared to 20 years ago. It has made even more progress compared to the early years of the Revolution - thirty years ago. This progress is the result of the determined efforts of our nation, our people, our youth, their reliance on Allah the Exalted and their efforts on this holy path. Continue these efforts.

Universities affiliated to the Armed Forces are among the most promising social and scientific centers of this country. This university was named after Shahid Sattari - the honorable, hardworking, active, innovative, faithful and mujahid martyr. During the Sacred Defense Era, before he was appointed as an Air Force commander, Shahid Sattari made many valuable efforts without many people knowing. He also rendered a lot of services as a commander. Similarly, the rest of our dear martyrs - from the Ground Force, the Navy, the Air Force and different other parts of the Armed Forces - rendered great services. You should appreciate this university. The plans should always be up-to-date and forward-looking, and they should be clearly formulated. The honorable teachers should make as many efforts as they can. The dear students should try their hardest. The senior commanders should visit such universities and speak with these dear youth in person. This is beneficial both for them and for these youth. We become dynamic when we look at you dear youth, and you can benefit from the experience of the veterans.

Dear God, by the blessedness of Muhammad (s.w.a.) and his household, bestow Your grace and blessings on these dear youth. Dear God, bestow Your support and assistance on our Armed Forces, the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army, the Police and the Basij.

Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings

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