Khamenei.ir - Ahead of the National Day of the Army, commanders and senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Army as well as a group of commanders and staff members of the Ground Forces met with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution—Ayatollah Khamenei—this afternoon April 17, 2019.


While meeting with the commanders of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army and Ground Forces today (Wednesday), Ayatollah Khamenei—the Leader of the Islamic Revolution— called today’s Army more committed to the religion and more efficient than ever before, and praised the vital and effective involvement of the Army and the Armed Forces in providing relief to the flood-stricken areas. His Eminence stressed the need for increased unity among the Armed Forces, regarding as favorable the gesture of fraternity between the Army and the IRGC that came after the U.S.'s blatant act against the IRGC in designating the organization as a terrorist entity. Ayatollah Khamenei the reminded his audience by stating that: Any action that infuriates the enemy is appropriate and correct; whereas, any action that makes the enemy more blatant and stronger in spirit must be avoided.

Congratulating the honorable staff of the Army and their families on the National Day of the Army and Ground Forces in this meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei regarded the Armed Forces as symbols and elements of national power and added: Of course, in many countries, even in the countries that claim to advocate freedom and human rights, the Armed Forces are agents of dictators’ authority and confronting the nations, an example of which can be seen in the case of Saturdays in Paris [yellow vests movement].

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution dubbed the Armed Forces as ‘security guards for the nation’ according to the logic of Islam and the Islamic Republic, and went on to say: During a war, the Armed Forces stand up to the enemy’s invasion with knowledge, experience, and self-sacrifice, defeating the enemy and making it to retreat. At the time of peace, the army brings reassurance and peace of mind to the nation with complete preparedness and efficacy. That is why the enemies seek to disturb the people’s peace of mind by presenting the Armed Forces as distressed.

He referred to the relief operation by the Army and the Armed Forces for the people during natural disasters as an effective and vital involvement and asserted: In the recent floods, the Armed Forces engaged in assisting the people with their full potentials and capacities, to the point that in the province of Golestan the Army presented themselves in the area even before the Crisis Management Organization.