"Iran lost all wars in the Qajar and Pahlavi eras" and "the victory of the Islamic Republic in the war is as bright as the sun," said Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a speech to the military today marking the 40th anniversary of the Iraq-Iran war. .
Mr. Khamenei added that during the eight-year war, "not a single inch of the country's territory could be separated and the enemy could not harm the revolution."
At the time of the ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq war, about 2,600 square kilometers of Iranian territory remained under Iraqi occupation, which two years later, after invading Kuwait and on the eve of a military confrontation with the United States and its allies, withdrew from all occupied territories Meeting.
"At the beginning of the war," we did not have military facilities and the enemy knew to a large extent and was encouraged to attack, "the Iranian leader said. Ayatollah Khamenei said, "The documents that emerged later proved that the United States had agreements with Saddam before the war began."
He continued: "The IRGC was also a one-year institution, it was incomplete in terms of military equipment, many were unfamiliar with those who took responsibility, and we lost many at the beginning of the war."
Ayatollah Khamenei described the management of the war as "prudent and indicative of rationality" and said: "The organizational army was in place and the IRGC was a new element of the revolution that worked together and after the escape of Abul Hassan Bani Sadr, this cooperation became more complete."
After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, most of the senior commanders of the army were dismissed and many of them were imprisoned or executed, and the import of Iranian weapons from the United States was stopped. On the eve of the invasion of Iraq, the Iranian army was far from its usual organizational order and training for a long time.
Ayatollah Khamenei called the adoption of UN Resolution 598, which the former Iranian leader interpreted as drinking a cup of poison, "prudent" and added that it should have been done at that time, and "if it were not wise, the Imam would not have done it."
This emphasis comes at a time when, for more than a decade, many politicians and media outlets close to the Iranian leader have considered the adoption of Resolution 598 in July 1988 imposed and due to the incompatibility of politicians at the time with Mr. Khomeini's uncompromising views.
Mr. Khamenei noted that "the leadership, guidance and command of Imam Khomeini during the war were unparalleled in determination," lamenting that "the role of the Imam in writings and discussions related to the war has been neglected."
He also emphasized in part that "we have gained progress and freshness from the war" and that "the war has introduced us to the embellished nature of the West."
In today's speech on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the war, the Iranian leader spoke from a distance to others.
During the speech, the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, the governors of the army, the Revolutionary Guards, the police and the ministers of Islamic guidance and science and research gathered in a hall in Tehran to listen to the remarks of the Iranian leader.
