Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim
“And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs, [saying], ‘Bring your people out of darkness into light and remind them of the Days of Allah.’”
The early days of the month of Mehr (September 21–October 21) remind us of the “Days of Allah” and of the great and enduring phenomenon of the heroic defense waged by the Iranian people during the first imposed war over eight years. In those days, the warmth radiating from the sun of the Revolution shone across the land of Iran, spreading a profound sense of national solidarity and devotion to the school and path of revolutionary Islam, while the ice left behind by old and new forms of domination and colonialism melted under its influence.
Some members of the Iranian people at that time recalled what had taken place more than two decades earlier, including the hostility of the colonial powers and the events surrounding the nationalization of the oil industry and the American-backed coup. Others had heard accounts of those events, while many had directly experienced the suffering caused by foreign domination over the affairs of our country.
The days that preceded the Revolution were dark days, when the ambassadors of arrogant powers dictated to the Shah what he should and should not do, and he implemented their dictates, willingly or unwillingly, until the great Iranian people’s Revolution, led by the late Imam Khomeini, turned that reality upside down. Thus, those dark days were transformed by the Revolution into bright days that witnessed the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This was an extremely grave development for the powers that sought to dominate and exploit the wealth of this land and had, for years, committed various forms of wrongdoing against its people in pursuit of control. From that point onward, they devoted all their efforts to diverting the great river of the revolutionary people back to its previous course. The first imposed war was their most significant move during the first decade of the Islamic Republic’s blessed existence.
From the flames of that war, which the anti-Iranian Ba’ath regime had ignited under the illusion that it would last only a few days and result in an easy victory, the Islamic system rose like a phoenix—stronger, more resolute, louder in voice and higher in flight than before. This became a recurring characteristic of the system in the subsequent events and schemes engineered by the enemy.
Those days, when the enemy of this people had imposed its agents upon them and subjected them to a modern form of colonialism, were transformed, through the blessing of the Revolution and the raising of the banner of Islam and jihad amid the imposed war, into glorious days. Thirty-eight years after the war ended, the details of those events and the authentic accounts of those who returned from them continue to present us with exemplary figures, each of whom represents a school of worship, courage, resistance, morality and humanity, shining like stars over the history of our country.
Those were days when, at the beginning of the aggression by the forces of domination, our country inherited nothing but empty hands from the tyrannical regime and had to confront numerous threats and defend itself. Through the establishment of truth and divine assistance, those days eventually gave way to an era in which the very aggressors and dominant powers themselves—not merely their proxies—were seeking shelter from the attacks of the Mujahideen of Islam and extending pleas for an end to the war.
The days to which they wish to return our country were filled with backwardness, humiliation, subservience and Iran’s diminished standing in the Islamic world. By contrast, our present days are filled with progress, dignity and independence, and with the highest levels of standing and recognition in the Islamic world and indeed throughout the world. Today, some consider us the fourth great power in the world. Of course, they make such assessments according to worldly calculations. Divine calculations, however, regard as the world’s foremost power a country that considers itself devoted to the Ahl al-Bayt, whose blessings and peace be upon them, whose people are deeply attached to those great figures, and whose people do not fear standing for truth.
In those days, the waters of southern Iran were a field in which enemy forces freely moved. Today, as a result of the painful blows inflicted upon them by courageous Mujahideen and the defenders of the Strait of Hormuz, they no longer advance beyond the Arabian Sea. Whenever they have taken the risk of doing so, they have inflicted harm upon themselves. Soon, the day will come when even the Arabian Sea will be free of them.
There were days when the dominant powers, through psychological warfare and the creation of an atmosphere of intimidation, succeeded in emptying the streets of the capital and carrying out a coup against the people’s aspiration for independence, after which they plundered the country’s wealth for 25 years. Today, however, seven months have passed during which our compatriots have filled squares and streets throughout the country with their responsible and enthusiastic presence, keeping the hearts of the Mujahideen of Islam reassured while plunging the enemy into fear. More than 30 million Iranians have also declared their readiness to sacrifice themselves, and when they were asked to renew their declaration of readiness for organizational purposes, the required number—more than 500,000 people—was reached within the first 100 minutes alone.
Today, throughout the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is adorned by the presence of Iranians from different ethnic groups, declarations of readiness continue in various forms, particularly armed readiness, creating a field that brings them honor and inflicts disgrace upon their enemy.
There were days when the courage of the people of this land was represented primarily by its men. Today, we live in days when women in some arenas of courageous participation are ahead of men.
There were days when the enemy continuously sought to weaken the social base of the system. Today, different segments of society, despite their evident differences, insist on maintaining their rightful positions, including preserving the Strait of Hormuz, which is full of blessings and benefits.
Much more could be said in comparing those past days with our present circumstances. But, in one sentence, I declare, as a servant of the dear people of Iran: those past days to which our enemy wishes to return us are gone and will never return.
I must, with profound pain and sorrow, recall that the presence of the great Imam Khomeini and the great martyr Khamenei, whose leadership has given our country its dignity today, is deeply missed in these days. Yet, by virtue of the precious treasure they left for their followers through their lives and their illuminating and guiding words, the days ahead, God willing, will be even more glorious and greater than the present days.
The phoenix that rose from the ashes of the first imposed war has now grown, as a result of the enemy’s pressures—particularly the two most recent imposed wars—to such an extent that the shadow of its flight now stretches over the enemy’s territory as well.
It is truly fitting on this occasion, and on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of the Commander of the Arabs, the heroic figure and great symbol of the Resistance Front, the noble martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, may God sanctify his pure soul, to remember him. He sincerely wished the best for his people and his school. His truthful and eloquent speeches and his courageous initiatives strengthened the hearts of his people and indeed the hearts of free people throughout the world.
He raised the name of Lebanon, that small country which for years had been turned into a rear arena for certain powers, to a position of greatness. Victory and triumph were his constant companions. Without doubt, throughout the entire history of the Levant and to this day, after the prophets and their successors, no man had emerged from that ancient land who matched him in greatness.
Today, his glorious banner is held by Sheikh Naim Qassem, may God preserve him, who continues along his path with courage, at the forefront of the steadfast and Ashura-inspired ranks of Hezbollah.
In the balance of history, Lebanon’s present days are—and from this very moment will remain—distinguished and glorious days for Lebanon and for all the Mujahideen of the Resistance. They are days that bring humiliation and will ultimately bring disgrace to those who place their hopes in the false promises of the dominant powers and those who seek them harm in confronting the Zionist enemy.
Unlike the martyred Sayyed of the Resistance, Martyr Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, and the current Mujahideen of the Resistance, who will continue to shine throughout history like brilliant stars and serve as guides for those who are lost, searching for the way and caught in confusion, these others will be buried and quickly forgotten from the opening pages turned by history. Whenever they are mentioned in the future, their names will be associated with evil and poor judgment, and perhaps even with treachery.
In conclusion, I remain hopeful, through the continued grace of God and the special prayers of our Master, may Allah hasten his noble reappearance and may our souls be sacrificed for his sake, that the people of Iran and all supporters of the Resistance will encounter nothing but victory, triumph and dignity, while their enemies will face nothing but defeat and humiliation, by the grace and generosity of God.
Sayyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
September 28, 2026
