TEHRAN – Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, met on Sunday with a number of top Iranian military officials. 

In the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei, who is also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, addressed a variety of issues related to the Iranian Armed Forces and the enemy’s plots against Tehran. 

He underlined that “the enemy can be defeated despite its seemingly solid calculations and military power,” according to a readout by khameneir.ir.

The Leader expressed satisfaction with the continuous movement and progress that is taking place within the country’s armed forces, advising them to not be satisfied with any level of strength and progress and to advance forward without stopping.

Ayatollah Khamenei also drew attention to the war-mongering efforts of evil international forces in different parts of the world, outlining that the arrogant powers start a conflict from behind the scenes whenever they believe that something will serve their interests.

“Focusing on the enemy's long-term plans” was another important point that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized to the commanders and senior officials of the Armed Forces.

“Paying close attention to the enemy's five or ten-year plans is good and necessary, but its mid-term and long-term plans should also be considered and monitored,” he said.

Ayatollah Khamenei also touched on the U.S. wars against Iraq and Afghanistan, both neighbors of Iran. The ultimate goal of these wars was Iran, the Leader said.

In the run-up to the Iraq war of 2003, there was a quip among the neo-conservatives in Washington that was emblematic of the U.S. plots against Iran: “Everyone wants to go to Baghdad; real men want to go to Tehran.”
The Iraq war was intended to be a short message to Iran that it was next. But things didn’t go as the neo-conservatives wished. 

 Ayatollah Khamenei indicated that the U.S. failed in fulfilling the message. 

Referring to the two wars that the United States started in the east and west of Iran about two decades ago, the Commander-in-Chief said that the Americans had interests in Iraq and Afghanistan, but their ultimate goal was the Islamic Iran. 

However, due to the very strong foundations of the Islamic Revolution, they failed in these events and in their ultimate purpose, the Leader remarked.

Referring to this fact, Ayatollah Khamenei added “therefore, the enemy can be defeated despite its seemingly solid calculations and military power."

He cited the current situation that the Zionist regime is grappling with as another example of such failures. “Last year, the Zionist regime's anti-Palestinian operation in the month of Ramadan was not met with any particular reaction in the world, but this year there are demonstrations against its crimes, even in the United States and England.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution considered it important not to neglect the enemy, while at the same time, believing in its vincibility. “At no stage should we be negligent with respect to the enemy’s tricks and plots,” he said.

At the conclusion of his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei called on the intellectual centers and elements of the Armed Forces to continuously and innovatively devise strong, rational, and path-breaking strategies and policies.

Prior to the Leader’s speech, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, gave a report on the plans and actions of the Armed Forces in various dimensions.