TEHRAN – Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, met with a number of Iranian martyrs’ families, including the family of the late General Qassem Soleimani. 

The gathering at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah marked the eve of the fifth anniversary of the martyrdom of General Soleimani and his close comrade Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

During the meeting, the Leader emphasized that lessons drawn from General Soleimani’s exemplary characteristics should guide efforts toward the main objective of his school of thought, which is "the realization of Islam and the Quran."

Ayatollah Khamenei also paid tribute to the esteemed status of martyrs and those who have defended sacred values. "If it weren’t for the pure blood of the martyrs, there would be no sign of our shrines, or any of the sacred sites today," he stated.

The Leader characterized General Soleimani as a noble fighter and a cherished companion, highlighting his initiative and his courageous, swift, and timely presence on the battlefield as defining traits of the General.

Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted General Soleimani's pivotal role in combating the United States' evildoings in Afghanistan and Iraq since the early 2000s. “The main goal behind the U.S. occupation of these two countries was to encircle Iran. However, General Soleimani, unfearful of America's apparent might, stepped into the field, and ultimately, those occupations led to America's defeat and the foiling of that grand conspiracy,” he asserted.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the Americans’ objective in occupying Iraq as replacing Saddam Hussein with themselves and said, “The Americans had come to stay, but [General Soleimani] and his companions played a crucial role in enabling the Iraqi people to take control of their destiny through a difficult, complex, and lengthy process involving a hybrid political, military, propaganda, and cultural war.”

The Leader of the Revolution described the defeat of the US-created Daesh terrorist group as another result of the general’s presence on the battlefield.
“In confronting Takfiri terrorism, the Iraqi youth truly shone, but in thwarting that plot—upon which the life and death of the region depended—Soleimani, with his initiative, courage, self-sacrifice, and strength, played an unparalleled role.”

Ayatollah Khamenei then referred to the fatwa issued by the Iraqi maraji’ on the necessity of standing against Daesh, saying, “Thousands of young people responded to that important fatwa and came to the field, but they lacked organization and weapons.”

General Soleimani went on, with the help of prominent Iraqi fighters, especially the late Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was a very great and valuable person, organized, armed, and trained those youths.

He further said General Soleimani constantly strove to “revitalize the Resistance Front”. “Soleimani’s outstanding characteristic was his exceptional use of the capacities, active youth, and national forces of Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq to revitalize the Resistance in the best possible manner.”

During the meeting, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution also highlighted the preparedness of millions of young Iranians to sacrifice their lives in defense of Islam. “The Defenders of the Shrine have shown that despite the investments and heavy costs incurred by adversaries, the flag of Resistance remains aloft. The enemy has not been able to and will not be able to lower the flag of Resistance in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the necessity of preserving the factors of national power to ensure a country's ongoing resistance and authority. He underscored that devout and self-sacrificing youth are the most important factors for a country’s stability and strength, asserting that such youths should not be removed from the scene.

“If the devout and self-sacrificing youth are removed from the scene a situation akin to that of Syria will arise, leading to chaos and the occupation of its land by foreign invaders such as the U.S., the Zionist regime, and other transgressive countries,” he added.

The Leader regarded the ongoing presence of invading occupiers in Syria to be untenable. “Syria belongs to the people of Syria, and those who violate its sovereignty will undoubtedly be compelled to withdraw one day in the face of the power of the brave Syrian youth,” he stated.

Referring to the continuous construction of U.S. bases in Syria, he added that, “The transgressor must leave the land belonging to a nation, otherwise they will be expelled. Consequently, the US bases will definitely be trampled under the feet of Syrian youth.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that the ultimate victory belongs to the believers. “Lebanon is a symbol of Resistance. Even though it has suffered blows, it has not faltered and will ultimately emerge victorious. Likewise, Yemen is also a symbol of Resistance and will achieve victory. God willing, the transgressive enemies, led by the greedy and criminal US, will have no choice but to take their hands off the people and nations of the region and withdraw in humiliation,” he stated.

Elsewhere in his statements, Ayatollah Khamenei elaborated on Qassem Soleimani’s school of thought. “This school of thought is the same as the school of thought of Islam and the Quran, which Martyr Soleimani adhered to, becoming a ‘criterion, center, and axis.’ If we too embody this same faith and engage in righteous deeds, we can become like Soleimani and become recipients of divine grace.”

The Leader also spoke about the important issue of defending the holy shrines, for which the blood of righteous individuals has been shed. He remarked that “Some individuals, due to a ‘lack of understanding, recognition, and proper analysis’ of the situation, mistakenly believe and state that considering the recent events in the region, the blood that was shed in defense of the holy shrines has been in vain. These beliefs and remarks are a grave error, for had not been for the brave struggle of Haj Qasem and the Defenders of the Holy Shrines, today there would be no signs of the holy shrines, whether in Zeinabiyah or even in Karbala and Najaf.”

He added: “Once, there was some negligence in Samarra, and the Takfiris, with the help of America, destroyed the dome and shrine of the Askari Imams. If it weren’t for the self-sacrifice of faithful young men, other holy shrines would have met the same tragic fate.”

The Leader described the essence of defending the sanctuaries as not only protecting a sacred place but also defending the owner of that place and the school of the noble Imams. He said, “In Quranic culture, any blood lost anywhere in the path of truth and God, even if victory is not achieved, is never wasted and is valued by God. Just as the blood of Hamza in the Battle of Uhud and, above all, the blood of Imam Hussain (pbuh) in Karbala were not wasted.”

Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized: “Of course, victory is certain, and one should not be deceived by the current movements and maneuvers of falsehood.”