Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks on Tuesday during a ceremony at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiya in Tehran to mark the 40th day since the martyrdom of those killed in the war. The event was attended by families of the fallen, government officials, and people from various walks of life.
He said the war served as an occasion for the Islamic Republic to display its willpower and capabilities, stressing that the root cause of enmity toward Iran lies in the nation’s “faith, knowledge, and unity.”
“The Global Arrogance, led by America, opposes your religion and your knowledge,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “They are against this widespread faith of [our] people, their unity under the banner of Islam and the Qur’an, and they are against your knowledge.”
“These events were not unprecedented for us,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “The Islamic Republic, in addition to the eight-year imposed war, has faced numerous incidents over the past 46 years, including coup d’état, and different military, political, and security plots .”
The nation has thwarted all previous plots against it, he said.
The Leader’s remarks come in the wake of Israel’s June 13 aggression targeting senior Iranian officials and nuclear scientists in an act of terrorism that killed scores of civilians as well. Days later, the United States escalated the war by bombing three civilian nuclear facilities in Iran.
In a powerful response, Iranian Armed Forces launched retaliatory strikes on strategic Israeli targets across the occupied territories and also hit the al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military outpost in West Asia.
Iran’s coordinated operations forced a halt to the aggression by June 24.
Ayatollah Khamenei dismissed Western claims over Iran’s nuclear program and human rights as mere pretexts, saying the real concern of the enemies is the Islamic Republic’s growing power.
“Our nation, by divine grace, will never abandon its religion or its knowledge,” he said. “We will take great strides in strengthening our faith and deepening our scientific advancement.”
Much to the enemy’s dismay, we will be able to raise Iran to the pinnacle of advancement and pride.