In Praise of That Great Man of History

“10 Mehr” Group

In the early hours of Saturday, February 28, the body of a man fell to the ground who had been a pillar of the structure of our revolution and of our territorial integrity. This time the criminal enemy stained the soil of our country with the pure blood of a fighter who spent both his youth and old age in the cause of Iran’s dignity and independence. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the martyred leader of the revolution and the great leader of the Shiites of the world, just as he lived consciously and with full awareness of the intensity of the enmity of Iran’s criminal enemies, never for a moment abandoned the trench of struggle and never feared death. His great name will remain immortal at the summit of Iran’s glorious history and will be recorded in the annals of the world as the country’s most outstanding national hero. Through experience he had come to understand that in the culture and beliefs of Iranians, the honorable death of the religious and political leaders of the people unleashes their creative energies in confrontation with their enemies. The eruption of anger among the millions of Iranian masses and their determination to shatter the strongholds of their enemies following the assassination of their leader by the most treacherous killers in history is precisely that historical reality which has always remained hidden from the eyes of traitors and enemies of the Iranian people.

At a time when a handful of clowns, madmen, and contemptible thieves rule the political world of the Western lands, Ayatollah Khamenei, in the role of an enlightened human being, a tireless fighter, a wise statesman, and a patient and high-minded leader, played a key role in the growth and dynamism of the emerging future world in the global South. This wise man, with his deep understanding of the political trends governing the world, succeeded in turning our country into the principal pole of resistance against the imperialist and Zionist system. He is one of the renowned figures of Iranian history who, with his multidimensional personality, both cultivated the spirit of awareness and combativeness among the present and future generations of the country and encouraged the spirit of inquiry, scientific creativity, and attention to history, poetry, and national literature.

Yet in the midst of the battlefield of struggle and national resistance, he faced hostility, obstruction, and opposition from capitalists and owners of great wealth within the country, who believed that the path to the country’s survival lay not in continuing the revolutionary struggle but in submission to the imperialist powers of the West, foremost among them the United States. In a period of transition toward a multipolar world, he correctly believed that preserving Iran’s independence and territorial integrity depended on preserving the entire system of the Islamic Republic. For this reason he was sometimes compelled to observe considerations that occasionally worked contrary to his revolutionary aspirations and objectives. For him, safeguarding and advancing the revolution was possible only on the basis of national unity against imperialism. It was precisely from this perspective that he was able, for nearly four decades, to preserve Iran’s independence and territorial integrity against both external and internal enemies.

The enemies of Iran, aware of such fissures within the country’s political and social structure, believed that eliminating Iran’s leader and commander-in-chief would enable them to achieve their sinister goals of destroying Iran. They — and unfortunately many opportunist “leftists” who advocate American-style “democracy” and “human rights” — believed, and still believe, that with the martyrdom and removal of the revolutionary leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, they can now install in his place a compromising liberal and pro-Western leadership. Traitors to the country, foremost among them Reza Pahlavi, have also participated in these fantasies — and undoubtedly in the perpetration of this great crime, the killing of Iran’s senior military commanders, children, and civilians, and the destruction of the country — and they must answer for it before the people of Iran.

The heroic defense by Iran’s armed forces over the past six days in defending the country’s soil, and the uprising of large groups of patriotic Iranian people against the enemy, have also demonstrated that the calculations of Iran’s foreign and domestic enemies were mistaken. Now, as Iranians stand in the fields of defense and resistance, they move toward choosing the successor to their martyred leader. We hope that the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran will turn the illusions of domestic and foreign enemies — and the naïve friends of Iran — into despair and disappointment by choosing a leader committed to the revolutionary and anti-imperialist line of the martyred leader of Iran’s revolution. Contrary to the expectations and desires of Iran’s enemies, we hope that the future leader of the revolution will be chosen from among those who, drawing upon past experience, will stand firm against external enemies and against the political and economic conspiracies of their internal collaborators. There is no doubt that with the continuation of Iran’s resistance in this unequal war, the balance of power in the region and the world will shift against imperialism and in favor of the global front of resistance.

We express our condolences for the passing of Iran’s esteemed leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family to all the noble and faithful people of Iran who have been the great foundation for preserving the ideals of the revolution and defending the homeland. We also renew our longstanding covenant with the people of our homeland to defend the country’s existence and to safeguard the independence and territorial integrity of our beloved nation.