Imam Khamenei: General Soleimani’s Martyrdom Manifested Iran’s Glory, Backfired On US

By Staff, Agencies

Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei said the US viewed the martyrdom of legendary anti-terror commander Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani as a threat to Iran, but the Iranian people turned it into an opportunity with their religious zeal.

“The wrong calculations of the United States are still going on, and the example of this is the martyrdom of Martyr Soleimani,” Imam Khamenei said in a speech on the anniversary of the popular uprising in the holy city of Qom against the former US-backed Pahlavi regime in 1978. 

“They thought that by eliminating this martyr, the great movement of the Iranian nation would be extinguished, but we saw the enormous movement that took place this year on the second anniversary of his martyrdom,” His Eminence explained.

“Who was behind it? It was the work and hand of the divine power that created this huge movement and expression of devotion.”

"The calculating system of the enemies is certainly lax and impaired, and they cannot have a correct assessment of the Islamic Republic and thus, they make wrong decisions and fail, and they will fail again from now on,” the Leader added.

Imam Khamenei said the deep animosity of the United States with the Islamic Republic stems from the Iranian people’s religious zeal.

“Maintain this religious zeal. The factor of saving the country in different trying times is the religious zeal of the Iranian nation. It is the religious zeal that turns threats into opportunities,” he added.

“An example of this was the eight-year imposed war and defense, in which the religious zeal of the youth, fathers, mothers, sisters and wives led the youth to go to the front and win this international war, in which the enemies all worked together to defeat the Imam and the movement. The source was this religious zeal,” the Leader said.

Imam Khamenei was referring to the war of the 1980s by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein who invaded Iran with support from the US and other countries in a bid to stamp out Iran’s nascent revolution led by the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini.

“At the present time, no one thought that – and even our friends did not think that - the martyrdom of Martyr Soleimani which was really a historical and unusual event would assume this much magnificence and that God Almighty would give it glory and exhibit the real identity of the Iranian people and their unity under the coffin of Martyr Soleimani to everyone," His Eminence said.