Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei made the remark in a meeting with teenage students from the two provinces of Tehran and Alborz before they embark on a Rahian-e Noor journey to the former war zones in the southwest of the country.
In the meeting, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said “the reason an 8-year war was imposed by Saddam's Ba'th regime was due to the splendour and dignity of the revolution. When the Islamic Revolution was created, the splendour of this revolution petrified powerful global enemies of Iran.”
“US and EU major powers, like Britain, France, Italy and Germany, all backed Saddam and helped him in every possible way. At the beginning of the war, Saddam's army had limited equipment. Over time, despite being involved in the war, Saddam's equipment multiplied,” the Leader of the Islamic Republic stated, adding “the USSR—which was anti-US then—stood with the U.S. on the war against Iran because USSR had many Muslim republics and the Islamic Revolution would remind those republics of their Islamic Identity.”
Referring to the role the European countries played in the imposed war on Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei “France provided Saddam with the most advanced jets and helicopters. Germany provided his regime with the most poisonous chemicals to be used in the war. Those who now attack some group over accusations of using chemicals once openly provided Saddam with chemicals for making bombs.”
The Leader stressed the need for remembering the sacrifices that all the martyrs and veterans made in defending the country against the aggressors and hailed the role that Rahian-e Noor Caravans can play in reminding the new generations of the sacrifices that those beloved people made for their country.
Rahian-e Noor (Travelers to Light) is a group of religious and political caravans which travel between visiting zones in south and southwestern in Iran to commemorate Iranian efforts and lives lost in the Iran–Iraq War. The caravans of Rahian-e Noor typically travel to war zones around the time of Nowruz - the Iranian New Year - and during summer vacation.
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