“Being weak encourages the enemy to take action. We need to grow stronger to prevent war and put a stop to the threats,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Saturday.
“We do not seek to threaten any country or nation; rather, we seek to preserve our country’s national security and prevent threats,” he stressed.
“The Iranian air force during the Pahlavi monarchy was one of the closest forces to the center of power, the court, and the Americans. Their commanders were close to and highly dependent on Americans; yet, at the most critical point in time, the air force acted in favor of the Revolution. They met with Imam Khomeini and vowed allegiance to him. Later, they stood against the Army in defense of the people,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Saturday.
He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian Air force commanders and personnel, which took place to mark the historic allegiance of Iranian Air Force officers with the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini back on February 8, 1979.
Elsewhere, the Leader pointed to the US sanctions on the country, saying “Sanctions against Iran were there from the beginning and have now become intensified. Sanctions are crimes in the true sense of the word, but they can be turned into opportunities and save Iran’s economy from reliance on oil. Reliance on oil leads to ignorance of domestic potential and strengths.”
“Iran must become strong in all fields. One part is the military. We don’t seek to threaten anyone. Rather, our military power is for preventing the enemies’ threats. If you are weak, the enemy will dare to hurt you. We should be strong in order to prevent a war," he stressed.
“If former US presidents were following the evil path of this regime under cover, today, America's deviation, warmongering, sedition, and greed for others’ possessions are overt and carried out under no cover; this path, however, is certainly doomed to failure,” the Leader stressed.
MNA/4847423