Pars Today

Dear listeners, we have said several times that the Iraqi dictator Saddam’s main goal of initiating the 8-year war and invading Iran was to overthrow the Islamic Republic system. He pursued other goals, too. But, he and his masters in Washington, Moscow, Tel Aviv and Europe didn’t reach any of their goals.

As a reminder, we discussed various characteristics of Basij volunteer forces which led to the victory of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Holy Defence (the 8-year imposed war). Today we are going to continue the discussion.

The operation for breaking the siege of Abadan, Liberation of Khorrmashahr, crossing the turbulent Arvand River in Val-Fajr 8 Operation and the conquest of Faw Peninsula were among the surprise operations that took place with the bravery of young Basiji forces. The long years of the war set the ground for Imam Khomeini to explicate and put into practice of the Islamic views on defence. Therefore, the Iranian nation became familiar with the culture of Jihad and martyrdom. As a result, the Ba’athist enemy failed in achieving any of its goals of the war. During the 8-year war, the Iranian combatants launched nearly 100 small and great operations. The operational upper hand was in Iran’s authority for approximately 6.5 years. Imam Khomeini said o this, “We are boastful that in this long and unequal battle, we have achieved victory only with reliance on the weapon of faith, trust in Great God, the prayer of Imam Mahdi (May God hasten his reappearance), self-confidence and the endeavour of the brave men and women on the warfront. And we thank God that we are not indebted to any power, country or superpower. And our experienced people, with trust in God and seeking His help, have overcome many problems alone in terms of designing, operation, mobilization and training of forces to the need for arms. And in addition to gaining miraculous successes in the scenes of defence of the Islamic country, pulling out the invaders from thousands of kilometers, we have achieved spectacular industrial developments such as launching of factories and changing the production lines, manufacturing and invention of scores of advanced and modern military devices, and that without the presence of any advisor or foreign helper.”

The 8-year imposed war caused myriads of problems for the Iranian people and the government. This caused the hidden talents of the young generation to flourish in various fields. Thus, with reliance on people’s capabilities, Iran stood firmly against the enemies of humanity. Gradually, the Iranian nation turned into the producer of sophisticated equipment and arms. The war caused the military and defence industry of to develop in the country, especially in the field of missile technology. In some period in the war, only half of Iran’s military industry was active, yet Iran managed to administer the needs of the battlefield despite cruel sanctions that had been imposed by big powers, especially the Great Satan, the US. With the relentless efforts of great and selfless martyrs like Hassan Shafizadeh and Hassan Tehrani Moqaddam, the ammunition for the artillery were gradually made and this led to greater breakthroughs in the fidl of missile industry. Little by little, the Islamic Republic succeeded to indigenize Scud B, Taw missiles and make native missiles like Shahab2 with one thousand kilometers range. Then Iran entered other areas of defence technology and made coast-to-sea missiles. Moreover, the Islamic Republic succeeded to produce the fuselage of some helicopters like Cobra and 313 transportation aircraft. In later phases, Iran gained the know-how for manufacturing a various parts of warplanes. Today, Iran is self-sufficient in over 90% of its military needs and defence industry and is even able to export many items.

Among the valuable achievements of the Holy Defence were the experiences that Iran gained in management, particularly in the field of designing, guidance and execution of different operations. As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei put it, “The 8-year war has been an unending treasury.” The war turned young combatants into great experienced generals whose military designs dumfounded top brasses in the world. Some of those brave youths attained martyrdom; while others lived to transfer their precious experiences to the next generations.

No doubt, the most prominent feature of the Holy Defence was the unmatched leadership of Imam Khomeini as the commander-in-chief of the war. This was the greatest strong point of Iran. The Iranian people loved him deep in heart and were ready to sacrifice their life for him and his cause. The Imam was indeed the fulcrum of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic. As it has been said in earlier episodes of this series, Imam Khomeini said in the beginning of the war that the war was a bounty for us. The war acted as en engine to awaken the dormant talents of the Iranian nation and turn it into an independent power.

The Imam strongly believed in the Iranian people and the people believed in his honesty, prudence, foresight and wisdom. As Imam Khomeini was not afraid of anyone, he inspired this spirit among the Iranian people, too. So, they believed in their capacities and made their utmost effort to turn the potentials into practice. Imam Khomeini (God’s mercy upon him) gave the people the motive to pursue lofty goals without fearing the bullying powers. Next time, you will hear the final episode of this series.

RM/SS