Leader Lauds Iranian Armed Forces’ Capabilities, Spiritual Motivations

The only armed forces in the world that have spiritual motives as well as effective capabilities, and act with political independence, are the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said in a gathering of top military commanders in Tehran on Sunday.

Noting that there are “ceremonial and decorative” armies in the world that have no operational capabilities and whose sole purpose is protecting the ruling regimes, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the armies of certain countries in the region that have been targeting the people of Yemen for more than a year without gaining anything, as examples of such armed forces.

Another group of armed forces are those with supposedly high military capabilities, while their agenda in action is “sheer militarism, lack of logic and ruthlessness”, the Leader explained.

The US army’s performance in Iraq and Afghanistan was the very epitome of an army with sheer militaristic nature, Imam Khamenei said, adding, “Such armed forces have no qualms about employing professional criminal forces such as ‘Black Water’ if they fall short of their objectives in the battlefield.”

The Leader then made it clear that the military forces in Iran are neither ceremonial nor an unrestrained, illogical power.

The Iranian Armed Forces belong not to a specific individual or faction, but to the nation and country, protecting the national security, Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader then stressed the need for the simultaneous reinforcement of operational military capabilities and spiritual motives of the Armed Forces.