Iran28 September, 20263 min read
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei Says Enemy’s Past Will Never Return During Sacred Defense Week
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Foreign domination enemies seek will never return. Sacred Defense Week message commemorates Nasrallah’s martyrdom anniversary.
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Khamenei marks Sacred Defense Week
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a message marking Sacred Defense Week and the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Hezbollah Secretary-General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, saying, "As a servant of the dear people of Iran, I declare that those bygone days which our enemy yearns to restore are gone and will never be repeated." Ayatollah Khamenei said the pre-1979 era involved foreign ambassadors dictating domestic policy to the monarch, and he described the post-revolution period as the Islamic system emerging "like a phoenix from the fire, stronger and more elevated than before." Ayatollah Khamenei framed the eight-year imposed war as an adversaries' attempt to reverse Iran's trajectory, and he said the Islamic establishment rose more resilient through subsequent crises and conflicts.
Ayatollah Khamenei also said the banner of resistance is carried forward by Sheikh Naim Qassem at the helm of Hezbollah, in the context of the second anniversary of Nasrallah’s martyrdom. Ayatollah Khamenei tied the message to shifting military balance across regional waterways, saying adversaries no longer venture beyond the Arabian Sea after sustaining severe blows from defenders of the Strait of Hormuz.
Strait of Hormuz and resistance
Ayatollah Khamenei said two seas in southern Iran were once like a "playground" for enemy forces, but he added that they no longer venture beyond the Arabian Sea given "the painful blows they have received" from Iranian combatants and defenders of the Strait of Hormuz. Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that whenever enemy forces took the risk of going beyond the Arabian Sea, they suffered damage themselves, and he said it will not be long before the Arabian Sea is cleared of their presence. The IRGC vowed to continue supporting its so-called "Axis of Resistance" until the "complete liberation of Jerusalem," describing support for the axis as an "eternal, national and humanitarian mission" of the Guards and Iran’s armed forces.
The IRGC linked its doctrine to the Strait of Hormuz, saying control and influence over the waterway represented an achievement of the "Axis of Resistance," while Tehran simultaneously signaled readiness for further diplomacy with Washington over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said on X that he and President Pezeshkian were in New York during the UN General Assembly annual meeting to talk about peace, adding, "We came to forge peace."
Diplomacy signals and future claims
The IRGC said it would continue backing the "Axis of Resistance" and stand firm until the "complete liberation of Jerusalem," and it added that Iran’s armed forces would not retreat "until final victory". Rudaw reported that the Iranian side presented a proposal to the American side for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under certain conditions, and it said US President Donald Trump rejected the Iranian proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Rudaw reported that Trump said on Sunday night that there will be more talks with the Iranian side in the coming weeks, while it also said he did not rule out more strikes before midterm elections.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s message also asserted that the past days the enemy wishes to return have passed and will never be repeated, and it described Iran’s defense capabilities as having "fundamentally changed the balance compared with previous decades." Ayatollah Khamenei further praised women’s prominent role in courageous public participation, and he said various social groups stood behind Iran’s legitimate positions, including its stance on the Strait of Hormuz.