“Today, a major front of wicked enemies is confronting the Islamic Establishment and the objective of all of them is putting an end to or hollowing out the Islamic Republic,” the Leader said in a New Year meeting with the country’s senior officials on Monday.
Hence, any effort to hamper the enemies’ moves aimed at undermining the Establishment is “Taqarrub ilallah (striving to get closer to God),” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Leader further highlighted the Iranian people’s self-sacrifices made in different stages since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, saying that the people’s motivation has been religious.
Had it not been for their Islamic motivation, those many young Iranians would not have forsaken the comfort of home and family life to go to the war fronts during the Sacred Defense era (1980-88 Iraqi imposed war on Iran), Ayatollah Khamenei said.
“Today, too, some youths with the same sacred motivations insist on taking part in the field of fighting the Takfiri current and defending (holy sites),” Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say, referring to the fighters who risk their lives to defend holy shrines in Iraq and Syria against attacks by Takfiri terrorist groups like Daesh (ISIL or ISIS).