Hawzah News Agency - Before the occasion of the first anniversary of the martyrdoms of Major General Haj Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the family of Martyr Haj Qasem Soleimani and a group of the organizers of the first memorial ceremony to be held to commemorate the martyrs of Resistance met with the Supreme Leader of the Revolution.

In this meeting that was held today, Wednesday morning, Imam Khamenei - the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran – stated that Martyr Soleimani is a hero of the Iranian nation and the Islamic nation, and he said, “The unforgettable funerals of Martyrs Soleimani and Abu Mahdi in Iraq and Iran, which were attended by millions, were the first severe slap to the U.S. However, the more severe slaps to come are “expelling the U.S. from the region” and “subduing the empty program of the Front of Arrogance.”

The Supreme Leader pointed out, “Of course, revenge will be taken on those who ordered the murder and those who carried it out, and this revenge will certainly be taken at the right time.”

Addressing the Iranian officials and nation, Imam Khamenei offered four important pieces of advice, “Be strong in all fields, do not trust the enemy, preserve national unity, and more than thinking about removing the sanctions work on nullifying them.”

His Eminence described the martyrdom of General Soleimani as a historic tragedy that turned him into a national hero for Iranians as well as the Islamic nation. He went on to say, “Martyr Soleimani was the manifestation of Iranian cultural values and Iran.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution defined "courage and resistance" as being two of Martyr Soleimani’s outstanding features.

Imam Khamenei stated that the collection of these Iranian traits and morale that were manifested in Martyr Soleimani - which he displayed in practice in the region’s countries – had paved the way for this martyr to become a hero for the Iranian nation. He explained, “Martyr Soleimani, on the other hand, also became a hero for the Islamic nation. Because this dear man’s efforts, qualities, and martyrdom are the code name for the awakening and mobilization of Resistance in the Islamic world. Wherever there is a base of Resistance against the Front of Arrogance, their code name is ‘Martyr Soleimani.’"

The Supreme Leader went on to state, “Martyr Soleimani promoted the program of Resistance and the model of struggle among Islamic nations.”

Stressing that Martyr Soleimani defeated the Front of Arrogance both during his lifetime and with his martyrdom, Imam Khamenei said, “The President of the United States admitted that they spent seven trillion dollars in the region and failed to achieve anything. Eventually, he had to visit a US military base in Iraq in the dark of the night and that only for a few hours. The whole world realizes that the United States has not achieved its goals in Syria, and especially not in Iraq.”

His Eminence said, “General Soleimani is the champion of this major task which was done during his lifetime.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out that the enemy was defeated even after the martyrdom of General Soleimani and he explained, “The unforgettable funerals attended by millions for Martyrs Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Iraq and Iran in addition to the commemoration ceremonies of these two Martyrs astonished the generals of the Arrogant Powers’ soft war. It was the first severe slap to the face of the U.S.”

Imam Khamenei pointed out that another slap to the face of the U.S. was the missile attack on the U.S. Ain al-Assad military base and stated, “The yet more severe slaps to come are subduing the shallow hegemony of the Front of Arrogance, which requires the efforts of our revolutionary youth and faithful elites, as well as expelling the U.S. from the region, which requires the efforts of all nations and the policy of Resistance.”

Imam Khamenei emphasized, "Of course, these severe slaps are different from taking revenge. Because revenge must be taken on those who ordered the murder of General Soleimani as well as those who did it. And this revenge will certainly be taken at the right time; although, as a dear one said, 'Soleimani's shoe is more valuable than the head of his murderer.'"

Elsewhere in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution made some important recommendations to the officials and the people of Iran. As his first recommendation, Imam Khamenei stated, “We must be strong in all areas, including economics, science, technology, and defense. Because the enemies will not give up their greed, aggression, and invasions until we become strong.”

In his second recommendation, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “I strongly advise that you do not trust the enemy. Do not trust any of their promises regarding solving the problems of the people and the future of the country.”

Imam Khamenei reminded his audience. “You saw what the U.S. did to you under Trump and what they did under Obama. The hostilities are not particular to Trump's America for this to end when he leaves office. Obama's America was also malicious to you and the Iranian nation.”

 Imam Khamenei also pointed out, “Three European countries too, have displayed a total lack of commitment and extreme malice, duplicity, and hypocrisy.”

Referring to the sanctions against Iran, the Supreme Leader stated, “The lifting of sanctions is in the hands of the enemy, but nullifying them is in our hands. Thus, we need to focus more on nullifying them than on having them lifted.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added, “Of course, we do not mean that we should not seek to have the sanctions lifted, because if the sanctions can be lifted, we should not hesitate for even an hour. However, this has been delayed for four years now. Since 2016 when all sanctions were supposed to be lifted at once, not only have they not been lifted, they have even increased.”

As a final point, Imam Khamenei told his audience, “If the sanctions can be lifted in a correct, wise, Iranian-Islamic, dignified manner, this should be done. But our main focus should be on neutralizing the sanctions, and the initiative for this is in your hands."