Hawzah News Agency- Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's former envoy to Afghanistan and Iraq, spoke to Hawzah News Agency's correspondent in Tehran regarding the martyred Leader's role in bolstering the country's defense and security infrastructure.
"Following the end of the eight-year imposed war, many IRGC forces believed their mission had concluded and that they should pursue further education and other endeavors," Kazemi Qomi stated. "However, the late Imam Khomeini (RA) stressed that the country still needed each and every one of these forces. We clearly witnessed the realization of that foresight during the martyred Leader's tenure."
He noted that the martyred Leader viewed the reinforcement of defense and security capabilities as a fundamental pillar of national sovereignty. "His first strategic move was the adoption of asymmetric warfare doctrine—a doctrine that, in today's material world, has enabled the Islamic Republic to withstand internal and external threats and emerge victorious from hybrid and unequal wars."
Kazemi Qomi added: "Today, we observe the fruits of this doctrine on the battlefield, where the Islamic Republic, with minimal resources and maximum efficiency, has managed to achieve major and intelligent successes against its enemies."
Cohesive Command Structure and Mission-Oriented Armed Forces
He highlighted the cohesive management of the armed forces as another hallmark of the martyred Leader's command era. "By precisely defining the missions of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, the Law Enforcement Command (Faraja), the Ministry of Defense, and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, he organized these entities not as parallel forces, but as complementary components," Kazemi Qomi said. "In air, naval, offensive, and defensive domains, each branch was assigned its specific mission."
People-Centered Security Paradigm
The former ambassador pointed to the martyred Leader's commitment to making national security people-centered. "He consistently emphasized the strengthening of the Basij, so that this popular institution could play a role not only in defense and security but also across various social spheres," he stated. "Today, the defense and security power of the Islamic Republic rests upon the people—a significant achievement of this approach."
Defense Diplomacy Beyond Threat Confrontation
Kazemi Qomi identified defense and security diplomacy as another key focus area for the martyred Leader. "He believed that defense diplomacy is not confined to countering threats; rather, it must establish military partnerships, reduce hostilities, and attract new partners to ensure sustainable security," he said. "The Islamic Republic has achieved considerable success in this arena."
The Rise of Resistance Diplomacy
Turning to the martyred Leader's role in shaping resistance diplomacy, Kazemi Qomi asserted: "Today, the Resistance stands firm against the designs of the global arrogance front and the Zionist regime. The recent imposed war was not merely designed to topple or disintegrate Iran; it was the launch of a project to reshape regional equations, normalize ties with the Zionist regime, and cement American hegemony. However, the Resistance Front—empowered, in the words of the martyred Leader, by Martyr General Qassem Soleimani—managed to foil these schemes."
Indigenization of Defense Industries Amid Crippling Sanctions
He described the indigenization of defense industries as another major achievement of the martyred Leader's era. "At a time when the Islamic Republic was denied even a single strand of barbed wire, his insistence propelled the country's defense industries to a level of capability where, today, they possess effective deterrence and response power against the US-led coalition, the Zionist regime, and even NATO."
Emphasizing the policy of non-reliance on foreign powers in the defense sector, Kazemi Qomi said: "The martyred Leader consistently emphasized the domestic production and mass manufacturing of military equipment. It was precisely this approach that enabled the Islamic Republic, during the recent military and security conflicts, to deliver appropriate responses to enemy threats by relying on indigenous capabilities."
He further noted: "Despite the damage sustained by some of the country's defense infrastructure during the war, the equipment production process never halted—even under wartime conditions—and accelerated further following the ceasefire."
Untapped Potential and the Road Ahead
In conclusion, Kazemi Qomi asserted: "The Islamic Republic has yet to deploy the full extent of its defensive capacities and asymmetric weaponry. Given the untrustworthy nature of the enemy, the country's armed forces will continue—based on the martyred Leader's guidelines—to pursue the development of defense capabilities, domestic production, the utilization of knowledge-based companies, and coordination between scientific centers and defense industries. We clearly observed the effects of this approach during the recent war in battlefield management and the rapid adaptation to shifting enemy tactics."
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