Maj Gen Amir Hatami, the commander-in-chief of the Iranian military vowing defiance against the US and Israel, in a televised interview on the IRGC affiliated Fars News stated “We assure the dear people of Iran that with all our being, to the last drop of blood, and until the realisation of complete victory, we will continue our sacred mission of defending the territorial integrity, national independence, and the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Underscoring the Artesh’s (Iranian armed forces) religious mindset, he said “What gives us confidence in victory and capability is faith and belief. This has deep roots in Islamic Iran. Our main power is this power of faith,” adding that it is through the military’s staunch belief in the values of an Islamic Iran that its obsolete F-5 fighter jets are able to compete and take down the far more sophisticated US systems, stationed in Gulf states such as Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.
He added “It is this power of faith that can so confuse the enemy that they mistakenly target their own aircraft. Otherwise, it is fundamentally incomparable to compare an F-5 with fighters like the F-35 and F-15.
“We fight for victory, but we also consider martyrdom as a great blessing. As the founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, said — whether martyrdom or victory, in either case, we are victorious.
“Through religious upbringing in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army and the entire armed forces, this great mission has been well understood, and its importance is clear to us,” he said.
Gen Hatami added that the Artesh will defend the nation and its people with all its being “to the last drop of blood, and God willing, until the realisation of complete victory, we will continue this sacred mission.”
“The armed forces will safeguard the territorial integrity, national independence, and the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran with all their might.”
