RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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TEHRAN- The General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has vowed to continue confronting the United States and Israel until the “complete defeat” of its adversaries and the fulfillment of the Iranian people’s legitimate demands.
In a statement issued Sunday to mark the anniversary of the return of Iranian prisoners of war following the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, the General Staff paid tribute to former POWs, war veterans and their families, portraying the legacy of the conflict as a cornerstone of Iran’s national identity and a continuing source of resilience.
The statement described the eight-year conflict, known in Iran as the Sacred Defense, as a defining chapter in the country’s modern history and said the experience had reinforced values of self-reliance, resistance to oppression, independence and national solidarity.
According to the statement, those principles have been passed on to younger generations, who have continued to confront overwhelming US military power. The General Staff said the determination of Iranian youth had helped transform the legacy of wartime resistance into a continuing national commitment to defend the country’s interests.
The military leadership also praised the Iranian public’s sustained support for the armed forces during more than 160 days of conflict since February 28. It said the population had repeatedly expressed demands for retaliation over the assassination of the former Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, while maintaining its support for the country’s armed forces.
The statement stressed that the armed forces would not retreat from the legitimate demands of the Iranian people or the directives of the country’s leadership.
It further pledged that Iran’s military establishment would continue its efforts against “American-Zionist” forces in the region until their “complete defeat,” while seeking to secure the rights and interests of the Iranian people.
The General Staff framed the pledge within the broader legacy of Iran’s wartime generation, saying former POWs and veterans had become enduring symbols of national pride, perseverance and resistance. Their experience, it said, had laid the foundations for a culture of strategic self-reliance that continues to shape Iran’s approach to external pressure and military confrontation.
The statement ultimately linked the memory of the Iran-Iraq War to Iran’s current confrontation with the United States and Israel, presenting resistance not as a temporary wartime policy but as a continuing national doctrine. It also sought to reassure the Iranian public that the armed forces would remain committed to defending the country’s interests and would not compromise under external pressure.
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