Leader set the record straight on Ukraine war

TEHRAN – In his latest speech, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, made it clear that Iran is not a party to the war in Ukraine, rejecting all the Western propaganda in that regard. 

Ayatollah Khamenei delivered a speech at the holy shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH) on the occasion of the beginning of the Iranian New Year 1402 (March 21, 2023). In the speech, he addressed a variety of issues mostly related to Iran’s domestic affairs. 

He hailed the progress Iran made in various fields despite U.S. sanctions. “The Iranian nation made progress under these conditions. It advanced in science, it advanced in technology and reached the top ranks of the world in some scientific fields. Some places it is among the top 5 countries, in other areas it is among the top ten countries, and some other places it is among the top 3 countries — out of 200 countries! This is how our scientific and technological advancements are — in nanotechnology, in biotechnology, in different areas,” the Leader said, according to khamenei.ir.  

He added, “For example, in the field of health, Iran has had more achievements than many of the world’s most developed countries. This proved to be true during the coronavirus pandemic. [We have succeeded] in the nuclear sciences, in aerospace, and in defense. They are all talking about and acknowledging our progress in the field of defense. In order to bring up an excuse to use against Iran, they admit that Iran has progressed in the field of defense and weapons. We have had many achievements in the field of biotechnology. The world praised us. The world’s scientists praised our scientists, they praised our young scientists.”

In addition to domestic issues, the Leader touched on some important external affairs, including the war in Ukraine, which has been a pillar of Western propaganda against Iran. Over the last year, the West launched a concerted effort to portray Iran as being involved in the Ukraine war by claiming that Tehran supplied Russia with drones for use in Ukraine, a claim that has been rejected by Iranian officials many times. 

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution once again reiterated Iran’s position on the war in Ukraine, saying that the West’s allegations regarding Iran’s presence in the war is false.

Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran has no presence in the Ukraine war. “I firmly announce that the Iranian nation is strong, the Iranian nation is advancing, the Iranian nation can solve its own problems, it can cause transformation, and that the Iranian nation supports the Resistance. I openly announce our support for the Resistance, and I strongly deny our presence in the war in Ukraine. They falsely claimed that Iran is involved in the Ukraine war. Such a thing is not true — we are not involved at all,” he said. 

The Leader further said that the U.S. is to blame for the outbreak of the Ukraine war, which stemmed from U.S. effort to expand NATO to the East.  “In fact, the United States started this war in Ukraine in order to expand NATO toward the East, the US prepared the war. And now, it is the US that is making the most profit from the Ukraine war! While the poor people of Ukraine are facing hardships, the American arms industry is making profits. That is why they won’t let the war end. America is standing in the way of what is needed to end the war and it won’t allow it to happen and they are not pleased if the war in Ukraine ends,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Observers believe that that the West’s allegations against Iran regarding Ukraine could be part of the hybrid warfare that Iranian officials say the West waged against Tehran since Sept. 2022. Many elements have been used in this war.  The Iranian Interior Minister has recently revealed one such element. “Over the last few years, the issue of hijab has been one of the axes of the enemy’s cognitive war against the oppressed and powerful Iranian nation, and failed pots such as White Wednesdays, Girls of Enghelab Street, no mandatory hijab, sneaky freedoms, etc., have never affected the Iranian women and girls’ determination in uplifting their spiritual personality and preserving the identity of Muslim women,” the ministry said in a statement.