Pezeshkian: Patience, solidarity and hope key to Iran's resilience against external threats

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has drawn powerful lessons from the Iran-Iraq War, known in Iran as the Sacred Defense, saying that patience, solidarity and hope remain the foundations of the Islamic Republic’s unbreakable resilience in the face of escalating external pressures and threats.

In a message posted on X on Monday marking the 36th anniversary of the return of Iranian prisoners of war from the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, the president paid glowing tribute to the steadfastness of the nation’s free men who endured years of captivity without ever surrendering Iran’s honor.

“What befell our free men during the years of captivity is not merely a part of the history of war; it is the narrative of the steadfastness of men who endured suffering but did not relinquish the honour of Iran,” Pezeshkian wrote.

“Patience, solidarity, and hope are the keys to Iran’s resilience in the face of ever-increasing external pressures and threats.”

The anniversary commemorates August 17, 1990, when the first group of Iranian captives, heroes of the eight-year imposed war launched by the Baghdad regime with the full backing of Western powers, began returning home after years of hardship and resistance in enemy prisons.

More than 218,000 Iranian martyrs laid down their lives defending the Islamic Revolution against Saddam’s aggression, turning the Sacred Defense into a golden chapter of national pride, self-confidence and divine insight.

The war ended in 1988, when Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598 which declared Saddam as the initiator of the conflict.

On August 17, 1990, the Iraqi regime was obliged to start the emancipation process of Iran’s captives and prisoners of war following a swap deal clinched earlier that year.

Iran’s Armed Forces also issued a strong statement on the eve of the anniversary, celebrating the return of the prisoners of war as a blessed day and reaffirming that the nation will never retreat from its legitimate rights.

The statement stressed that the iron will of the Iranian people ensures victory until the complete defeat of the American-Zionist enemies in the region and the full upholding of the Iranian nation’s rights.

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Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi also issued a message honoring the valiant freed prisoners, describing their patience, faith and self-respect as a living legacy that keeps the flag of Iran’s pride flying high. He underscored that their culture of resilience, loyalty, hope and dignity continues to inspire generations.

President Pezeshkian’s remarks come as the Islamic Republic stands firm against the persistent plots and aggressions of its enemies. Just as the Iranian nation emerged victorious from the imposed war of the 1980s through unity and unwavering resolve, the same spirit of solidarity continues to thwart the sinister designs of external adversaries seeking to undermine the country’s independence and progress.

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