In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Bonds between the armed forces and the clergy and abiding by defined duties
The more I got to hear about the details of the (recent) operation, the more I realized the greatness of this plan and its implementation by you gentlemen. This proves that by the grace of God, our dear youth have, by laying their trust in God, carried out a task that was nothing short of a miracle and if I had a gift, better than prayers for you, I would have surely presented you with it. But my prayers for you are better than all the gifts of this world. I pray to God Almighty to grant you gentlemen with success in every respect so that you can protect your country and Islam and succeed in uprooting corruption from this country. I have always supported and will continue to support all the armed forces including the army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the other forces on behalf of myself and on behalf of the nation and I believe that you deserve all the support extended to you by the entire nation. I am hopeful that the existing bonds and ties between you gentlemen from the Air Force, the Navy, the Army, and the other armed forces and the clergy and the nation will grow from strength to strength. Please remember that certain actions taken by the clerics who have been appointed in your work places are in your interest and in the interest of the country and Islam. There are certain hands at work that intend to create rifts between you and the clergy and make the nation lose trust in you. So please do keep in mind that the clerics who accompany you- and of course they have to operate within their defined missions- are your supporters. If a clergy representative is present in the garrisons, it is in your own interest and it is completely wrong for anyone to claim that their presence goes against your interests. It is because of the present bonds shared between you and the clergy that the nation is supportive of you and I hope that the existing bonds between the various strata of our society will continue to thrive so that the country can advance and progress. If at all there are certain complaints against some young clerics, such issues could easily be resolved by referring to me or to other experienced people. Neither should you gentlemen prevent them from carrying out their duties and nor should they transgress their limits. The limits of everyone's responsibility should be clearly defined. No one should prevent the clerics who are stationed in the garrisons from carrying out their duties of propagating Islam. If you find anyone talking about preventing them, do know that he is an enemy and is not your friend. At the same time, these clerics, too, should not overstep their limits because overstepping the limits of Islam is not permissible. Everyone should act within his own limits. I have an advice for you gentlemen and for all the armed forces. As I have been given to understand, some of the clerics have faced mistreatment at the hands of some people in the garrisons. Their presence among you insures national support for you, failing which, your ill-wishers will conspire against you and will make you lose credibility before the nation. Mr.» ahirnezhad, in particular, should be reminded about this matter since it is in his jurisdiction that the clerics have been ill-treated and this will not be in your interest.
If ever some clerics overstep their limits, the matter should be reported so that it is handled appropriately. In any case, my wish for you is to foster solidarity among you and the clerics, the nation, and the other armed forces. Only could such solidarity save this country. When the entire nation supports you for the sacrifices you make and for your miraculous feats and when they appreciate your sincere efforts, your morale is boosted. On the other hand, the opposite would be the case if you were to find that the nation did not give a care for your efforts. In the previous regime, if the nation was not opposed to the armed forces, it did not offer them its support either. He (the Shah) did his own stuff and did not give a care to anything else. Today, you can see for yourselves that the nation is involved in every aspect of the affairs of the country. It is an important feature of Islam, the Islamic country, and the Islamic Republic for our people to be present at the scenes and to check and control everything. You can all witness that the entire nation is extending its support to you in this war and is earnestly offering its services. Even small children bring in their money boxes and contribute their money. This is unprecedented phenomenon of history. And this is because the cool zephyr of Islam has blown toward us. I do hope that Islam will be established in Iran in its truest sense. That would ensure your victory in all areas. I, once again, thank you for your act of courage and also thank all the armed forces that are making sacrifices in order to carry out their duties. I hope that you will all gain success and divine approval by His grace and will!
May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.