TEHRAN (Press TV) -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Iran’s armed forces should always stand ready in the face of enemy threats against the nation.
Ayatollah Khamenei was speaking during a graduation ceremony for army cadets.
"Today, the Iranian nation faces a vast enemy front due to its dedication to Islam, independence and lofty values,” said the Leader, adding that "the armed forces should always be prepared to play their part should the need arise.”
Ayatollah Khamenei further highlighted the sacrifices made by Iranian soldiers during the eight-year war imposed by the former Iraqi regime on the Islamic Republic during the 1980s.
 "The era of Sacred Defense served as a litmus test, during which the true essence of the Iranian army came to light, and important and brilliant achievements were made by the armed forces.”
The eight-year Iraqi offensive, the Leader added, was in fact "an international and all-out war waged by the world’s major powers, along with their global and regional followers, against the country's frontiers, the identity, the Islamic establishment as well as the Iranian nation’s (1979 Islamic) Revolution.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said Iranians, however, managed to counter all the big powers through reliance on their faith and resistance.
The ceremony culminated Iran's Sacred Defense Week, which marked the 36th anniversary of the Iraq war.
President Hassan Rouhani meanwhile said the Islamic Republic stands as the "ultimate force” in the region and the entire world against terrorism, adding that the international community is well aware of the nation’s true nature.
He made the remarks during an address to a large gathering of people in the northwestern city of Qazvin.
"Gone are the days when Iran would be accused of supporting terrorism and the Iranian people would face other accusations such as building nuclear bombs as the true nature of the nation has come to light for the world,” he said.
Rouhani said, so far this year, he had met with 22 world leaders, all of whom had first and foremost congratulated the country on preserving its national strength in the face of world powers, with member states of the Non-aligned Movement having termed the victory as one not only for Iran, but also for the developing world.
He was referring to the country’s signing a nuclear deal with world powers in Vienna last year, which put an end to the West’s dispute over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
During the talks leading to the agreement, the country told the world that advanced technology cannot remain the monopoly of a certain number of countries, Rouhani asserted.
"Not only did we defend the Iranian people’s right, but also we defended the rights of all of the world’s freedom-seeking nations,” the Iranian chief executive concluded.