TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei here Sunday met with the families of the martyrs of the recent Israeli aerial aggression, saying the martyrdom of their loved ones is an outstanding and important event in the way of defending the country and the nation in a direct confrontation with the Zionist regime.
“All the martyrs are in a privileged position and are blessed by God, but the martyrdom of these loved ones is in the way of defending the country. And the nation’s direct confrontation with the Zionist regime, which is the most evil enemy of Islam, is an outstanding and important testimony,” he said. 
The Leader prayed for patience and peace of mind for the families of the martyrs, saying their reward is not less than that of the martyrs.
The families of Martyrs Hamzeh Jahandideh, Muhammad Mehdi Shahrokhifar, Mehdi Naghavi and Sajjad Mansouri attended the meeting.
On Saturday, Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the Iranian nation for achieving definite victory in its struggle against the United States.
“Some sow doubts about whether it’s possible to confront a modern, advanced, dominating, powerful system like the U.S. govt (government),” Ayatollah Khamenei wrote in a post on his official account on X.
“Yes, the Iranian ppl (people) have fought it & have certainly succeeded so far. Today, the Iranian nation has been able to push back & weaken this great enemy, the U.S.,” the post added.
The remarks came on the anniversary of Iranian students’ takeover of the U.S. embassy in the capital Tehran on November 4, 1979, which is known in the country as the National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance.
Earlier in the day, the Leader also addressed an occasion held to mark the event, referring to the former American diplomatic mission as not merely a site for diplomatic and intelligence activity, but rather the headquarters of plotting to destroy the Islamic Revolution.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s post on X also denounced the United States’ grim human rights record, which comprises a long history of deadly abuse against numerous countries.
“Today, the American human rights that is touted in various forms no longer deceive anyone,” the post read.
The Leader reminded that the U.S. laid claim to being an advocate of human rights while labeling such distinguished figures as Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, and General Qassem Soleimani “as terrorists.”
Nasrallah, former Hezbollah secretary general, and Haniyeh, former Hamas Political Bureau chief, were martyred in Israeli attacks against Tehran and the Lebanese capital Beirut earlier this year, while General Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), ascended to martyrdom
 during an American attack against the Iraqi capital Baghdad in 2020.
Ayatollah Khamenei, however, asserted that it was rather the perpetrators of the atrocities, who were “terrorists & criminal gangs.”
The Leader also addressed the Zionist regime’s ongoing genocidal war on the Gaza Strip and escalated deadly aggression against Lebanon that had claimed the lives of around 50,000 people, mostly women and children, since last October.
“Is this a small matter? The U.S. that claims to be an advocate of human rights, supports & is complicit in those crimes. Plans & weapons used are from the U.S.,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted, referring to Washington’s full-on political, military, and intelligence support for the Israeli aggression.