TEHRAN -- Major General Hussein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said on Sunday enemies are constantly forced to retreat in the face of the Iranian nation and their failure to destroy the power of the Iranian people’s faith.
Gen. Salami told a ceremony to commemorate Iranian war veterans in Urmia that the Iranian nation is engaged in a large-scale combat against political, economic, and military hostilities. 
“Today, we are in a full-scale war and all battlefronts are in full swing, yet the country is enjoying security and peace, and all branches of the establishment are functioning normally, which is credible,” Salami said.
The Iranian nation, under the strong leadership of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, is facing hostile acts but remains triumphant. 
Separately, the commander of Iran’s Basij Force said strengthening the organization is a national duty.
Brigadier General Gholam Reza Soleimani paid tribute to the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini for establishing Basij which subsequently played a leading role in the liberation of Khorramshahr in the early 1980s from Iraqi forces under former dictator Saddam Hussien. 
The commander said he is duty-bound to strengthen Basij as the popular foundation of the Islamic Revolution in order to protect the homeland.
The fortification of Basij involves updating its equipment, he said, noting that a large portion of the equipment used by the Basij forces has been delivered to the respective units.
Basij is a paramilitary voluntary force established in 1979 on Imam Khomeini’s order.
The force consists of often young Iranians, who have volunteered, with a strong sense of fidelity to both the Islamic system and religious beliefs.