Top Officials Hail 200 Nights of Popular Support for Armed Forces
TEHRAN -- Iran’s political and military leadership on Tuesday praised 200 consecutive nights of nationwide demonstrations in support of the armed forces, saying the sustained public presence has strengthened national unity, frustrated the enemy’s calculations and reinforced the country’s resolve in the face of U.S.-Israeli military aggression.
Judiciary Chief Gholamhussein Mohseni-Ejei, Parliament Speaker Muhammad-Bagher Qalibaf and IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Brigadier General Majid Mousavi, along with senior Army and IRGC spokespersons, described the nightly rallies as a demonstration of popular support for Iran’s armed forces and national interests.
In a message of gratitude to the Iranian public released on Tuesday, Mohseni-Ejei hailed a massive “street maneuver” that had shattered the calculations of the enemy and completed the puzzle of Iran’s victory in an “existential war against global arrogance.”
“For more than 200 nights, the dear and precious people of Islamic Iran have occupied the squares and streets of cities across the country to support their fighters and their honor,” Ejei wrote.
He equated the nightly gatherings with the jihad of frontline soldiers and invoked the legacy of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the martyred commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, who described Iran itself as a “shrine.”
“You, the honorable people, have turned the streets of Islamic Iran into a shrine over the past 200 nights,” Ejei said, adding that every step taken during the nightly vigils represented support for frontline fighters.
He also praised the public’s unity around the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and said the demonstrations have demonstrated the failure of the enemy’s psychological and political strategy.
“The enemy tried, relying on its illusions, to sever the deep bond between the nation and the establishment; but you, the people, showed that you have a deep, profound belief in the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he wrote.
Ghalibaf, in a message issued on the eve of the 200th night, said the continued presence of Iranians in the streets has demonstrated that military aggression has failed to break the country’s resolve.
“The enemy believed that it could break our will through military aggression; but today, on the 200th night of the people’s enthusiastic presence in the streets, it became clear that what was defeated was the aggressor’s illusion, not the will of the Iranian people,” he wrote.
The parliament speaker said the people constitute the primary foundation of the Islamic Republic’s power and that their continued support has strengthened both Iran’s military resilience and its diplomatic position.
“What is being pursued in the diplomatic arena, [which is] relying on dignity and national interests, is likewise sustained by the backing of this very popular presence,” Ghalibaf said.
He added that differences of opinion could not undermine the bond between Iran’s 90 million people, the country and its national interests.
Ghalibaf also linked the current demonstrations to Iran’s history of confrontation with foreign adversaries, saying previous experience shows that whenever the enemy has failed against Iran, the main reason has been popular resistance.
IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Mousavi said Iran’s enemies are “bewildered and astonished”
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by the scale of public support for the armed forces.
“Today, the enemies acknowledge your greatness, while the friends of free-thinking peoples around the world, heartened by this display of dignity, have become hopeful for the ultimate triumph of truth over oppression and arrogance,” he wrote.
Mousavi urged Iranians to preserve the “grandeur and magnificence” of their street presence through unity and cohesion, describing the demonstrations as a manifestation of religious and national duty.
He said the gatherings have defended Iran’s “identity, independence, and very existence” and demonstrated national rationality, religious values and national culture and civilization.
Senior Army and IRGC spokespersons meanwhile stressed the unity between the two military branches during a coordination meeting at Army headquarters in Tehran.
Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Muhammad Akraminia said Iran has confronted heavily armed U.S. and Israeli forces despite their vast technological and military capabilities.
“We stand against enemies possessing massive volumes of technology and weaponry. No country in the world dares fire a single shot at them, but we have stood against them, struck them, and did not allow them to fulfill their objectives,” he said.
IRGC Spokesperson Brigadier General Hussein Mohebbi described the Army as a source of national pride and said the cooperation between the Army, IRGC, government and people should be “recorded and immortalized in history.”
Both officials said the unity inside Iran has frustrated attempts to create divisions and strengthened the country’s ability to withstand the confrontation.
The statements came amid an ongoing military confrontation between Iran and a U.S.-Israeli coalition that escalated into direct warfare in late February.
Mousavi said the armed forces remain determined to defend Iran and avenge the blood of the martyred Leader.