Supreme Leader: We Pledge to Take Revenge from the Criminal Killers

Addressing the martyred Imam of the Ummah, the Leader declared: "We pledge to take revenge for your pure blood and the blood of all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal, shameless killers. This revenge is the will of our nation and must definitely be carried out. These criminals—whose names are listed from beginning to end—will take to their graves any hope of a peaceful death in their beds."

The full text of the message is as follows:

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Peace be upon the Imam whose life-giving call of uprising echoed the great, resonant proclamation of prophetic mission, extending through the depths of distant history, from which the Islamic Revolution of Iran emerged—a revolution that was fundamentally relayed to Imam Hussein(AS) in nature, built and nurtured through the slogan and creed of Imam Hussain. The Martyred Leader of Iran grew up with this same creed. He was Husseini; he thought Husseini; he moved Husseini; he struggled and resisted Husseini; he lived Husseini; and he gave his blood in the path of the school of Imam Hussain and attained martyrdom.

Among the followers of Imma Hussain, there are those who, when their blood is unjustly spilled on the ground for Imam Hussain and for the school and creed of Imam Hussain (AS), the Islamic Ummah rises in movement, and at that moment, that place connects to Ashura and that land to Karbala. Now, that same Husseini fervor has revived our nation and given a new manifestation to the school of the great Imam Khomeini and the martyred Khamenei. This is the life-giving commotion that echoes the cry of Hussain's oppression and the call "Is there any helper to help me?"—raising its voice in Iran, then in Iraq and other countries, shaking the foundations of falsehood.

On this occasion, I sincerely thank the tens of millions—astonishing, history-making, and enemy-defeating—presence of people in the cities and villages of Iran and Iraq, especially Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad.

Our nation is the avenger of Hussain's blood. This great nation has for years sacrificed its children in the path of Hussain and in the fight against the enemies of Hussain and his creed. And now, it seeks vengeance for him and for the followers of Hussain of our time.

Now, I address our martyred leader:

*O oppressed martyr! O proud oppressed one! O righteous servant of God! Now that we bid farewell to your body with tearful eyes and broken hearts, we pledge with you to uphold your school, to steadfastly follow the straight path you charted, to fear no hardships in this way, and to hold fast to divine promises and glad tidings as you did.

We pledge to take revenge from the criminal, shameless killers for your pure blood and the blood of all the martyrs of these two wars. This revenge is the demand of our nation and must certainly take place. These criminals—whose complete list exists—will carry to their graves any hope of dying a peaceful death in their beds. They must know that this matter does not depend on my existence or that of other officials. Whether we are here or not, this will be realized, and soon, groups of free people across the world will each carry out part of this divine mission.

O father of the martyred Ummah, may the taste of martyrdom—which you longed for all your life—be sweet for you. May the garment of martyrdom, with a body bearing marks from your mother Fatimah al-Zahra, your grandfather Aba Abdillah al-Hussain, and Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (AS), be blessed for you.

And you, his oppressed companions who were caught off guard by the enemy's assault and attained martyrdom—blessed are you, for now you are guests of that Master whose compassion and grace you may have experienced many times. That Master, who is the door of divine mercy for all, especially the people of this land, now hosts you, and His secure sanctuary has become your home.

And you, O noble Master! O great one! O compassionate Imam! O Aba al-Hassan al-Rida al-Murtadha—may the best of God's blessings be upon you—now the torn body of a servant of your shrine and the pure progeny, after years of continuous effort and struggle, along with the bodies of martyrs from his family—each reminding us of a martyr from the plains of Karbala—rests in this pure soil. They await the day when, by divine command, the sun illuminating the world, Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), emerges from behind the clouds of occultation and shines divine mercy upon the people of the earth. On that day—which we hope will come soon—stars from among the truthful, the martyrs, and the saints will accompany him, and we hope our martyred Leader will be among them, once again displaying brilliant and pure scenes of struggle and loyalty to the covenant of Alast. Perhaps these companions will also accompany him on that day.

O compassionate Master! We entrust our leader—who gave everything in your path—and his martyred companions to you and your grace and favor, so that just as they benefited from your favor in this worldly life, they may enjoy even greater and more abundant blessings from now on.

Finally, I once again offer my condolences to our Master, Imam al-Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), and request that his pure prayers be directed toward the Martyred Leader of Iran, his martyred companions, and all martyrs. I ask the Almighty for exalted ranks for all the martyrs, patience and reward for their families, and decisive, imminent victory for the oppressed nation of Iran, God willing.