Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei speaks during a ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of Sayyed Khomeini at his mausoleum just outside Tehran, Iran, on Sunday, June 4, 2023 (AP)

In a populous gathering on Wednesday, Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei paid tribute to the Sacred Defense era, describing the eight-year-long war Saddam Hussein waged against Iran in the 1980s as a vital chapter in Iran's rich history.

The event brought together veterans of the Sacred Defense era and prominent figures from Iran's Resistance literature.

During the gathering, Sayyed Khamenei emphasized that Saddam's war on Iran was not solely a territorial dispute but an assault on the identity of a resilient nation.

He pointed out that Western powers, including the United States, France, Germany, and the former Soviet Union, played instrumental roles in supplying the Saddam regime with the military resources it needed to wage war against Iran.

"The main instigator was the US. The French supplied the most modern military equipment to Iraq. The Eastern Bloc and the former Soviet Union gave Iraq whatever it needed in terms of ground and aerial supplies," noted Sayyed Khamenei, shedding light on the international dynamics that fueled the conflict.

In his address, the Iranian leader called for a renewed focus on preserving the history and culture of the Sacred Defense era in Iran.

He urged government officials and activists in the country to invest efforts in educating the younger generation about the profound sacrifices made by Iranian military personnel and volunteers during that turbulent period through works of culture and history.

Yesterday, during his speech at the UN General Assembly, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi explained that "the dominance of the West is not in line today with the reality of the contemporary world, and the liberal system that sought to globalize American values has become obsolete."

"There is hope for establishing a new and fair world order with the emergence of new powers," he added, noting that the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for economic and political transformations in the world.

In this regard, the Iranian President pointed out that "some countries seek to spread strife in different regions of the world."

He stressed that the international community and countries in West Asia "today discovered the truth about Western democracies that seek to prolong wars."