TEHRAN (Iran News) – Ayatollah Khamenei made the urges in his meeting with a group of organizers of the anniversary ceremony and the family of Martyr Soleimani on Wednesday on the eve of the first anniversary of the martyrdom of Lt. General Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

He called Martyr Soleimani the hero of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Ummah, saying, “The funeral of martyrs Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in Iraq and Iran was the first severe slap in the face to the Americans but a tougher slap is software overcoming the absurd hegemony of arrogance and expelling the United States from the region.”

“Of course, revenge must be taken from the assassins of Gen. Soleimani, and this revenge will be definitely taken whenever possible,” he added.

Appreciating the organizers of the anniversary ceremony and also the good actions of the family of Martyr Soleimani to keep alive the memory and path of him, Leader said, “Given that the Martyr had devoted himself to the people, cultural and people capacities besides innovations should be used to honor him.”

He called the martyrdom of Gen. Soleimani a historical event, saying, “The reason why Martyr Soleimani became the hero of the Iranian nation and different strata of the people honored him, was that he was the symbol of Iranian people and their cultural values.”

“Martyr Soleimani defeated the Front of Arrogance both during his life and with his martyrdom. The US President said they spent $7B in the region without achieving anything. The US failed to achieve its goals in Syria and Iraq. The hero behind this major task is General Soleimani,” said Leader.

Ayatollah Khamenei urged Iranian authorities and people for strengthening in all areas, not trusting the enemy, preserving the national unity, and looking for ways to defuse sanctions rather than ways to lift them.

“We must be strong in all areas, including economics, science, technology, and defense,” he said, adding that being strong is the way to prevent enemies’ aggression.

Stating that the authorities should not trust the promises of enemies to solve the problems of the people and the future of the country, Leader highlighted, “My firm advice is to not trust the enemy.”

He also noted that there are no differences between the US administrations.

Criticizing Europe’s hypocritical behavior, Ayatollah Khamenei said that three European countries also showed extreme malice and hypocrisy.

He also urged Iranians to preserve national unity, calling on the country’s three branches of power to strengthen national unity through synergy and cooperation.

Referring to the imposed sanctions on Iran, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution called on authorities to look for ways to defuse sanctions rather than ways to lift them.

“Of course, we are not saying that we should not seek to lift the sanctions. If the sanctions can be lifted, we should not hesitate to do it even for an hour,” he noted.

“If the sanctions can be lifted in a right, wise, Iranian-Islamic, and dignified way, it should be done, but the main focus should be on defusing the sanctions,” Leader added.

“I support the officials of the country as long as they adhere to the goals of the nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted.