Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei issued a message marking the anniversary of the popular resistance in Abadan on 9 Aban 1359. He described the Zolfaghari operation as Iran’s first victory in the eight-year war.
The message said the operation took place 40 days after the war began, when Iranian forces drove Iraqi invaders from Abadan Island. Khamenei said the event receives little attention despite offering lessons in defending the country against aggression.
He said public vigilance and sacrifice, together with the steadfastness of the army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, helped defeat the enemy’s plan. Local residents and mosque-goers joined the fight under the guidance of the late Ayatollah Jami, Abadan’s Friday prayer leader.
