Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a message on the occasion of the Sacred Defense Week on Thursday.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution considered commemorating the memory of high-ranking martyrs as a guarantee of the safety of the path of the Iranian nation and not deviating from the direction of the Islamic Revolution.

"Holy Defense Week" is a great opportunity to light up the atmosphere of the country with the memory of esteemed martyrs,  Ayatollah Khamenei wrote.

"We should not let the daily life affairs keep us away from that source of light and purity," he added.
 
The Holy Defense Week marks the anniversary of the Iraq invasion of Iran led by the then dictator Saddam Husseien.

Backed by the western governments, the war lasted for eight years.