Imam Khomeini’s Strategies
1) Supervising and Being Aware of the Situation in the Battlefield
By leading the affairs related to the Sacred Defence, Imam Khomeini had complete control over all organs and organizations involving in the war and various reports regarding different issues of war from the functions, facilities, equipment to the mental and psychological state of the Islamic warriors and front line status, etc... were constantly reported to him by his representatives in various political and military organizations as well as the military commanders and even the division commanders.
He also used to evaluate the reports carefully and if a matter or problem needed to be resolved, he would promptly order to solve it. In 1962, for example, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC (the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) reporting to Imam Khomeini on how the operations of the Islamic forces had been carried out in various fronts asked about the next steps that they should take on the battlefield. Imam Khomeini immediately addressed the president and the chairman of the Supreme Defence Council and said:
“Your Excellency, Mr. Khamenei, chairman of the Supreme Defence Council, investigate the matter in the Supreme Defence Council and inform me of the result. May God’s peace be upon you!”
In addition to what has been said, Imam Khomeini received various information and news about the war through informal channels. For example, his relatives or the members of his office used to go to the battleground at different times and to inform him of their observations and findings. Even in some cases, Imam Khomeini sent some people to the battlefields anonymously to check on the status of the forces and operational areas of the warfronts.
Accurate awareness of the situation in the battleground is a key factor in the process of decision-making carried out by the supreme commander because he can then outline the defence and military policy based on the facts and realities. Imam Khomeini was also made decisions while he was aware of the political and military situation in the war, the critical position of the country’s southern and western provinces, and the important political and economic situation in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.
Although he was not a classical military man, yet to know more about the situation on the battlefield he asked the Supreme Defence Council of the war: “I call on the Supreme Defence Council to make me inform of the situation in the battleground all the time.”
2) Monitoring the Activities and Works of the Officials and the Press
Imam Khomeini had complete control over the activities of the officials and agents. As his repeated insistence on Islamic Republic officials to pay more attention to the various issues and dimensions of war and to consider it as their priority has led them to base their policies and programs on strengthening the Sacred Defence.
Addressing the members of parliament with respect to the exchanging views on various issues, especially in pre-agenda speeches that were spread through the mass media, Imam Khomeini said: “Any problem or challenges in the Majles will affect the situation in the battleground.”
Also, when some in the parliament had severely criticized the government, he said:
“This would make people in some parts of the country discouraged to attend the Friday prayers and may result in the Islamic state facing a political and also a military defeat.”
Imam Khomeini, while being aware of the effectiveness of the newspapers which had been distributed across the country from the most remote parts to the frontlines on the battleground, carefully monitored their analysis and articles and reports in an attempt to prevent them from publishing something against those who defend the country. Hence, in the first days of the war, he strictly ordered that: “Newspapers are now required to refrain from publishing articles that weaken the armed forces.”
3. Organizing the Forces
The organization of forces and how they are used in the fight against the enemy play an important role in gaining victory. Imam Khomeini, as the supreme commander, with his profound insight, extended the organizational scope of the combat forces beyond the trained forces and classically trained forces of the Iran army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps calling all strata of the Iranian nation to defend their country: “Today is the day that all people should defend their cities!”
To mobilize the public to engage in the war he says: “I wish to warn the Iranian people to prepare themselves and have their weapons ready. They should be in a state of readiness.”
Moreover, Imam Khomeini divided the volunteer forces into two the combatants and logistics officers so that they could engage in this Sacred Defence in accordance with their abilities and talents: “Today, it is incumbent upon all of us to engage in defence. Whoever could go to war should go; whoever could not go should assist on the home front.”
He also commanded the trained and combatant forces to be prepared for the war: “Today filling the warfronts with the trained forces ready to defend Islam and Iran is among the important divine obligations for all strata. No other issue should overshadow this duty.”
The forces that have been on the battlefield since the beginning of the war and fought the enemy were:
1) The classic army that had just been liberated from the imperial rule and the domination of the American advisers and was reorganized on the basis of the noble aims of the Islamic Revolution.
2) Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); a revolutionary and public institution with strong motivations and high morale albeit lacking modern military equipment and combat units.
3) The Basij Forces, which formed the backbone of the Islamic system, were always active in all socio-political and, in particular, military scenes.
The heterogeneous appearance and organizational differences of these forces made the enemy think that it would win the war, but Imam Khomeini, with his high spiritual influence, led the army, IRGC and the Basij towards achieving the common cause of defending the Islamic country: “The IRGC and other military forces consider themselves as one, you all have one destination, and that is to keep your country free.”
As the unity and integration of people and the political groups would lead to the achievement of the goals of the revolution and the Islamic Republic as well as the defeat of the enemies and the global arrogant powers, for Imam Khomeini the cohesion and unity of the martial forces have also an important role in defeating the enemy in the battlefield. Therefore, to coordinate and empower as many armed and combatant forces as possible so that they defeat the enemy he said: “I urge the army, the IRGC, gendarmerie, and the Basij and all the military and civilian armed forces to attack the enemy.”
4) Delegation of Authority and Emphasizing the Compliance with Laws and Regulations
Because of the different aspects of the war and in order to unify the military forces, to make full use of the capabilities of the combatant as well as the logistics forces and to facilitate the process of decision-making regarding the military issues Imam Khomeini adopted a clear strategy. He used to delegate his authority to some extent to trusted political leaders and military commanders, and as the leader and the supreme commander, he outlined most of the Sacred Defence general policies and oversee their proper implementation.
Imam Khomeini handed over the military affairs of the war to the Supreme Defence Council stating that all matters related to the war should be managed by the Council. Also, he assigned the Supreme War Support Council the task of providing the necessary facilities for the battleground. In response to a letter from Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, the chairman of the Supreme War Support Council at the time, Imam Khomeini while addressing the contradictions between some of the Council’s resolutions with the laws of the country, said: “The resolutions passed by the Supreme War Support Council should be implemented until the end of the war.”
Imam Khomeini also designated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the only official authority in the Islamic Republic of Iran that may talk about the war-related issues in political, regional and international assemblies warning the military commanders not to comment on this matter.
5) Observing the Principles of Decision Making
Imam Khomeini always used general managerial principles in his important decisions, so that his decisions in the process of managing the affairs of the Sacred Defence would be consistent with the situation of the country and the realities of the battlefield.
Sometimes, he attended the meetings which were held to discuss how to carry out an important operation, such as The First Battle of al-Faw operation, and was become aware of the plan for military armed forces, their military organizations and units to conduct operations drawn up by commanders and even in some cases, he would give them professional advice about the military issues.
When making a decision and before issuing a decree, Imam Khomeini used to consult with officials and commanders because the views of political and military experts regarding the important and decisive matters were of particular importance to him.
Therefore, in doing so, he never imposed his views on officials and commanders; rather, he would listen to their ideas and views and on the basis of a set of opinions provided in those sessions and meetings he would make the final decision.
Here we would mention some of Imam Khomeini’s consultations and decisions that have led to important developments in the Sacred Defence:
1. Entering Iraqi Territory
After the successful operations of the second half of the year 1981 and the first three months of the year 1982, which led to the liberation of the most sensitive occupied parts of the country and the inflicting of heavy casualties on the Iraqi forces, a different situation arose in the field of defence in a way that the victories of the Muslim forces terrified the enemy and its political position in the Middle East as well as within the international assemblies was weakened. Imam Khomeini considered this situation the best opportunity to end the war and hence at a meeting he asked the officials that it is better to end the war, thus preventing them from entering Iraqi territory.
The main reasons for adopting such a position by Imam Khomeini were as follows:
A) From the international perspective, we have the right to take action since the invaders still occupy some parts of our country.
B) Some Arab countries that are now with us will favour Saddam.
C) The Iraqi people do not tolerate the occupation of their land and those who are now with us would consider us as the invaders and occupiers.
D) The innocent Iraqi people would be killed or injured.
The exchanging of ideas continued at another meeting with the presence of military commanders. The military commanders state that there are three choices: to attack the enemy, defend, or retreat. There was also a fourth solution that was not their duty, and that was the peace proposal. At that meeting, they said that the land east of Basrah and southwest of Ahvaz are connected and flat and that there are no natural obstacles such as mountains, rivers and the like over there. Therefore, considering our equipment and forces, we cannot remain in such a situation.
If Iraq gains power, it will attack us, especially since there is a peace agreement between Iran and Iraq. It will not be possible to defend the country, and we will have to retreat to the Karun River and give this land to the Iraqis whereas now we are in a position of power. Political officials have also said that the world is not talking to us clearly. Therefore, both military commanders and political officials favoured entering Iraqi territory.
Imam Khomeini accepted the opinions of these experts and in a message to the Iraqi people on the occasion of the start of Operation Ramadan, clarified the reasons for entering Iraq: “In defending their country and repelling the attacks of the enemy of Islam, your mujahid (struggling) brothers were compelled to enter the Iraqi territory so that by the will of God Almighty, they could rescue the tyrannized people of Iraq from the evil of the party that has inflicted numerous blows on this noble nation in the course of its illegitimate domination over the country.”
2. Reciprocal Measures
Since the beginning of the war, when the enemy savagely targeted the cities of Iran with rockets, bombs and cannons, Imam Khomeini believed that Iran should only carry out attacks against the enemy’s military positions.
Due to the heavy attacks carried out by the enemy through the subsequent years, the country’s authorities suggested carrying out attacks against Iraq’s important economic cities and installations to which Imam Khomeini agreed. However, he ordered that: “You should let the Iraqi people know about the operation 48 hours before it starts so that people can leave the cities.” When some Arab countries condemned Iran’s action, in response Imam Khomeini said:
“Attacking non-military areas has never been what we desired. We do not want civilian areas to be subjected to attacks. However, it is nearly four years that we are subjected to Iraqi missile attacks and have tolerated them. Islamic Republic of Iran officials have no choice but retaliation contrary to their intention…the moment Iraq stops attacking civilian areas, Iran will stop retaliation most happily.”
3. Accepting the 598 Resolution
The global support for Iraq reached its peak during the final months of the war, with the United States practically and directly entering the battlefield, bombing our oil rigs, and assisting the Iraqi aircraft to bomb tankers. Likewise, France, the Soviet Union and Germany provided Iraq with Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard fighter aircraft and the Mirage 2000 jet fighters, the modest modern fighter jets, and the materials needed to produce chemical weapons respectively. Iraq was also using chemical weapons against the residential areas and fronts and the international community quietly endorsed these crimes.
These and other adversary actions made Imam Khomeini consult with political and military experts on how to continue or end the war. Therefore, the authorities were tasked with investigating the matter: On July 16, 1988, a meeting was held in the office of the president with the presence of the heads of the Three Powers, members of the Assembly of Experts of the Constitution, the members of the Guardian Council of the Constitution as well as the members of the Supreme Judicial Council to discuss the country’s important issues… Finally, it was decided that the president officially announces the acceptance of the resolution to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Given the discussions of the country’s officials, Imam Khomeini said: “Given the opinion of all the top political and military experts in the country whom I believe in their commitment, conscientiousness and honesty, I agreed to accept the Resolution and the ceasefire. I believe this decision at present would serve the interests of the Revolution and the country.”
6. Coping with the Domestic Obstacles
Various incidents occurred inside the country during the period of the Sacred Defence which sometimes caused political unrest. Some events were caused by enemy agents, while others were the result of the actions of the ignorant groups inside the country.
Each of these incidents could have a direct or indirect impact on the presence of the Muslim combatants in the war. Yet, Imam Khomeini through making wise decisions and using the special methods of leadership has been able to neutralize the adverse effects of each of these incidents asking the forces and the nation to focus on the main issue which was defending the Islamic country. Here we will mention some of his wise methods in dealing with the domestic obstacles.
1) To deter forces from paying attention to irrelevant issues
2) Downplaying the domestic incidents
3) Preventing those who did not have any responsibility in the war from interfering in its affairs
4) Banning the opposition groups
5) Confronting the fifth column and those who spread rumor
6) Criticizing the opponents of war
7) Providing the forces with spiritual and cultural supports
Imam Khomeini provided spiritual and cultural support to the forces through the following ways:
1) Asking them to focus on God’s Will and Power as well as reminding them to trust the divine help
2) Calling them to focus on the power of faith and emphasizing remembering God and observing piety.
3) Increasing their morale.
4) Encouraging them to fight and asking them to avoid vanity.
5) Honoring and paying tribute to the forces and martyrs.
Conclusion
Imam Khomeini took on the position of leading the noble nation of Iran in all crises guiding them along the right path and helped them to overcome all the obstacles because of his profound relationship with faithful and revolutionary people.
Furthermore, as far as the protection of the Islamic country was concerned, he even did not take a step back and as the Islamic Revolution gained succession under his divine-political leadership, the Sacred Defence also under his guidance and leadership achieved great accomplishments; since for the first time in two hundred years and a war between two countries with unequal military resources, Iran did not lose even one single inch of its territory, did not seek the help of foreign advisers, and stood on its own feet introducing itself as a power capable of supporting the world’s oppressed nations.
The strategies used by Imam Khomeini properly managed the situation in the war. His most important strategies in the management of the Sacred Defence, in addition to gaining awareness of the war through official and informal channels, were overseeing the activities of the officials regarding the matters related to the Sacred Defence. He tried to make them aware that war is the priority urging them not to publish anything that undermines the Sacred Defence because of the importance of the media space.
He also tried to organize all forces and the public to engage in the Sacred Defence.
Moreover, among Imam Khomeini’s strategies for managing the Sacred Defence was to identify different sections that if they are given the authority and power, they could handle the war.
He also emphasized that the process of decision-making regarding the war should be based on expertise, and those who have no specialties in this regard should not express their views in public.
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution tries to confront them by addressing the elements in the country that oppose engaging in the war.
Asking the forces not to pay attention to irrelevant issues, confronting the fifth column and those who spread rumours, as well as downplaying the domestic incidents are among his endeavours to help the forces in the warfronts. Of course, he considered the spirituality of the warriors of Islam as well as its impact on gaining victory in the Sacred Defence as the important strategies in this regard.
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