Leader tells students knowledge and morality will form an “iron shield” against aggressors
Leader of the Islamic Ummah and Oppressed, Imam Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, urged students to pursue knowledge, skills and ethical values, describing education as a means of defending against US-Israeli aggression.
Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, called on students to develop knowledge, skills and ethical values, saying education serves as a defense against US-Israeli aggression.
In a message marking the reopening of schools and universities on Tuesday, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said knowledge, when combined with faith and ethics, could serve as an “iron shield” against aggression by the United States and Israel.
He said that, amid what he described as the widespread brutality of systems of domination—particularly the US government and the Israeli state—knowledge combined with piety and moral principles provides a strong defense and an effective tool against those he accused of threatening humanity.
The message was issued as Iran’s new academic year got underway, with the Leader underscoring the younger generation’s role in shaping the country’s future.
The Leader called on students to use their time in schools and universities to broaden their knowledge, build practical skills and deepen their ties with their families, fellow citizens and society.
The Leader said students had a responsibility to advance Iran by expanding the frontiers of knowledge and making progress in science and technology.
He also urged them to foster critical thinking and creativity while safeguarding their national identity, cultural independence, the Persian language and the symbols of the Islamic Republic.
Referring to the recent war, Ayatollah Khamenei urged students to remember those killed from Iran’s school and university communities, saying the absence of students, teachers and university professors would be felt as educational institutions reopened.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Education, US-Israeli attacks since February 28 have killed 296 Iranian students and more than 65 teachers. In one of the deadliest strikes on the first day of the war, US forces carried out a double-tap attack on Shajareh Tayyebe Elementary School in Minab, killing more than 160 students and teachers, the ministry said.
Drawings by children from Minab who were killed in a US attack are displayed outside the UN office in Geneva.
The Leader said the absence of the martyred students, professors and teachers would be deeply felt, adding that the grief would help people understand the true nature of the struggle between good and evil and the conflict between truth and falsehood.
He also commended teachers and university professors for educating successive generations, saying their contributions deserved greater recognition.
The Leader acknowledged concerns about teachers’ livelihoods and expressed hope that effective measures would be implemented to improve their economic conditions.
Ayatollah Khamenei said students from previous generations who defended Iran would serve as role models for those now entering schools and universities.
The Leader congratulated students, teachers and university professors on the start of the new academic year, expressing hope that the younger generation would make further advances in science, education and national development.
