By IRNA,
Khorramshahr, Khuzestan Prvo : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday honored devotion of Iranians to stop Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in 1980-1988.
He said that Iranians enjoyed endless capacities to play key roles in human culture and civilization.
President Ahmadinejad made the remarks in his address to a large crowd in front of Khorramshahr’s grand mosque during a special ceremony held to mark the 27th anniversary of the city’s liberation from the Iraqi occupation in 1982.
The Khordad 3 (May 24) is the anniversary of Khorramshahr’s recapture from Iraqi forces by the devoted Iranian forces.
Iraq captured the port citry on October 26, 1980 in a surprise attack on the early days of Iraqi-imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
The successful retaking of the city was part of a massive military operation codenamed the ‘Beitulmoqaddas Operation’.
It is perceived as a countdown to Saddam Hussein’s defeat in his war with Iran and the liberation is celebrated in Iran every year.
President Ahmadinejad arrived in Khorramshahr earlier on Saturday to attend the city’s liberation celebrations and inaugurate a number of local development projects.
After victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, enemies of the country thought they could have halted the Islamic Revolution by imposing war, said the President.
However, he added, Iranians and particularly the people of Khorramshahr have proved with their courageous resistance that they would change all international equations to their own benefit.