Martyr Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei defeated the US through his martyrdom

Question: Please introduce yourself, including your name, position, and the work you are currently engaged in.

Al-Bukhaiti: In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. I am Mohammed Nasser Qaid al-Bukhaiti, a member of the political bureau of the Ansarallah movement and the governor of Dhamar.

Question: What brought you to Iran?

Al-Bukhaiti: We came to Iran to take part in the funeral procession of the martyred Leader. This is the least we can do for this great Leader.

Question: Do you consider yourself a guest of Iran today, or how would you describe your presence here?

Al-Bukhaiti: Yemen, Iran, and the other countries of the Resistance Front share a common cause. We therefore do not consider ourselves guests of Iran. We stand alongside Iran in times of joy and sorrow.

Question: How is the martyred Leader regarded in Yemen, and what impact has he had there?

Al-Bukhaiti: Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei played a major role in shaping the Islamic Revolution in Iran. During his presidency, he also played a major role in steering the country’s affairs. Beyond that, he filled the void left by the passing of Imam Khomeini (ra), leading Iran with wisdom and patience.

What set Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei apart was his patience and wisdom in dealing with various matters, as well as his extensive knowledge and experience across a wide range of fields, including politics, philosophy, literature, and history. As a result, many foreign officials who met with him were taken by surprise, astonished by the breadth and depth of his knowledge.

Through his martyrdom, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei also rendered a great service to the Ummah. His martyrdom first brought unity to Iran’s domestic front and made the truth clear to Muslims around the world. We can therefore say that he triumphed over the US at the cost of his own blood, because Trump failed to achieve any of the war’s objectives, foremost among them the overthrow of the system in Iran.

What happened was precisely the opposite: the Iranian nation rallied around the Islamic Revolution, its principles, and its moral commitments to the Palestinian cause and the concerns of the Muslim Ummah, standing united as one.

Question: The martyred Leader possessed many qualities. Which of his outstanding traits or attributes appealed to you most?

Al-Bukhaiti: The martyred Leader possessed several outstanding qualities, including patience and wisdom in dealing with various matters, particularly when confronting domestic challenges, as well as a broad command of knowledge across different fields. These qualities enabled him to manage Iran’s affairs under the most difficult circumstances, especially after the passing of Imam Khomeini (ra).

He also succeeded in preserving Iran’s commitment to its moral obligations toward the Palestinian cause and the concerns of the Muslim Ummah.

Question: The slogan of the funeral procession for the martyred Imam is the Quranic phrase “Qumu lillah” (“Rise up for God”). Why was this slogan chosen?

Al-Bukhaiti: Certainly, whenever we take action, we begin by responding to the call of Almighty God and base our decisions on divine guidance rather than on material, political, economic, or military calculations.

Therefore, this slogan must remain our slogan in the stages ahead, because this is precisely what we need. Some people make their decisions based on material, military, and economic calculations. If we, too, were to assess matters from this perspective, we would arrive at one conclusion: submission to the American project and American domination.

Therefore, our movement must be for the pleasure of Almighty God, so that we may attain divine success, support, and victory, God willing.

Question: How can the Ansarallah movement in Yemen put the slogan “Rise up for God” into practice in the coming stage?

Al-Bukhaiti: The slogan of the martyred Leader, “Rise up for God,” which was also raised during his funeral procession, is one that we put into practice.

When we make military decisions, we do so in response to the call of Almighty God.

When we launched our first strike deep inside the Zionist regime and closed Bab al-Mandab to the Zionist regime’s maritime traffic, many observers and analysts said the decision was a mistake because we lacked the capacity to confront the US, Britain, and the Zionist regime.

But our answer was clear: we make our decisions in response to the guidance of Almighty God.

Almighty God says: “Fight in the way of Allah those who fight you” (Quran 2:190). He also says: “So should anyone aggress against you, assail him in the manner he assailed you” (Quran 2:194).

Therefore, when we fight in the way of God, our aim is not simply to achieve victory. We fight to please Almighty God and to fulfill our religious and moral duty.

Question: How would you describe the martyred Leader, in general and in brief?

Al-Bukhaiti: The martyred Leader was distinguished by his spiritual manner of speaking. He was also among those described by Almighty God in the verse: “Their mark is [visible] on their faces” (Quran 48:29).

Anyone who looked at the martyred Leader could sense, deep within, that he stood for a just cause and for truth and righteousness. This was evident in his face.

Question: Complete this sentence: “From the martyred Leader, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, I learned that…”

Al-Bukhaiti: From the martyred Leader, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, I learned patience and wisdom, as well as a spiritual manner of speaking. I also learned the importance of having a broad command of different fields of knowledge, whether history, philosophy, or other disciplines, so that one can manage the affairs of life properly and effectively.

Question: Grand Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Someone like me does not pledge allegiance to someone like him.” What does this statement mean today?

Al-Bukhaiti: The struggle in this world is a struggle over legitimacy, between the legitimacy of truth and the legitimacy of falsehood. What Yazid wanted from Imam Hussain (pbuh) was for him to recognize the legitimacy of falsehood and pledge allegiance to it. This confrontation has continued ever since.

Today, too, the battle is between truth and falsehood. The US is no longer content merely to occupy our countries and dominate them. It wants us to recognize its legitimacy and become part of the very order that legitimizes American power.

The Americans tried to intimidate and threaten Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei into abandoning the Palestinian cause, warning that they would destroy Iran and target him if he refused. But he would not yield. To abandon the Palestinian cause and relinquish Iran’s commitment to supporting the oppressed around the world would have meant recognizing the legitimacy of the US, as though he had pledged allegiance to the Americans.

It was therefore only natural that he reject this demand and follow the path of his revered ancestor, Imam Hussain (pbuh). Imam Hussain (pbuh) emerged victorious at the cost of his own blood, and today, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, too, is achieving victory over the US at the cost of his own blood.

Question: How will we avenge the martyrdom of the Imam and the martyred Leader?

Al-Bukhaiti: In His Book, Almighty God speaks to the Children of Israel about the momentous battle we are now engaged in, saying: “If you do good, you will do good to your [own] souls, and if you do evil, it will be [evil] for them” (Quran 17:7).

This means that the Zionist regime will ultimately pay the price for all the crimes it has committed.

The loss of Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, and many other leaders of the Resistance Front in Palestine and Yemen is profound, and it must be answered. Unless we make it clear to the enemy that it will pay the price for these actions, it will continue its aggression.

We are confident that we will force the US and the Zionist regime to pay the price for all these actions, for this is the promise of Almighty God.