The first days of the Iran-Iraq War in September 1980 were marked by chaos, darkness, and an existential threat to the newly formed Islamic Republic. A newly released documentary delves deep into this critical period, shedding light on a lesser-known chapter of history: Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei’s direct involvement on the southern battlefields. Transitioning from the halls of parliament to the muddy, embattled plains of Khuzestan, the documentary paints a vivid picture of a leader who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the people when the nation needed it most.
Into the Heart of the Battle
The film opens by setting the scene of a nation under sudden attack by Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime. While political turmoil brewed in Tehran—exacerbated by the mismanagement and hesitations of then-President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr—Ayatollah Khamenei sought permission from Imam Khomeini to leave his political posts and head directly to the frontlines.
Arriving in Ahvaz under the cover of absolute darkness, Ayatollah Khamenei, alongside the legendary Dr. Mostafa Chamran, immediately began organising the resistance. Swapping his clerical robes for a simple military uniform, he worked to unite the fragmented defensive forces. The documentary highlights their instrumental role in establishing the Irregular Warfare Headquarters, which became a vital hub for mobilising everyday citizens, local tribes, and dedicated volunteers into a formidable defence force.
Faith and Tactical Ingenuity
The documentary is rich with historical anecdotes of tactical ingenuity and spiritual resilience. With Iraqi tanks advancing dangerously close to Ahvaz, Ayatollah Khamenei supported a brilliant asymmetrical strategy: releasing the waters of the Karkheh River to flood the plains, effectively bogging down the enemy’s armoured divisions in the mud and halting their advance.
Beyond tactics, the core of the film is the profound spirit of the volunteers. The narrative captures deeply moving personal accounts, such as Ayatollah Khamenei overhearing a volunteer calmly bidding a final farewell to his family in Turkish, fully prepared to embrace martyrdom. It was this unwavering faith—the realisation that these men were fighting for a divine cause rather than mere territory—that fuelled the resistance despite a severe lack of equipment and support from the formal chain of command.
Breaking the Siege of Susangerd
A central climax of the documentary revolves around the dire situation in Susangerd. With the city surrounded and its defenders—a small, starving contingent of Air Force personnel and IRGC volunteers—facing imminent massacre, Ayatollah Khamenei recognised that losing these brave souls would be a far greater tragedy than losing the territory itself. Bypassing Bani-Sadr’s delays, he relentlessly coordinated a joint operation between the regular army (Artesh), the IRGC, and Chamran’s irregulars, setting the stage for the historic breaking of the Susangerd siege.
