In a message on his X account late on Monday on the occasion of 36th anniversary of the return of Iranian prisoners of war (POWs) from Baathist regime of the deposed Saddam Hussein to their homeland, Pezeshkian wrote, “What befell our free men during the years of captivity is not merely a part of the history of war; it is the narrative of the steadfastness of men who endured suffering but did not relinquish the honor of Iran."

“Patience, solidarity, and hope are the keys to Iran’s resilience in the face of ever-increasing external pressures and threats.”

The anniversary commemorates August 17, 1990, when the first group of Iranian captives, heroes of the eight-year imposed war launched by the Baghdad regime with the full backing of Western powers, began returning home after years of hardship and resistance in enemy prisons.

More than 218,000 Iranian martyrs laid down their lives defending the Islamic Revolution against Saddam’s aggression, turning the Sacred Defense into a golden chapter of national pride, self-confidence and divine insight.

The war ended in 1988, when Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598 which declared Saddam as the initiator of the conflict.

On August 17, 1990, the Iraqi regime was obliged to start the emancipation process of Iran’s captives and prisoners of war following a swap deal clinched earlier that year.

Iran’s Armed Forces also issued a strong statement on the eve of the anniversary, celebrating the return of the prisoners of war as a blessed day and reaffirming that the nation will never retreat from its legitimate rights, according to Press TV. 

The statement stressed that the iron will of the Iranian people ensures victory until the complete defeat of the American-Zionist enemies in the region and the full upholding of the Iranian nation’s rights.

MNA