TEHRAN – The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has written a commendation for “Waiting for the Red Rose”, Mohsen Momeni-Sharif’s biography of martyr Ali Sayyad Shirazi, a regular military officer who served as commander of Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq war.

The commendation was unveiled at Tehran’s Behesht Zahra Cemetery on Tuesday during a special ceremony attended by Momeni-Sharif and a number of army officers.

Sayyad Shirazi was assassinated by the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in 1999 while serving as the deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff, the second-highest military office in Iran.

“This is an exceptional and interesting example of a report on the war while it is a sweet story of one of its characters,” the Leader wrote.

“I read the entire book thoroughly; it has been written beautifully and artistically. I am quite familiar with many of its incidents,” he added.

“Of course, many other events of that era and many other words about this dear martyr have remained untold. And this is natural, because the prominence of martyr Sayyad Shirazi cannot be showcased in a book. He was truly an example of a brave and devoted army officer. God bless his soul,” he stated.

Sureh-Mehr is the publisher of the book, which has been republished 22 times.

Sayyad Shirazi led a counter-offensive called Operation Mersad against the MKO militants, who, with the help of Saddam Hussein, launched an attack in the summer of 1988 to capture the western Iranian city of Kermanshah.

He was assassinated on April 10, 1999, outside his house while on his way to work. The MKO claimed responsibility for the attack, which, it said the act was in revenge for Operation Mersad.

Photo: Combination photo shows a copy of “Waiting for the Red Rose” and the Leader’s recommendation for the book.

RM/MMS/YAW