President Saddam Hussein said today that Iraq will conquer tyrants in a defiant speech to mark the Islamic New Year.
"You will emerge victorious thanks to your faith and because you represent right against wrong, virtue against vice, honesty against treason, and jihad (holy war) against mercenaries and aggressors," Saddam said in a message marking the start of the new year according to the Muslim calendar.
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"The (US) tyrant and his likes will be defeated," said the Iraqi leader, citing episodes of the 7th-century jihad waged by Islam's Prophet Mohamed against infidels in the Arabian Peninsula.
"The fruit of your faith and patience will be victory over your enemy. God willing, the believers will achieve victory over the tyrant and his associates," he said in the message read on his behalf on state television.
"The tyrant of the era thinks he is God. He imagines he can enslave people and confiscate their decision-making, freedom and legitimate choices," Saddam said in a reference to the United States.
Washington has deployed tens of thousands of troops in the region in preparation for an offensive and is seeking to push through the UN Security Council a resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq.