Ruhullah Al-Khumaini says:

وهذا واجب إلهي إذ أنه من أهم الواجبات التي فرضها الله بمعنى أن صيانة الجمهورية الإسلامية (إيران) أهم من الحفاظ على حياة شخص واحد ولو كان إمام العصر؛ لأن إمام العصر أيضا يضحي بنفسه لأجل الاسلام

“This is a divine obligation, as it is one of the most important obligations that God imposed as a duty, meaning that the preservation of the Islamic Republic (Iran) is more important than the protection of the life of a person, even if that person is the Imam of time, because the Imam of the time also sacrifices himself for Islam.” [Sahifat-ul-Imam, Volume 15 page 319]

Comment:

The Iranian state is being equated with Islam here.