TEHRAN – In his Saturday speech, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei drew the nation’s attention to a relatively new phenomenon that is affecting the “soul and heart” of large swaths of Iran’s population: Media warfare. 

After two years of corona-related restrictions on his public appearances, the Leader headed Saturday to the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum to address the people on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the demise of Imam Khomeini. 

In his televised speech, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed a variety of issues of paramount importance internally. He spoke about Imam Khomeini’s steely personality, the uniqueness of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in history, the bonds between the state and society, and the extensive propaganda machine of the enemy, among other issues. 

The Leader highlighted the need to refrain from ignoring the role of the enemies against Iran. He spoke about this role within the context of addressing the achievements and failures of Iran. Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran made great breakthroughs in all areas such as democracy, scientific achievements, diplomatic and economic affairs, and public services. “Denying these achievements is an injustice. Of course, we have had our share of failures too. In other words, we have had both achievements and weaknesses and failures,” he said, according to a readout published by the khamenei.ir. 

He said, “Of course, the role of the far-reaching camp of the enemies from the time of the victory of the Revolution and up until today should not be ignored. It was not the Islamic Republic that gave birth to this enmity. Rather, because the Islamic Republic is opposed to oppression, arrogance, decadence and in favor of spirituality by nature, oppressors, the arrogant powers, the evildoers and those opposed to spirituality naturally show hostility toward it.”

The main reason for this enmity, Ayatollah Khamenei said, was Imam Khomeini’s determined separation from the West.

The Leader then touched on the enemies’ plots against the Islamic Republic, pointing out two of the enemies’ plots in that regard. 

“In the first plot, the enemies have pinned their hopes on popular protests to damage the country. They are trying all kinds of tricks to turn the people against the Islamic Republic, including: psychological work on the people, activities in the internet, spending money and employing mercenaries,” he said, adding that the second plot involves promoting a wrong notion about the imminent decline of the Islamic Republic.

He noted, “Ill-intentioned people used to say in the beginning of the Revolution that the Revolution would fall in the space of six months. Later, when their calculation proved to be wrong, they promised that it would fall in the next six months. But today more than eighty of these six-month periods have passed in the life of the Revolution, and that thin sapling has turned into a sturdy, strong tree. Their current calculations are wrong just like they were in the past.”

To counter the enemies’ propaganda against Iran, the Leader gave some pieces of advice revolving around the enemies’ psychological warfare. One such piece of advice was to reveal the enemies’ lies and their psychological warfare.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemies constantly twist the truth about Iran. He alluded to Iran’s recent seizure of two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf as a case in point. 

“Some time ago, the Greek government stole some of our country’s oil due to an order from the Americans. But when the self-sacrificing, valiant soldiers of the Islamic Republic confiscated the enemy’s ship carrying oil, they accused Iran of theft through their extensive propaganda machines. But it was them who had stolen our oil. Taking back something that had been stolen is not an act of theft,” he asserted. 

Iranian officials constantly warn about the enemies’ propaganda against Iran. Esmail Khatib, Iran’s intelligence minister, said on Sunday that the enemies have mobilized all their facilities to wreak havoc on Iran. 

In a speech delivered at a meeting with senior intelligence and military officials in Zahedan, Khatib offered a similar assessment of the enemies’ efforts against Iran. He said the enemies are currently focused on three things: First, they are betting on protests and gatherings. Second, the “terrorist moves” that were undertaken by Israel. Third, the enemies are seeking to smear Islamic Iran in the eyes of the people through social media platforms. 

“Unfortunately, the enemy media have a drum whose beat is not only strident and grating but also leaves a lasting [impact] on the soul and heart of our youth. The front of Islam and Revolution will, with God’s help, clinch victory despite all the efforts of the enemies,” Khatib said, according to state news agency IRNA.