TEHRAN – Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has reflected on how the enemy failed in achieving its goals during the recent wave of unrest that engulfed Iran. 

In a meeting with panegyrists on Thursday, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed various issues, including how the enemies’ efforts came to naught with respect to destroying Iran. He said the enemy hatched a comprehensive plot to undermine Iran, but it failed in doing so because of miscalculations. 

Ayatollah Khamenei said many things began falling into place before the enemy staged the unrest. “There was an economic factor; of course, the economic situation of the country was not and is not in a good state, therefore people’s problems with the costs of living provided the grounds for them to use this factor,” he said, according to a readout by khamenei.ir. “Other elements of disruption included security factors, infiltrations, espionage teams and Iranophobic uproars by the Arrogance in the world via different ways and methods of propaganda. They also incited certain elements inside the country to accompany them, provoked different ethnic, religious, political, and personal motives and made use of widespread propaganda. But despite this, they failed because their calculations were incorrect.”

Unrest in Iran began in September last year in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini. Iranian authorities have said that the ensuing riots that followed the death of Amini was stage managed by the U.S., Europe, and their regional allies. 

Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemies based their anti-Iran plans on miscalculations. He said the enemy engineered the unrest in a relatively good way but their calculations were wrong. And that led to their failure.

The Leader said that they imagined that because of economic problems, the Iranian nation would cooperate with their plans of subversion and separatism. The Leader also stated that the enemy imagined that by using foul language and insults they would be able to make the country’s officials become passive, hoping they would get them out of the picture. They thought they could create differences of opinion among the country’s high-level officials by using temptations and creating commotions.

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed out that “the enemies imagined that they could undermine the Islamic Republic’s determination by using the petrodollars of a mercenary country of the US. They thought that by inciting some mercenary elements to seek asylum in another country and by encouraging them to smear Iran, our youth would become discouraged. They were mistaken, for the will and determination of the Islamic Republic was stronger and more adamant than all the elements of their power.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution added that “The enemy has been doing everything it can to act against the Islamic Republic for the past 40 years, but because their calculations have been incorrect, they have failed up until now and they will continue to face defeat in the future.”

He underlined that even though there are differences in taste and opinion in the country, there is still a consensus among the people about Islam, the government and the Revolution. “So, it is important not to lose this unity and not to contribute to ethnic and religious differences and the provocation of feelings of one group against another,” he said.

Despite widespread enemy propaganda, Iranians from all walks of life maintained unity and supported the Islamic Republic in the face of rioting. As the Leader said, that ensures that the enemy will continue to fail in its next endeavors against Iran. 

By Sadegh Fereydounabadi