TEHRAN –  Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Saturday that the enemies are “naïve” as they suffer from the illusion that the people in Iran have “lost their faith” of the Islamic Republic system and the “clergies”.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a ceremony marking the 33rd anniversary of the demise of Imam Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic system. 

The Leader said the people’s “belief and interest in the Islamic Revolution and the religion has grown even more than the first day,” citing the huge funeral procession for legendary anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020 as a concrete example.

He added despite such illusions mostly expressed in social media “Iran will not reach an impasse”. 

The Leader went on to say that the enemies are uselessly seeking to put the people against the government and the system.

“Western countries mainly pin their hopes on the popular protests in order to overthrow the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Khamenei told a large crowd gathering at the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran. 

“They hope to set people against the Islamic establishment, by launching psychological warfare, recruiting mercenaries, and staging media campaigns against Iran,” the Leader remarked, according to Press TV.

However, he said, the foes, like the past, suffer from a “miscalculation”, wrongly imagining that they can create discord among the people and the Islamic Republic system.

The adversaries make such blunders since they get “wrong advice” from the “Iranian traitors" who tell them "count on the Iranian people to rebel against the Islamic establishment,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted. 

Elsewhere in his remarks broadcast live on the national TV, Ayatollah Khamenei said “the foe’s lies, deceptions, and psychological warfare must be exposed” to all.

The Leader pointed to the recent illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker by Greece and the confiscation of its oil by the U.S., lauding the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) for retaliating to Greece’s act of piracy.

In their media campaigns, Ayatollah Khamenei said, the enemies have “accused Iran of stealing,” while “taking back what is stolen from you is not called stealing".

Days after the Iranian oil tanker was seized by Greece in its territorial waters, the IRGC navy captured two Greek oil tankers in the Persian Gulf as a retaliation.

"Those responsible for collapse building in Abadan must be brought to book"

He also pointed to a recent building collapse in the southwestern city of Abadan, insisting those behind the deadly incident for their carelessness must be brought to justice.

A 10-story building partly collapsed in Abadan on May 23. Current and former mayors and some other municipal staff and those who supervised the project have been arrested and are under investigation. 37 bodies have been recovered under the rubble.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader said Imam Khomeini put “religious spirituality and people’s vote together” and accordingly, “put economic justice and wealth creation together”.

Ayatollah Khamenei went on to say that Iran will “strengthen its economy and improve its knowledge,” and in parallel “ensure security and beef up defense”.

He added, “We have to observe national and at the same time we have to respect diversity and different views.”