TEHRAN – Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, has said that the enemy has waged a cognitive war against the Iranian people.

In his opening remarks at the Parliament open session on Tuesday, Qalibaf said journalists play a pivotal role in thwarting the cognitive war. 

“We live in a time when the enemy has come to fight the Iranian people with a cognitive war. The Explanation Jihad lies at the center of neutralizing this agenda. And journalists are the main fighters in this complicated war,” he said.

Qalibaf made the remarks to chime in on the Day of Journalists in Iran, which is marked on August 8 every year. 

“It is necessary to congratulate all the journalists of the country on the Day of Journalist and especially thank the efforts of the journalists of the Majlis beat, which is considered one of the most difficult and complex areas of news,” he continued. 

The establishment of the Day of Journalist in Iran dates back to the 1990s when the correspondent of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Mahmoud Saremi, was killed in Afghanistan along with a number of Iranian diplomats. 

Several Iranian officials have offered congratulations on the Day. In many of the congratulatory messages, officials underlined the need for Iranian journalists to thwart the media war on Iran. Mahmoud Salari, the deputy minister of culture for arts, said journalists should contribute to the Explanation Jihad. When media attacks by ill-wishers against the Iranian nation and their hope and awareness are increasing by the day, Salari said, the work of journalists is like a star that enlightens the dark sky of evils. 

Other Iranian officials issued similar messages. Iranian media outlets also celebrated the day by addressing the pros and cons of working as a journalist.