Pars Today – The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the domineering statements of the Americans and their demands to seize or rename parts of other countries as manifestations of the ugly, harsh, plundering, and domineering nature of the arrogant powers and the intricate network of Zionism.
According to Pars Today, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khamenei, made the remarks on Monday (February 17), during a meeting with thousands of people of Tabriz, marking the anniversary of their historic uprising against the Pahlavi regime on February 18, 1978.
The Leader stated in this meeting: They cannot tolerate the fact that the Iranian nation, by standing on its own feet and protesting against their oppression and aggression, has established a government that has grown stronger day by day over the past 46 years.
Ayatollah Khamenei rejected some analyses suggesting that the Iranian people create enemies for themselves, stating: “The enmity of the American hegemonic policymaking apparatus is not because of chanting ‘Death to America,’ but rather stems from the reality that Iran, through the determination and sacrifice of its people, has managed to break free from the yoke of colonial enslavement and resist their impositions.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described Iran’s defensive capabilities in the face of severe threats as “excellent” and said: Both our friends and enemies recognize this reality, and our nation feels secure in this regard. Therefore, the issue we face today is not the hard power threat from the enemy, but rather the soft power threat.
Ayatollah Khamenei defined the soft power threat as the manipulation of public opinion, creating divisions, and sowing doubt about “the fundamental principles of the Islamic Revolution and the necessity of steadfastness against the enemy.”
The Leader continued: The ill-wishers have concluded that the way to overcome the Iranian nation and push the Islamic Republic back from its powerful positions is through the use of soft power threats. However, so far, they have not succeeded, and their temptations have failed to deter the Iranian people and youth from their resolve and moving forward.
The Leader described the massive march on February 10 as clear evidence of the ineffectiveness of soft power threats and added: The glorious and magnificent presence of the masses, even after 46 years since the victory of the Revolution, is an unparalleled event in the world. The people have shown that their legitimate concerns and expectations do not prevent them from coming out to defend the Revolution.
Imam Khamenei, emphasizing the need to continue countering the enemy’s deceptions, stated: “Those in charge of the country’s media industry, educational institutions, broadcast apparatus, writers, intellectuals, artists, and active youth in the cyberspace should identify the enemy’s targeted areas for influencing public opinion and block them through content creation, thought, and ideas.
The Leader considered soft power defense more important than hard power defense in the current situation and explained: “A deficiency in hard power defense can be compensated by soft power defense, as has been done many times before. However, soft power issues cannot be resolved with hard power tools.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution advised young people to strengthen soft defense by familiarizing themselves with the concepts and principles of the Revolution and the statements of Imam Khomeini (God bless his soul) and added: In its true essence, our Revolution has been a struggle between “light and darkness” and “righthood and falsehood,” aiming to elevate the Iranian nation, enhance its future greatness, and showcase its national identity.
Referring to progress toward achieving the goals of the Revolution, the Leader added: Of course, we have not yet fully achieved the goals of the Revolution, and we still face challenges in areas such as justice, reducing social gaps, and some other issues. We must work harder to compensate for these shortcomings.
However, the Revolution has managed to maintain its independent identity as a great and inspiring base for the nations of the region and even beyond. The reason for the anger of the arrogant powers, colonialists, and wicked criminal elements is the Islamic Republic’s resilience, steadfastness, and its ability to stand firm and showing a strong fist to them.
MG/ME
