WANA (August 14) – During a meeting with officials from the National Congress of Martyrs of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, Ayatollah Khamenei noted the importance of resisting psychological warfare tactics employed by adversaries to intimidate and force Iran into retreat.

 

He highlighted that recognizing one’s strengths and avoiding the exaggeration of the enemy’s capabilities are crucial in countering such strategies.

 

The Supreme Leader of Iran emphasized that one of the main pillars of psychological warfare against the Iranian nation is the overstatement of enemy power.

 

He recalled that since the Islamic Revolution, hostile forces have tried to instill fear in the Iranian people, suggesting they should fear the United States, the UK, and Israel.

 

The Supreme Leader praised the late Imam Khomeini’s ability to dispel this fear and instill self-confidence in the Iranian people, helping them realize that relying on their own inner strength could lead to great achievements and that the enemy is not as powerful as it seems.

 

He warned that the enemy’s goal in psychological warfare, particularly in the military domain, is to create fear and force a retreat. According to the Quran, any retreat that is not tactical, whether in military, political, propaganda, or economic arenas, invites divine displeasure.

 

Ayatollah Khamenei further explained that exaggerating the enemy’s power in the political sphere leads to feelings of weakness and submission.

 

He pointed out that nations, both large and small, that succumb to the demands of the powerful do so because they do not rely on their own capabilities and fail to see the reality of the enemy’s strength without exaggeration.

 

In the cultural field, the Leader warned that magnifying the enemy’s influence results in cultural passivity, attraction to foreign cultures, and the devaluation of one’s own.

 

This, he said, ultimately leads to the acceptance of the opposing lifestyle and even the adoption of foreign language and expressions.

 

He emphasized the importance of honoring martyrs and fighters who stood against psychological warfare, urging that their courage and resistance should be prominently featured in artistic and commemorative works to keep these truths alive.

 

The Supreme Leader also called for the creation of lasting cultural and artistic works, including books and films about the martyrs and the Sacred Defense, to influence the lifestyle of young people.

 

He commended the organizers of the Congress, stating that the sacrifice of a nation’s youth is a valuable asset for the country’s progress and must be preserved and protected from distortion or oblivion.