WANA (Jul 31) – Tehran’s temporary Friday Prayer leader, Hojjatoleslam Seyed Mohammad-Hassan Abou Torabi-Fard, declared that the United States is no longer the primary player in the region, asserting that the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies now hold the strategic initiative.

 

Addressing the people during the Friday prayer in Tehran, Abou Torabi-Fard emphasized that Washington’s regional influence has collapsed due to Iran’s deterrence capabilities, regional military operations, and the unified actions of the Axis of Resistance.

 

Declining U.S. Influence and Regional Deterrence

The Iranian cleric stated that the U.S. can no longer act without facing retaliatory consequences. “Today, under the measures of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the sacrifices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Army fighters, Iran has achieved a level of active deterrence where the enemy cannot engage in adventurism without receiving an appropriate response,” he said.

 

Highlighting the shifting balance of power, Abou Torabi-Fard referenced military engagements between July 8 and Friday morning—specifically citing the “Nasr 2” and “Sa’egheh” operations—which he claimed destroyed aircraft, helicopters, and air defense systems at U.S. bases, resulting in numerous casualties.

 

He added that the targeting of the U.S. military’s central command center and airbase in Jordan earlier in the week demonstrates a dynamic shift in the conflict’s equation.

 

According to the cleric, the objective of this strategy is to raise the costs of aggression: “If the enemy realizes that the cost of continuing the war outweighs its potential benefits, deterrence has achieved its main goal.”

 

Diplomacy Backed by Military Might and the Resistance Axis

Addressing foreign policy and international negotiations, Abou Torabi-Fard stressed that hard power remains the fundamental prerequisite for diplomatic success. “Smart and trusted politicians of our country have realized that in the arena of conflict, power speaks first so that truth can prevail at the negotiation table,” he noted, adding that power, rather than justice, dictates the rules of global politics.

 

He asserted that Iran’s military deterrence is what ultimately neutralizes weapons deployed by Washington and Tel Aviv.

 

He also paid tribute to regional allies across the Middle East, praising the resilience of the Iraqi people, the Arbaeen pilgrimage as a display of soft power, the fighters in Gaza and Palestine, the forces in Yemen, and the resolve of Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

 

All-Out Warfare and Domestic Unity

Turning to the broader conflict and domestic affairs, Abou Torabi-Fard cautioned that the war imposed by Washington and Tel Aviv extends beyond traditional military clashes into economic, psychological, media, and cultural domains.

 

He warned that the enemy’s primary roadmap is to undermine national unity, exploit social divides, and erode public trust in officials through cognitive warfare.

 

Concluding his sermon, he urged vigilance and national solidarity, invoking the guidance of the Supreme Leader to avoid political divisions and safeguard the country’s cohesion as a vital defense against external threats.

 

He also honored the historical resistance of the inhabitants of southern Iran, citing their defense of the nation from the 16th-century Portuguese occupation of the Strait of Hormuz to the Iran-Iraq War.