Unable to Conquer Iran by Force, Enemy Turns to Media Warfare
WANA (Dec 11) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that the Iranian people have defeated decades-long attempts by foreign adversaries to change the nation’s “religious, historical, and cultural identity,” urging stronger defensive and offensive measures against what he described as a wide-ranging media and propaganda assault targeting “minds, hearts, and beliefs.”
Speaking on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), the great lady of the Shiites and daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran continues to progress “despite existing problems and shortages,” while facing an intensified information warfare campaign.
He defined “national resistance” as endurance against multiple forms of pressure imposed by global powers, including military, economic, political, cultural, and media pressure.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s meeting with people on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lady Fatimah on December 11, 2025. Social media/ WANA News Agency
Ayatollah Khamenei accused Western media outlets and political officials of fomenting hostile narratives and said the aim of these pressures varies—from territorial expansion, as he claimed in reference to U.S. actions in Latin America, to domination over natural resources, to changing lifestyles, and ultimately “identity transformation.”
He said attempts by world powers to alter Iran’s identity span more than a century but were rendered ineffective by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He added that in recent decades, the Iranian people have again resisted “extensive enemy pressures,” preventing them from achieving their goals. Iran’s Supreme Leader noted that the concept of “resistance” has now spread beyond Iran to parts of the region and other countries.
He claimed that pressures placed on Iran would have caused “other nations to collapse,” and argued that the current confrontation is centered not on the battlefield but in a “broad media and propaganda war,” since, he said, Iran cannot be subdued militarily.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s meeting with people on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Lady Fatimah on December 11, 2025. Social media/ WANA News Agency
He dismissed recurring speculation about renewed military conflict, saying such claims are amplified to create fear among the public but “will not succeed, God willing.”
The Supreme Leader said the ultimate objective of Iran’s adversaries is to erase “the legacy, goals, and concepts of the Islamic Revolution” and to push the memory of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini into obscurity.
He identified the United States as leading this effort, with some European governments and “mercenaries and traitors abroad” supporting it.
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the need to understand “the enemy’s goals and formation,” arguing that Iran must shape its own strategic posture accordingly, especially in defending “Islamic, Shia, and revolutionary teachings.” He acknowledged that resisting a media and propaganda campaign is difficult but asserted that it is “fully achievable.”
