Ayatollah Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, met Monday morning with officials and managers of IRIB and members of the IRIB Supervisory Council. Speaking at the meeting, His Eminence referred to the full-scale and all-out soft war of global arrogance against the Islamic Republic reiterating that changing the beliefs of the people is the most important goal of this war.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution highlighted the significance of national media in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the great media movement that has been created with the help of new media outlets, stressing: "National media is present on the scene of such an unusual, vast and involuntary confrontation which is the same complex and very important arena of soft war."
Comparing the characteristics of soft and hard wars, Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Unlike hard wars, soft wars are not clear-cut, easily understandable and tangible. In some cases, the other side delivers a blow, but the target society is suffering from drowsiness and lack of vigilance. Soft wars are not particular to Iran, but in the case of Iran, the goal of such thought-out and calculated wars is to transform the Islamic Republic of Iran and make it change its essential nature while preserving its outward structure and form."
His Eminence stated that a change in one's nature means a change in one's motives, slogans, revolutionary concepts and great goals. He added: "Within the framework of the goals that the enemy's soft war pursues, the preservation or not of the name ‘Islamic Republic' and even the presence of a turban-wearer at the top of the system is not of importance. What is important is that Iran works towards the goals of America, Zionism and the network of global power."
He said: "Our people have convictions and beliefs about religion, family, issues related to ‘women and men', independence, confronting foreigners, Islamic democracy and different cultural matters, but the other side is trying to tamper with or change these beliefs."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution reiterated that changing the people's beliefs about the past is another goal of this soft war, adding: "Our people have certain beliefs about the previous corrupt and dictatorial regime, but there is an effort - through this soft war - to change this ugly, evil and dark past into a bright and beautiful one."
Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the effort of this soft war to change the people's beliefs about the future and the present time, reiterating: "They want to instill into today's youth the idea that the current situation of the country is a source of embarrassment and that making progress in the future is impossible as well. This way, they want to take away enthusiasm, dynamism, pursuance of knowledge and hope towards the future from the young generation."
His Eminence described the promotion of "minimal religion" and "secular religion" - which is compatible with any kind of personal and social conduct - as one of the covert goals of the mainly social programs that foreign media are producing, further stressing: "They are very serious in pursuing their goals and they have specific plans, but we are behind them in this regard."
Pointing to the numerous problems that contemporary revolutions are faced with, the bloody domestic wars that they wage against one another and even their return to the conditions of previous regimes, he said: "We should compare the current condition of Iran with the condition of America 40 years after the Declaration of Independence in that country and with the condition of France four decades after the French Revolution was carried out so that we can better understand the current condition of Iran and the astonishing achievements of the country."
Elsewhere in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution highlighted the necessity of performing a fundamental and comprehensive analysis in the IRIB, saying: "Within this framework, the effort of foreigners to portray a dark picture of things should receive attention. We should notice that in achieving the goals of this soft war, they present a distorted and upside-down picture of Iran to people throughout the world and to Iranians themselves as well as presenting a completely one-sided picture of the world itself."
Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the guidelines that have been announced to Mr. Sarafraz in the beginning of his term of responsibility as the head of the IRIB, adding: "All these guidelines should be pursued. In order to apply them, exact and research-based plans should be formulated. Of course, good tasks have been carried out in certain cases."
His Eminence described the IRIB as the medium of the Islamic Republic, the country and the Revolution, stressing: "The IRIB is the frontline and active base for confronting this soft war and the managers and personnel of this national medium are the commanders and soldiers of this war."