Leader hails “perfect” defense capabilities of Iran

The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with the people from Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province on Monday morning, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

A number of top Iranian officials among them President Masoud Pezeshkian also attended the Monday meeting of the East Azerbaijan people with Ayatollah Khamenei held concurrent with the anniversary of 1977 uprising by people in Tabriz against the former Pahlavi regime.

Ayatollah Khamenei lauded as “perfect” Iran’s defense capabilities against threats of war and said,” Both friends and foes are aware of that fact which has brought feeling of security for the Iranian nation.”

The Leader noted that the present issue for Iran is not hard warfare but soft warfare and said,” Enemies’ soft warfare against Iranian nation has failed to affect the people” and explained,” The soft warfare stands for manipulation of the people’s thoughts, sowing discord or making them skeptical of the Islamic Revolution and also shaking their resistance against enemies.”

Ayatollah Khamenei noted,” Ill-wishers have discovered that the way to dominate the Iranian nation and forcing the Islamic Republic from its mighty stance is to apply soft warfare, which has so far failed to impede the advance of the nation and Iranian youths.”

The Leader highlighted soft defense as a more important necessity over hard defense and said,” Any defect in the latter would be compensated by the former but the issues in the field of soft warfare cannot be settled by means of hard warfare.”

Ayatollah Khamenei condemned the bullying remarks by the US for occupation or renaming parts of other countries as a manifestation of the ugly, violent, looting and domineering face of the arrogant powers and the complicated network of Zionism and said,” They cannot tolerate the fact that Iranian nation who by standing on its own feet and protesting against their atrocities, established a government that has increasingly empowered throughout 46 years.”

The Leader also addressed the Iranian youths saying,” Nowadays, your mission is to maintain your revolutionary morale, advancing and moving in line with the objectives of the Islamic Revolution.

Still in another part of his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the massive turnout of the people in the rallies held for the Islamic Revolution anniversary and said,” The ordinary people, and not the armed forces or officials, celebrated the victory of Islamic Revolution, despite hardships.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the 1977 uprising of the people in Tabriz and hailed the “Islamic belief” and “religious gallantry” of the people as the factors behind their protest more than four decades ago