TEHRAN (FNA)- Senior Military Aide to the Iranian Supreme Leader Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi warned the nation that one of the most important threats posed to the country is the soft war launched by internal and foreign enemies.
"National unity and integrity are among the factors which lead the country towards victory and the designers of soft war are seeking to attain their goals in the Islamic Republic of Iran by weakening the Supreme Leader and Velayat Faqih (top religious leadership)'s position, creating distance between the elites and the society, decreasing popularity rate of the Armed Forces among the people, disturbing political unity and national integrity and creating distrust among the people, officials and the national media," Safavi said in Tehran on Sunday.
He called on the Iranian people, specially the youth and students, to keep vigilant against internal and foreign plots, strengthen their unity and use the clever ideas of the political, cultural and academic elites so as to help the Islamic Revolution to attain its goals.
In relevant remarks in June, Commander of Iran's Basij (volunteer) Force Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi underlined the high preparedness of the Islamic Republics Armed Forces, saying that Irans defensive capabilities and readiness had pushed the enemy to resort to soft war.
"The enemy which couldnt wage a hot war against the Iranian nation grew disappointed after it found that the deployment (of its forces) around the Islamic Republic has proved ineffective, and it has now focused on the cultural front," Naqdi said, addressing a forum in Tehran.
"Since 7 years ago, they have focused mainly on the soft war and the cultural front," he added.
Naqdi further pointed to the wave of psychological propaganda against the Islamic Republic as part of the same soft war efforts made by the enemies, saying over 160 Persian-language satellite channels were working outside Iran to affect and change the thoughts and system of values of the Iranian youth and families.
Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has also on many occasions warned against enemies' soft-war plots against Iran's resolve towards progress.
In November 2009, he underlined the necessity for proper measures to repel enemy's soft war against Iran.
Today, the main priority of the country is to confront (enemy's) soft warfare which is aimed at creating doubt, discord and pessimism among the masses of the people, Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large and fervent congregation of Basij forces at the time.