Rouhani Blasts Psywar Against Government
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday Iran’s enemies have resorted to a psychological war to portray the government inefficient, adding they are distorting realities about the country’s capabilities.
"The two currents of sanctions and distortion are at work simultaneously to fulfill this objective through bringing the country’s economy to a halt and paint a bleak picture of its accomplishments in order to create frustration” among the people he told a meeting of the government’s economic coordination board here.
Rouhani cited Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s recent remarks about the enemies’ short-, medium- and long-term agendas to hamper Iran’s economic progress.
The president said as the failure of the economic war is becoming evident, the enemies are shifting their focus to a psychological war to portray the Iranian government ineffective, distorting realities about the Islamic Republic’s capabilities and denying or playing down its achievements.
Rouhani warned against spreading rumors and misinformation and creating rifts between the government and the people, saying that would be playing to the hands of the enemies in their conspiracies against Iran.
The president went on to defend his government’s performance amid the most draconian sanctions imposed by the United States on the Islamic Republic.
"In the course of more than two and a half years of unprecedented pressure and full-scale economic
warfare, the government has managed to run the country’s affairs by significantly reducing reliance on oil revenues,” Rouhani said.
In addition to supplying basic goods needed by the people, the government boosted non-oil exports, prevented the manufacturing sector from being shut down and improved unemployment, he added.
The president said the frequent opening of major projects in the country is "a thorn in the eyes of our enemies,” adding the economic warmongers "are angry with the nation’s capabilities and success”.
On Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei outlined the enemies’ plans, saying in the short-term they seek to impose so much pressure that the Iranian people get weary, exhausted, and disturbed, so much so that they stand against the establishment.
Their mid-term goal, he said, is to prevent the country’s development through sanctions.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemy’s long-term goal is to lead the country and the government into bankruptcy.
"One of the other goals they pursue is to dismantle the country’s economy; if a country’s economy collapses, it is not possible to live in that country anymore.”
However, these dreams will never come true and as a Persian proverb says, "A camel dreams of cottonseed,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Leader further pointed to a disinformation campaign, which works hand in hand with the sanctions and includes distortion of truth and misrepresentation of realities.
The main purpose of this disinformation campaign is to undermine the people’s morale, and to offer wrong solutions to people’s problems, Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The enemies, the Leader said, insinuate that if Iran wants the sanctions to be lifted, it must give in to U.S. demands. "This is the gist of what they say.”
"Some people fall for such talks and exactly repeat what the enemies want, whether regarding the country’s weaknesses or its points of progress which they underestimate and offer wrong solutions,” the Leader said.
However, this campaign will fail to influence the majority of the Iranian people, because they have known the enemy and how biased it is, Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Leader said the falsification campaign tries to convince the Iranian people that the Islamic Republic must succumb to the U.S. demands.
"If the falsification process fails, so will the sanctions,” the Leader said. "The arena is the arena of war of wills; when the process of sanctions is defeated and the will of the Iranian nation remains the same, it will prevail over the will of the enemy.”
"The two currents of sanctions and distortion are at work simultaneously to fulfill this objective through bringing the country’s economy to a halt and paint a bleak picture of its accomplishments in order to create frustration” among the people he told a meeting of the government’s economic coordination board here.
Rouhani cited Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s recent remarks about the enemies’ short-, medium- and long-term agendas to hamper Iran’s economic progress.
The president said as the failure of the economic war is becoming evident, the enemies are shifting their focus to a psychological war to portray the Iranian government ineffective, distorting realities about the Islamic Republic’s capabilities and denying or playing down its achievements.
Rouhani warned against spreading rumors and misinformation and creating rifts between the government and the people, saying that would be playing to the hands of the enemies in their conspiracies against Iran.
The president went on to defend his government’s performance amid the most draconian sanctions imposed by the United States on the Islamic Republic.
"In the course of more than two and a half years of unprecedented pressure and full-scale economic
warfare, the government has managed to run the country’s affairs by significantly reducing reliance on oil revenues,” Rouhani said.
In addition to supplying basic goods needed by the people, the government boosted non-oil exports, prevented the manufacturing sector from being shut down and improved unemployment, he added.
The president said the frequent opening of major projects in the country is "a thorn in the eyes of our enemies,” adding the economic warmongers "are angry with the nation’s capabilities and success”.
On Friday, Ayatollah Khamenei outlined the enemies’ plans, saying in the short-term they seek to impose so much pressure that the Iranian people get weary, exhausted, and disturbed, so much so that they stand against the establishment.
Their mid-term goal, he said, is to prevent the country’s development through sanctions.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the enemy’s long-term goal is to lead the country and the government into bankruptcy.
"One of the other goals they pursue is to dismantle the country’s economy; if a country’s economy collapses, it is not possible to live in that country anymore.”
However, these dreams will never come true and as a Persian proverb says, "A camel dreams of cottonseed,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Leader further pointed to a disinformation campaign, which works hand in hand with the sanctions and includes distortion of truth and misrepresentation of realities.
The main purpose of this disinformation campaign is to undermine the people’s morale, and to offer wrong solutions to people’s problems, Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The enemies, the Leader said, insinuate that if Iran wants the sanctions to be lifted, it must give in to U.S. demands. "This is the gist of what they say.”
"Some people fall for such talks and exactly repeat what the enemies want, whether regarding the country’s weaknesses or its points of progress which they underestimate and offer wrong solutions,” the Leader said.
However, this campaign will fail to influence the majority of the Iranian people, because they have known the enemy and how biased it is, Ayatollah Khamenei added.
The Leader said the falsification campaign tries to convince the Iranian people that the Islamic Republic must succumb to the U.S. demands.
"If the falsification process fails, so will the sanctions,” the Leader said. "The arena is the arena of war of wills; when the process of sanctions is defeated and the will of the Iranian nation remains the same, it will prevail over the will of the enemy.”