TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Wednesday Iran’s adversaries try to exaggerate their power as a main tactic in their psychological war.
In a meeting with officials from the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province here, the Leader said the adversaries of Iran have always tried to instill fear in the nation and force it to retreat on the military field.
“Since the victory of the Revolution, they have been trying to instill the notion that we should fear America, Britain, and the Zionists,” he said.
“As the Qur’an states, a non-tactical retreat in any domain—whether military, political, or economic—will incur divine wrath,” the Leader added.
Ayatollah Khamenei identified feelings of weakness, isolation, and submission to the enemy’s demands as major consequences of exaggerating the enemy’s power in the political arena. 
He said governments, whether of large or small nations, which currently capitulate to the demands of the arrogant powers, could avoid submission if they relied on their people and capabilities, and recognized

 the enemy’s true power without exaggeration.
Ayatollah Khamenei said the result of exaggerating the enemy’s power in the cultural field is a feeling of passivity, being attracted to the enemy’s culture, and belittling one’s own culture.
“The result of such passivity is accepting the lifestyle of the other side and even using foreign words and expressions.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said the greatest achievement of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, was dispelling fear from the hearts of the nation and instilling self-belief and confidence among the people. 
“Our nation realized that by relying on its inherent strength, it could accomplish great feats, and the enemy’s power was not as formidable as it seemed,” the Leader said. 
The Leader described Iran’s martyrs as heroes of the fight against the enemy’s psychological warfare.
“The martyrs, with their sacrifice and struggle, stood up to this psychological warfare and neutralized it.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also stressed the importance of creating cultural and artistic works that commemorate the martyrs and the Sacred Defense. 
He said the sacrifices and martyrdom of a nation’s youth are a vital resource for the country’s progress, saying their legacies should be preserved and protected from distortion or neglect.