Enemy’s Hybrid War Foiled by Nation

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the recent unrest in the country was a “hybrid war” waged by hostile countries rather than mere street riots, but was thwarted by the nation.   
“The enemy … came to the field with all instruments, using intelligence agencies, the media, cyberspace and past experiences in Iran and other countries, to hit the nation,” he said in an address to a group of students in Tehran on Wednesday, ahead of National Student Day on Nov. 4, Leader.ir reported.
He particularly referred to the United States, the Zionist regime, certain wicked European countries and some militant groups as enemies that were behind the recent incidents. 
“The Iranian nation truly punched the hostile powers back and made them disappointed,” he said. 
Riots began in Iran in late September, following the death of a young girl in police custody, but later developed into violent clashes between young rioters and security forces. 
The Leader said the presence of young people on the streets was only the facade of the events, while there were main stage managers who turned up with plans and schemes.    
He referred to a joint statement recently published by the Intelligence Ministry and the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, saying it contained important information and discoveries showing that the enemy had made plans for Tehran, as well as other large and small cities. 
In their statement on Friday, the two top intelligence bodies pointed to the major role of foreign intelligence agencies, especially the CIA, in orchestrating the riots in Iran in the past weeks.
“The plan is … to make the Iranian nation follow them but the nation really hit them in the mouth and will do so from now on,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. 
Thanks to the Islamic Revolution, today’s youth and adolescents, unlike those of the previous times, are wise and mature individuals with the power to think and analyze, according to the Leader. 
“The enemy is aware of this and to counter it, takes action by producing and repeating a huge load of false contents in social networks,” he said. 
He stressed that before the enemy publishes lies and distorted data, true and correct content must be produced in the country. 
Ayatollah Khamenei also called on young people to feel responsible about this plot of the enemy and make attempt to distinguish between the truth and lies. 
“Without quarrel and by reasoning, guide those who are not hostile, but have shared the voice of the enemy due to ignorance, misunderstanding or hearing wrong information in the media,” he said, addressing the youth. 

Utmost Shamelessness 

The Leader later described American officials’ claims of support for the Iranian nation as utmost “shamelessness and hypocrisy.”
Addressing US authorities, he asked, “Has there been anything the US could have done against the Iranian nation over the past four decades that it chose not to do?” 
Not engaging in such acts as direct military conflict was because they were not able or were afraid of Iranian youth, he added. 
While US traces are visible in most anti-Iran incidents, they insolently tell outright lies and claim they sympathize with the Iranian nation, according to Ayatollah Khamenei. 
He reviewed the list of US crimes and plots against Iran following the 1979 revolution, saying the nation has foiled most of the hostilities. 
“Their method of enmity is different from the past and has become more complicated, but we trust our youth and know that they can overcome these complicated methods,” he said. 
The Leader also censured those countries who have human rights claims for silence with regard to crimes such as the terrorist attack on a holy shrine in Iran, or the murder of a young clerical student. 
The holy shrine of Shah Cheragh in Shiraz, Fars Province, came under a terrorist assault last week, which took the lives of 15 people and wounded many others. 
A young clerical student was also killed in violent clashes in a residential town in Tehran last week.  
“Perpetrators of these crimes must be identified and whoever is proven to have abetted will certainly be punished,” the Leader said.