Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday called for vigilance against the enemies' intensified propaganda ploys saying that that is partly to blame for the current economic problems, including the steep devaluation of the national currency.
"Today, the Islamic system is facing an all-out economic war that is tacitly designed from a war room. But alongside this war, there also is a major media and propaganda campaign that is often overlooked," he said in a meeting with members of the Assembly of Experts in Tehran, his official website reported.
His comments came a day after US President Donald Trump said Iran is "in total turmoil" and worrying about its "own survival as a country" as a result of the economic pressure imposed by his government following its withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Public Anxiety
The Leader said the media war against Iran is not new but had intensified recently and its main goal is to create anxiety and hopelessness among the people, make them skeptical of the authorities and exaggerate economic problems in the minds of the public.
The propaganda campaign, he noted, has been waged by the United States and Israel with the backing of some regional countries.
"Based on our intelligence, spy agencies in the US and the Zionist regime, financed by the super-rich in our region, have created an apparatus for this media war and are seriously attempting to poison the [country's] media and social climate," the Leader said in an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who have openly backed the US decision to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.
Effective Campaign
"Issues related to the price of gold and foreign currencies and decline in the value of the rial, the media war and propaganda campaign of ill-wishers…have been effective," he concurred, referring to the unprecedented rise in gold and foreign currency prices over the past few months.
Iran's economy has been battered as countries and foreign companies suspend trade and industrial ties in fears of falling foul of the US sanctions, which Washington says it is imposing with added force.
Since the US pulled out of the nuclear accord in May, the Iranian rial has slipped to record lows and the cost of living has soared, sparking sporadic demonstrations across the country against profiteering, price gauging and rampant corruption.
Unfair Criticism
Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned against aiding hostile powers in advancing their covert agenda, saying that the people and officials should maintain unity at this sensitive juncture and disparaging criticism of the government should be avoided.
Sometimes problems are blown out of proportion and achievements are belittled, which only creates pessimism among the people, he noted, adding that no administration will be able to continue its work without support from the masses.
The Leader said the ruling establishment is making progress and will eventually compel the enemies to revise their stance.
Trump said in July that he would be willing to meet with President Hassan Rouhani without any preconditions to discuss how to mend 4-decade-old estranged relations. However, Ayatollah Khamenei has rejected the US president's offer of unconditional talks.
When asked whether he would be willing to meet Rouhani at the UN General Assembly, Trump, who will chair a Security Council meeting at the United Nations on Iran this month, said Wednesday, "It's possible. Anything's possible. Anything's possible. We'll see," Reuters reported.
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