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Iran's leader says West uses "soft war" to harm Islamic establishment

Xinhua, May 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday warned against what he called the "soft war" of the West to harm the Islamic republic, Khamenei's official website reported.

"Continued economic sanctions, incessant political attacks and deceptive propaganda against the Islamic republic" are the tactics that the global bullying powers have deployed to harm the establishment.

The Iranian leader expressed concerns over the influences of the enemy in the affairs of the country and said that the West is seeking "to influence (our) decisions and decision-making centers, to change the beliefs of the people, and to alter the calculations and the positions of the Iranian officials."

He criticized some local political trends "for their criticism of the revolutionary foundations of the Islamic establishment, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Guardian Council and the revolutionary youth and cleric," saying that these critics follow the path paved by the foreigners who want to weaken the establishment from the inside.

Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the new members of the Assembly of Experts who are legally tasked to decide on the leadership of the country.

Following the clinch of the deal between Iran and the world powers in July last year, the Iranian top leader repeatedly called on the Iranian officials to be vigilant over what he has called the U.S. intention to influence and interfere in Iran's affairs.

The recent nuclear deal with world powers should not be interpreted as a harbinger for U.S. influence in Iran, Khamenei said earlier.

"They thought this deal would clear the decks for U.S. influence in Iran, but we barricaded this possibility indefinitely," Khamenei said.

"We will not allow U.S. economic, political nor cultural interference in Iran, and we will repudiate their efforts with everything we've got," he said, adding that Iran would not permit U.S. influence over the region either.

Iran and the P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany -- reached a comprehensive deal on Tehran's nuclear program on July 14, resolving the decade-long issue. Endit