Leader: Islamic Republic Relies on Soft Power, But Advanced Arms Needed

A large number of elegists and eulogists met with Ayatollah Khamenei at the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyah of Tehran on Wednesday on the birth anniversary of Lady Fatimah Zahra (PBUH).

During the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei congratulated the attendees on the birth anniversaries of Lady Fatimah Zahra (PBUH) and Imam Khomeini (RA) and honored the memory of Haj Qassem Soleimani.

The Leader outlined that one of the most outstanding characteristics of Fatimah Zahra (PBUH) was the way she engaged in "the jihad of clarification."

"Her disciplined mindset, her strong logic, her solid speech, her eloquent language, her beautiful use of literary elements and her sermons which brimmed with knowledge and facts, placed Lady Fatimah (PBUH) on par with the best sermons of the Nahj al-Balaghah, astounding even the best eloquent speakers,” the Leader said, Khamenei.ir reported.

“In our time, Imam Khomeini initiated the movement of the jihad of clarification. By employing rhetoric, reasoning and by rousing the nation, he dismantled the shameful, corrupt, hereditary monarchy government and established a democratic and Islamic government in its place. This historic event highlights the importance and the unparalleled capacity of 'the jihad of clarification',” the Leader said.

The Leader underlined the significance of soft power, stating that it is more impactful and effective than hard power. He highlighted that although the US possesses advanced weaponry, it primarily directs its investments in areas such as media, art, literature, and cinema.

The Leader considered the effect of hard power temporary and limited. While referring to America's disgraceful withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Iraqi population’s deep hatred toward the White House, he added, "Despite using hard power, the US was unable to establish a lasting and successful presence in these nations, whereas soft power has been able to put a seemingly minority group like the Palestinian people in the world's spotlight. This is due to the innocence, patience and resilience of the Palestinian people."

Ayatollah Khamenei asserted that the Islamic Republic has prioritized using soft power as its primary strategy for the past 45 years. "We believe in 'having advanced weapons that match the country’s needs and weapons that are effective against the capabilities of the enemies,' but (at the same time) we also deeply believe that soft power, i.e. strong 'intellectual, verbal weaponry and along with a powerful logic' is more effective and should be expanded," he said.

The Leader called on the elegists to further acquaint themselves with the books of hadith, the educational and motivational sermons of the Nahj al-Balaghah and the supplications of Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya. He remarked that Sahifah Sajjadiyah is an extraordinary phenomenon in the school of the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT), where Imam Sajjad (PBUH) prays for the defenders of Islam’s borders. The Leader highlighted that "the current border and beating pulse of the Islamic world is Gaza."

Pointing to the unwavering resilience of the Gazans, he added, "Today, the people of Gaza are standing not only against the Zionist regime, but against the world of disbelief, tyranny, arrogance and the US, and the fact that the US president openly says that I am a Zionist means that he has the same malice and the same evil goals as the Zionists."

The Leader remarked that one of the duties of the Mujahideen is to identify and clarify current affairs like the situation in Gaza and the enmities of the ill-wishers. "We must protect ourselves against the false propaganda of the United States and its followers against Islam and the Islamic system," he added.

Elsewhere in his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei described the upcoming elections in Iran as another important field where the jihad of clarification needs to take place. Referring to the goal of some in the country to weaken the elections he added, "It is our duty to participate in the elections and anyone who opposes it has in fact opposed the Islamic Republic and Islam."

At the beginning of this meeting, eight of the attendees paid tribute to the innocence and purity of the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) by reciting poems and eulogies in their honor.