Commander of the IRGC: The Islamic Republic Has No Security or Defense Concerns Today

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran currently has "no security or defense concerns" and that "cultural concerns have taken their place." According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari on Friday, February 9, identified the "most important concern" of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic as the "cultural domain" and added that "enemies have mobilized all their resources and capabilities" to strike at the Islamic Revolution through the "cultural domain." Jafari emphasized that the "political, cultural, and value boundaries" of the Islamic Revolution must be "highlighted" and "prominent," and that the "boundaries of the revolution and non-revolution should not be allowed to mix." Referring to the Supreme Leader's statements about America's efforts to "infiltrate" Iran, including "cultural infiltration," he added: "The main front today is the cultural front; because it does not have a specific time and place and is present in every aspect of our lives at home, in the city, at work, and generally right next to us." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, has repeatedly warned about what he describes as America's attempts for "economic, security, intellectual, cultural, and political infiltration" in Iran following the Vienna nuclear agreement. On September 16, he stated in a meeting with IRGC commanders that "cultural and political infiltration" is "more dangerous than economic and security infiltration" and emphasized that officials, including the IRGC, "will powerfully prevent security infiltration." He has previously warned about "cultural invasion," "cultural blitz," "cultural transformation," and "cultural dominance." Meanwhile, Ali Saidi, the Supreme Leader's representative in the IRGC, stated on December 28 that "films, newspapers, books, magazines, and cyberspace are the platforms for foreign infiltration." In recent years, close associates of the Supreme Leader have also warned about the changing "lifestyle" of the Iranian people and its convergence with Western lifestyles.