Hassan Rouhani: No One Should Play with the Term 'Infiltration' in the Country

One day after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had arrested "members of the infiltration network of Western governments," Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated on November 4 that "we must genuinely and seriously fight against any foreign infiltration" and "no one should play with the word infiltration." Rouhani, speaking at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, added: "If the Leader of the Revolution mentions a word, we should understand it correctly and implement it, and not allow individuals to misuse these words for personal, group, and factional interests." He emphasized: "God forbid, some should not want to misuse these words and phrases, and it should not be the case that from now on, we want to accuse anyone we disagree with and marginalize a group." The President referred to November 4, the day the U.S. embassy in Tehran was seized by students known as "followers of Imam's line" in 1979, as a "historical and national day" and stated that these days should not become "party days and instead of strengthening the path of the revolution, become a means for division and conflict." Rouhani clarified: "Our people are awake and fully aware. From tomorrow, let’s not attach a label to anyone we disagree with and try to push a party aside. This will backfire. The history of the nation, the revolution, and the 2013 elections has shown that the more such actions are taken, the more their impact will be reversed." He continued: "Let’s not go around here and there, arrest one or two people on some pretext, fabricate cases against them, and then come and amplify this case in the country. Then say this line is the 'line of infiltration.' Let’s genuinely fight against infiltration. Let’s not play with words. Playing with words is truly detrimental to the country and national unity." Rouhani, whose remarks were published by ISNA news agency, made a clear reference to the recent arrests by the IRGC, which included journalists, emphasizing that people understand well the meanings of "infiltration," "arrogance," and "national interests" and can feel the future of the country. One day before Rouhani's remarks, the IRGC's intelligence organization announced the arrest of "several members of an infiltration network collaborating with hostile Western governments who were active in the virtual space and media of the country." In this context, the arrest of four journalists named Eisa Saharkhiz, Ehsan Mazandarani, Afrin Chitsaz, and Saman Safarzadeh has been confirmed. Rouhani's statements come as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and several senior security and military officials have repeatedly warned in recent weeks about American "infiltration" into Iran. The Leader recently stated that "one of the actions of the Americans in recent years is to force people to beautify the face of America" and added: "Some do this maliciously and some out of naivety." Mohammad Ali Jafari, the IRGC commander, has also warned about the "infiltration sedition" and stated: "According to the Leader's statements, negotiating with America is entirely detrimental to us, and they are seeking infiltration through negotiations." The IRGC commander added: "Unfortunately, the depth of this danger has not yet been understood; the enemy has started its work, but if we understand the danger of infiltration, we must now prevent some of the actions being taken.