Safavi Warns of 'Enemies' Attempts to Infiltrate Decision-Making Centers

Yahya Rahim Safavi, a senior military advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, warned on Thursday, February 3, about what he described as 'enemies' attempts to infiltrate Iran's decision-making centers and to 'weaken resistance and exhaust the values-driven forces.' According to Mehr News Agency, Safavi stated, 'In the political and security sphere, enemies are trying to infiltrate decision-making centers so that all decisions are made according to their wishes and desires.' He added, 'One of the most important infiltrations in this regard is human infiltration and the employment of individuals in various decision-making centers who serve the enemies.' Safavi also identified efforts to 'weaken resistance and exhaust the values-driven forces in the Islamic system' and 'create divisions and rifts between the authorities and the people' as other 'enemy programs.' He emphasized, 'If a rift is created between the people and the government and the basic needs of the people, including employment, combating inflation, and recession, are not met, dissatisfaction will arise; therefore, the satisfaction of the people must be taken into account.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, has repeatedly warned about America's attempts to 'infiltrate decision-making centers' in Iran and 'political, cultural, and security infiltration' following the Vienna nuclear agreement last summer, urging institutions like the Revolutionary Guards to counter this issue. In contrast, after the arrest of four journalists last November on charges of being 'members of a Western government infiltration network,' several individuals close to Hassan Rouhani, including Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Ali Motahari, Tehran representative in Parliament, warned about 'political settling of scores' and 'partisan exploitation of the infiltration issue.' Prior to the Assembly of Experts and the tenth parliamentary elections last year, Faezah Hashemi, a member of the Construction Workers Party and daughter of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, called terms like 'infiltration' a 'delusion.' Close associates of the Supreme Leader, including Ali Saeedi, have also repeatedly stated that Hassan Rouhani's government seeks to improve relations with the U.S. and the West following the Vienna nuclear agreement. According to Mehr, Safavi, in another part of his speech, considered what he called 'ignorance of the enemy's plans and goals and introducing the enemy as a friend' as one of the 'threats against the Islamic system.' He emphasized that 'Americans, whether Democrats or Republicans, are enemies of the Iranian nation.' American officials have repeatedly stated that the U.S. has no animosity towards the Iranian people. They have warned about what they describe as Iran's 'interventionist' and 'destabilizing' actions in the Middle East.