Tehran Friday Prayer Leader: A Barrier is Not Enough to Prevent Enemy Infiltration

Mohammad Emami Kashani, the Friday Prayer leader of Tehran, stated in his sermon on November 6 that to prevent 'enemy infiltration' in Iran, the economy, ethics, and politics 'must have barriers.' Prior to the Friday prayer sermon, the head of the Passive Defense Organization also delivered a speech stating that 'some individuals inside are seeking to eliminate anti-imperialism with McDonald's diplomacy.' According to Fars News Agency, the Tehran Friday Prayer leader said, 'In the case of the JCPOA and nuclear negotiations, we realized that the enemies want to erase Iran.' Mohammad Emami Kashani emphasized that based on this experience, 'we must prevent the infiltration of global imperialism and foreign domination.' He added, 'When we want to prevent infiltration, we must build barriers; our economy, ethics, and politics must have barriers.' He noted that 'this wall-building is necessary in today's world but is not enough.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and his close associates have repeatedly warned about what they call 'America's attempts to infiltrate Iran' following the Vienna nuclear agreement, with Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing the attempt to infiltrate Iran after the nuclear agreement as 'the fourth sedition.' Meanwhile, the Intelligence Organization of the IRGC reported the arrest of several media activists, labeling them as members of a 'network cooperating with hostile Western governments.' Recently, news emerged regarding the arrest of Eisa Saharkhiz, the former director of press at the Ministry of Culture during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, Ehsan Mazandarani, the editor-in-chief of Farhikhtegan newspaper, Afrin Chitsaz, a columnist for Iran newspaper, and Saman Safarzadeh, a journalist for Andisheh Pouya monthly. Ibrahim Raisi, the Attorney General of Iran, also referred to the arrested journalists as 'a network of infiltration in the media and social networks' and 'spies and mercenaries working for Americans.' On the same day, however, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, warned that 'we should not play with the word infiltration.' Ali Motahari, a representative from Tehran in Parliament, also stated on Thursday, November 5, that some want to use the term 'infiltration' like 'sedition' as a tool to create repression. In recent days, the activities and closure of the 'Halal KFC' restaurant in Tehran have also made headlines. Meanwhile, Gholamreza Jalali, the head of the Passive Defense Organization, stated that the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Mining of Iran 'has granted a license to a dual Iranian-American company for McDonald's.' Mr. Jalali urged the police not to follow the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Mining and to take 'serious action' against this company. He also mentioned on Friday that some theorize America's presence in Iran 'in various fields' and are seeking to 'develop an elite network, McDonald's diplomacy, and sports diplomacy' with the aim of 'American infiltration in Iran.' In another part of his speech, the Tehran Friday Prayer leader referred to Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen, calling the rulers of this country 'despicable individuals' who have 'become servants of America and Israel.' According to ISNA, he also implicitly accused Saudi Arabia of being 'behind ISIS.' In addition to Emami Kashani, several other Friday Prayer leaders, including those in Mashhad and Tabriz, also strongly attacked Saudi Arabia on November 6. Iran and Saudi Arabia have severe disagreements over issues such as the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.