Khamenei blasts pro-reform journalists

Khamenei supporters: "Death to the mercenary pen-pushers!"

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has delivered a stinging attack on the country's pro-reform press, accusing some newspapers of acting as bases for Iran's enemies. He was speaking to a large group of young people at a mosque in Tehran.

I see that the enemy, who has concentrated all his propaganda efforts to mislead public opinion in the country, has now switched from radio propaganda by building a stronghold inside our country.

They offend and insult the main revolutionary foundation of the country.

Ayatollah Khamenei

Some of the newspapers inside the country today are the bases of the enemy. They are performing the same task that BBC radio and Voice of America as well as the British and American and Zionist television broadcasts aim to perform ...

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It seems that 10 or 15 newspapers are being directed from the same centre to publish articles with similar headlines. They make mountains out of molehills and anyone reading their headlines would imagine that everything in the country is forsaken.

They kill hope among the youth. They weaken the people's trust in state officials.

They offend and insult the main revolutionary foundation of the country. I do not know whose example these newspapers are following. Even the western press is not like this. This is a sort of charlatanism by the press ...

Globalisation

What is globalisation? It means that a group of world powers, a number of countries - mainly those who have influence over the UN and mainly those countries which have been colonialists in the past - want to expand their culture, economy and traditions throughout the world.

Khamenei warned of the danger of globalisation

They want to set up a share-holding company in which they should hold 95 per cent of its shares while the rest of the countries of the world have 5 per cent. They want to have authority. They want to make decisions. That is what globalisation means...

They have their eyes on Iran's markets. They have their eyes on Iran's resources. That is what they want. That is their objective. Their intention is not healthy relations, even though this is what they imply in their propaganda

Certain people, unfortunately, in Iran and in the press and through other channels repeat those words, as if "all economic problems of our country will be solved through ties with America ". This is a lie. This is untrue...

American pressure

The crowd was swelled by members of the Islamic militia

You see that so much pressure has been exerted because Iran does not pay any attention to America. Americans use all kinds of pressure to crush this stern face that the Iranian nation has shown towards America - a stern, indifferent face.

This is because they have tried all over the world to persuade world politicians to fawn, to be humble, to bow down and to surrender ...

[Journalists] are trying to break the principles of Islam.

Ayatollah Khamenei

There is only one country, one nation and one government in the world which has not submitted to this pressure. We have nothing to do with America.

We are not prepared to surrender to bullying, to pressure and to the imposition of policies or bilateral relations. We are not prepared to surrender. That country is the Islamic Republic of Iran ...

No illegal acts

I believe that the existing state of propaganda and press behaviour in the country is harmful to the state, to young people, to the future, to the revolution and to the people's faith.

They [journalists] are constantly trying to break the fundamental principles of Islam. They keep questioning Islamic codes. They question the revolution, not by logical statements but through methods which are very wrong ...

Of course I must tell you that one of the objectives pursued by the enemy is to incite feelings in the country, to create insecurity.

I strongly recommend that you should not let yourselves succumb to emotions or take any action contrary to the law. I will not allowi this under any circumstances.

Pay attention: If the enemy wants to create chaos and fighting, he would not find it too difficult to hire a handful of mercenaries and send them to infiltrate the ranks of Hezbollah.

They may, under the guise of supporting the leader - and under the pretext of backing the wronged leadership - create chaos. Be careful. Look out for the infiltrators.