Enemies seeking to disrupt Iran’s security: Ayatollah Khamenei

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran’s enemies are trying to create “insecurity and sedition” in the country, calling on the nation to stay vigilant in the face of enemies' plots.

Speaking at Tehran’s Imam Hossein University on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said “the short-term goal pursued by the enemy is to disrupt security and cause sedition in the country.”

The Leader added that the Islamic Republic had been able “to create a safe environment in a region rife with tensions and a world rife with frenzy,” stressing that enemies sought to take this honor away from the Iranian nation.

“If we stand prepared to confront this plot to create insecurity and sedition, we will surely be able to neutralize it,” Ayatollah Khamenei asserted.

The mid-term goal pursued by the enemy, the Leader stated, is to damage Iran’s economy through various means, so that, the people would lose their hope due to austere economic conditions.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the key factors behind the Islamic Republic’s power, listing them as Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), the country’s scientific progress, strong and independent economy, as well as Iran's military might, especially its powerful and accurate missiles.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that in the long run, the enemies were trying to “change the essence of [Iran’s] Islamic establishment.”

The Leader said there was a time when the enemies unequivocally insisted that the Islamic Republic should be destroyed. However, after finding out about their incapacity to realize that ambition and its adverse consequences on them, the enemies modified the assertion by saying that the Islamic Republic had to instead change its attitude, the Leader added.

Touching on the upcoming presidential election, the Leader called on the candidates to put economy and people’s livelihood on top of their agendas and clearly promise that they wanted to solve the economic problems facing the country.

Highlighting the importance of the May 19 presidential election, Ayatollah Khamenei urged everyone to submit to the law and morality and avoid heartening the enemy by making inappropriate remarks.

The election, the Leader said, needs security and calm, adding, “Should anyone seek to rise up against the country’s security, they will certainly be met with a strong reaction.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also advised the six presidential hopefuls to highlight "national Independence as well as dignity and glory of the Iranian nation" in their plans.

The Leader also underlined the need for the candidates to adopt plans that would safeguard the country’s national security and peace.

Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the effort made to adversely affect the Islamic Republic during presidential election in 2009, noting that those behind that effort were faced with “the firm wall of national will.”

“The same holds true today. The country’s security should stay untouched. Those who choose to violate this course should know that they will be slapped in the face,” the Leader warned.