Masoud Jazayeri, the deputy head of the Iranian armed forces, says the forces have established a “Soft War” base and “Film and Cinema Thinking Room.”
Khabar online reports that Jazayeri announced the establishment of the new body on January 25 as a new form of defense advertising.
“This is a base related to the whole country and it is not just linked to the armed forces but set to assist us in both soft and rough war situations, helping us to set out media and promotional activities,” Jazayeri said.
The Islamic Republic establishment uses the term “soft war” to refer to media and cultural activities carried out by the system’s enemies with the goal of undermining the Islamic Republic regime.
The concept has become more prevalent in the authorities’ discourse since the 2009 election protests.
Jazayeri stressed that “soft war and psychological operations” are becoming more and more complex by the day, and he claimed Iran’s enemies are using everything in their power against the Islamic Republic regime. Jazayeri had called earlier for an independent ministry to combat what he referred to as the “media and soft war” against Iran.
Following the 2009 election protests, the concept of “soft war” was often used against those who challenged the legitimacy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory with allegations of vote fraud.
