Raeisi thanks Iranian journalists for countering enemy’s propaganda

“I sincerely thank you for the many efforts that you made in different conditions… to be able to confront the enemy’s media campaigns that aim to distort the truth,” Raeisi said in the closing ceremony of the 21st Iran’s National Media Festival on Tuesday, which marks the National Reporter’s Day.

He stressed that confidence building is one of the most important characteristics of a journalist.

“The enemy’s goal is to weaken hope and faith in the hearts of the people. These are the two basic principles that the Leader of the [Islamic] Revolution [Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei] emphasizes.”

Raeisi stated that the enemy’s propaganda aims to disappoint people, adding that media workers play an important role in “creating hope.”

Iran marks the National Reporter’s Day, which commemorates the death anniversary of a journalist and eight Iranian diplomats who lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan, on the 17th day of the Persian calendar month of Mordad, which falls on Tuesday this year.

The nine Iranian citizens were killed after Taliban militants entered the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif in 1998 in an incident that sparked worldwide condemnations.

Iran’s former Charge d’Affaires to Kabul Mohammad Reza Forqani was quoted by Fars News Agency in 2015 as saying that the Taliban had taken the Iranian diplomats hostage, but later released them.

He said that the US and British spy agencies played a role in the killing of the Iranians in a bid to sow discord between Iran and Afghanistan.

Raeisi: Iran making headway despite enmities

Elsewhere in his remarks, President Raeisi said Iran is experiencing growth in various sectors, especially science, and technology, in spite of all the threats, sanctions, and hardships the enemy has inflicted on the nation.

He also reiterated Iran’s position on multilateral negotiations to revive the Iran nuclear deal, saying Iran has the upper hand as a country that never left the deal or the talks to revive it after the United States unilaterally withdrew.

However, he continued, “We have not trusted them (the US) whatsoever and will never trust them.”

Iran and six major world powers signed the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2015 to put an end to the commotion created over the country’s nuclear activities.

The US, however, abandoned the JCPOA in 2018 despite Tehran’s full compliance with its nuclear obligations, reinstating the sanctions the deal had lifted. Multilateral diplomatic endeavors, which began in April 2021, have so far failed to revive the deal.

Raeisi, meanwhile, made clear that his administration is pursuing a policy of “neutralizing” the sanctions while attending the talks aimed at lifting them.

“We’re reaching for that end with all our might because we’ve seen their breaches of promises,” he added.