The Hard Rock

The solid core of the Resistance is Iran, and the solid core of Iran is the Basij.

“Iran: The center of will and power!” This four-word expression can be considered the main pillar governing the televised remarks of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution on Thursday night.
Contrary to what Western media campaigns attempt to construct—depicting Iran as weak, cornered, and at the point of receiving a decisive blow—this perspective, grounded in realities from within Iranian society, provides an interpretation directly opposite recent hostile portrayals.
The foundational concept upon which the Leader built the rest of his remarks stands in complete contrast to the analytical framework the enemy seeks to implant in public perception: Iran still stands firm, strong, and unshaken.
A key aspect of this steadfastness is its hard dimension. His opening reference to the Basij serves as the central indicator of this point.
The Basij does not belong to any specific social class; its only boundary is with “the other” and the enemy. Most importantly, it is the central wellspring of what, in recent years, has become known as the Axis of Resistance.
The solid core of the Resistance is Iran, and the solid core of Iran is the Basij.
Contrary to the enemy’s assumptions and in contrast to objectives reportedly embedded in the 12‑day war, Iran has not abandoned the thinking and strategy of Resistance. Not only has it refused to comply with the enemy’s demand to relinquish this path, but it is actively pursuing ways to strengthen this strategy.
Within this framework, Iran’s stance toward current regional initiatives aimed at pressuring the Resistance movements across West Asia becomes self-evident. These are the hard aspects of the matter.
The soft aspect lies in strengthening internal cohesion and solidifying national unity among different political and popular currents on one side, and between the state and the people on the other.
Here, it is only the enemy beyond our borders with whom boundaries must be drawn. Any boundary, slogan, voice, or claim that smells of internal division—and that defines its battlefield within Iran’s borders—directly serves the enemy’s project of breaking Iran’s back, even if it cites verses of the Holy Book as its pretext.
The hard dimension concerns the planning required to strengthen the fist of the armed forces; the soft dimension concerns the support and empowerment of various domestic and executive sectors to resolve national issues and move beyond the “neither war nor peace” situation.
Defense and security have their responsible authorities; internal affairs likewise have theirs. As an island of stability in West Asia, Iran is managing its domestic affairs with composure, oversight, and control.
The Leader’s indications of full support for the government—particularly as it moves toward certain fundamental reforms initiated in the previous administration—reflect the prevailing spirit guiding the country’s management of affairs, and the disregard for the limbo of “neither war nor peace” that the enemy wishes to prolong.
At a time when foreign media, and some unaware domestic currents, have deliberately or inadvertently allowed themselves to fall under the shadow of war narratives—portraying the country’s internal affairs as paralyzed—the government and people remain composed, capable, and actively engaged in the ordinary administration of the nation.
This steadfastness, endurance, hardness, and confidence in national and popular strength is so deeply rooted that even the rumor of an indirect message to the United States about returning to negotiations is rejected clearly and explicitly—described as a “big lie”—to prevent any misinterpretation or signal of weakness to the enemy.
Within this same framework, the firm stance against the American and Zionist enemy during the 12‑day war constituted a battle resembling the Battle of the Confederates—a confrontation with the entire front of disbelief—during which the hard rock of West Asia not only refused to bend but, backed by the support of 90 million citizens from diverse religious, cultural, and social backgrounds yet united in honor and dignity, responded to the enemy’s blow with a counter‑blow, reminding the American and Zionist adversary that the era of hit-and-run is over.
Courtesy: Seda-ye Iran, the online newspaper of KHAMENEI.IR