Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States and Israel on Thursday of waging a media war to discourage Iranians, state TV reported.
The report came as Iran faces economic hardship after the reimposition of U.S. sanctions in the wake of President Donald Trump's pullout from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers on May 8. The rial currency has lost about two-thirds of its value this year and the cost of living has soared, sparking sporadic demonstrations against profiteering and corruption, with many protesters chanting anti-government slogans.
"Today, [Iran's] Islamic system faces an all-out economic war that is carefully guided by a war room, but along with this war, there is a major media and propaganda warfare that is often neglected," Khamenei told members of a senior clerical body.
Iranian officials have blamed popular messaging apps and social media campaigns, which they say are organized overseas, for the protests that erupted in December and have spread to more than 80 cities and towns. Around 25 people were killed in clashes with regime forces.
State TV quoted Khamenei as saying, "The goal of this media war is to create anxiety and pessimism among people towards each other and the authorities and to exaggerate economic problems in the minds of the public.
"Based on our intelligence, the U.S. and Zionist spy agencies, financed by the super-rich of our region, have set up an organization for this media war and are seriously planning and trying to infect the advertising space and the minds in our community."
Saudi Arabia, Iran's main regional rival, and the United Arab Emirates have backed Trump's decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran, reflecting the wealthy oil exporters' concerns about Iran's ballistic missile program and support for militant groups.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters he remained open to the possibility of talks between Washington and Tehran.
However, he added, "Iran is in turmoil right now. They're in total turmoil. Now they are just worrying about their own survival as a country." He did not offer any evidence.
