Iran warns against new wave of soft war against country: commander

TEHRAN, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- A senior Iranian army commander on Monday warned of a new wave of soft war against the Islamic Republic, saying that enemies have now targeted the self-confidence of the Iranian nation, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"Enemies have been mobilized for a soft war against Iran and they are seeking ... to bring the Islamic Republic to its knees," Brigadier General Mohammad Baqeri was quoted as saying at a forum dubbed as Soft Security in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

By soft war, "enemy tries to affect the thoughts of the other side to gain victory and attains its goals by invading the values and patterns of behavior and changing them," Baqeri said.

Iranian officials have warned people to be vigilant against the enemies (Westerners') plot to launch "soft revolution" and "soft overthrow" against the values and beliefs of the Islamic Revolution.

"Today, western states, especially the U.S., have turned to soft revolution to topple governments in democratic states by inciting public opinion," Iranian senior lawmaker Javad Jahangirzadeh said earlier.

To affect the public opinion to raise unrest in the country, the West has sought to massively use satellite stations and internet networking in the recent years, Iranian authorities have claimed.

The Islamic Republic has incessantly accused the United States and Israel of plotting against the Islamic regime by disclosing documents, and trying their alleged agents in its courts.