The Zionist regime launched attacks on Iran on June 13 (23 Khordad) under the pretext that Iran’s nuclear program posed a threat, leading to a 12-day conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
According to Western and Israeli publications, the strong presence of the Iranian people thwarted the Zionist regime’s plans.
In this regard, the British newspaper Financial Times wrote: “Reza Kianian, a veteran and award-winning Iranian actor, has long been a critic. However, when Israel launched its deadly attack on Iran, Kianian quickly joined the ranks of government supporters in Iran. This is part of a wave of patriotic fervor that has swept through this nation of 90 million since the start of the 12-day war. Kianian wrote on his Instagram after the war began, ‘Iran has existed, still exists, and will endure.’”
The British publication, pointing to the “awakened” nationalism in Iran, stated: “This newfound sense of unity in a country that was otherwise polarized has surprised observers and politicians both inside and outside Iran. While Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, sought to capitalize on internal discontent by calling on the people to rise against the Iranian government, his call instead fueled nationalist sentiments, leading Iranians to prioritize national solidarity over domestic grievances.”
Kianian, 74, told the Financial Times: “Someone sitting outside Iran cannot tell a nation to rise up. Iran is my country. I decide what to do, and I don’t wait for you to tell me what to do in my own country.”
The Financial Times, referring to the recent remarks of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, wrote: “In this context, banners promoting nationalism were displayed in Tehran, and Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Leader, on Thursday praised the country’s ‘extraordinary unity.’ In a video message focused on Iran as a nation, he said: ‘The 90-million-strong nation stood united and resisted with one voice, standing shoulder to shoulder without raising their differences. It became clear that in times of crisis, a single voice is heard from the nation.’ Clearly, the Leader of Iran’s goal was to preserve the unity of Iranians.”
The British publication concluded: “It appears that this war has increased domestic support for Iran’s ballistic missile program, the government’s crackdown on Israel’s collaborators, and even enthusiasm for acquiring a nuclear bomb—something the Islamic Republic of Iran says it is not pursuing.”
