TEHRAN – The recent U.S.-Israeli military aggression against Iran has ended, but a more complex battle over national narrative and social cohesion is just beginning, a leading sociologist told an academic conference at the University of Tehran on Wednesday.

Professor Vahid Shalchi of Allameh Tabataba'i University argued that the ultimate victory in the recent conflict will be determined not on the battlefield, but in the public sphere. "The military phase has ended, but the cultural and social clock of the war has not yet stopped," Shalchi stated at the "Resistance as a Social Phenomenon" conference. "The future of victory or defeat will be determined in the public sphere."

He described the recent attacks as a "major shock' that jolted Iranian society out of what he termed a state of "historical forgetfulness." According to Shalchi, the event forcefully reactivated collective memories and emotions, leading to a resurgence of national identity and a return to the nation's "civilizational and cultural reserves."

"This war ended the forgetfulness of parts of the history of colonialism and oppression against Iran," he explained, adding that elements of the opposition advocating for this "historical oblivion" had been effectively discredited by the public's unified response.

Professor Shalchi issued a stark warning about the critical importance of the next phase. "If we do not provide a correct narrative, the enemy can exploit field successes and cause more damage," he said. He emphasized that the conflict continues in the "field of narrative and identity," and failure to define a correct relationship with the enemy could cause society to fracture.

He pointed to the experience of the younger generation as a pivotal factor. Unlike their predecessors who lived through the Iran-Iraq War, this new generation, Shalchi said, has now seen with its own eyes that an external enemy "makes no distinction between factions, ethnicities, or citizens when attacking Iran." This shared experience, he argued, has created a powerful, new common memory and a understanding that the enemy seeks nothing less than Iran's destruction.

To secure national unity and independent security, Shalchi argued that the country cannot function with merely "30% public participation". He called for the creation of a national narrative that makes "70 to 80 percent of the people feel ownership."

To achieve this, he outlined an essential list of actions: documenting the conflict through oral histories, preserving and strengthening the shared national memory and identity of resistance, using language and narratives that are appropriate and appealing to the new generatio, highlighting both renowned and anonymous heroes, and avoiding narratives that exacerbate existing social divisions.

"Sometimes our vocabulary cannot attract the new generation," Shalchi said. "We must provide a new, precise narrative that corresponds with the mindset of today's youth."