TEHRAN – The secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution has commended the performance of Iranian cultural and artistic figures following the U.S.-Israeli aggression to Iran.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28 and have so far martyred over 1,000 people including the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, several military commanders, and civilians, among them women and children.

Following the attacks, several Iranian artists and cultural figures reacted to the issue be creating works or posting on social media, condemning the aggression and emphasizing the national unity.

According to ISNA, the text of Hojjatoleslam Abdolhossein Khosrowpanah’s message is as follows:

“In the midst of the ‘Ramadan Hybrid War,’ the grand confrontation between the front of truth and falsehood has reached its most sensitive civilizational point. The cowardly and desperate enemy, defeated in the field by the crushing blows of our brave armed forces, has with full savagery turned the poisonous arrow of psychological terrorism toward the perceptual security of the nation”.

“But in this critical juncture, what shattered the sinister plots of the empire of lies was a truth beautifully expounded by the new Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, in his first message: ‘the Ammar-like presence of the Iranian nation and their astonishing insight guaranteed the country's power. This civilizational epic of the Iranian nation holds such grandeur that freedom-seekers around the world will admire this liberty and steadfastness for centuries to come”.

“In this relentless cognitive battlefield and in days when some sealed their lips in the test of national honor, the true victors of the field were the artists, thinkers, and luminaries who, relying on epic rationality, built a mountain of steadfast calm. As a servant of the nation, I consider it my duty to kiss the hands of these vanguard elites of the national power front”.

“I appreciate the committed singers and composers of national music who became the resounding voice of Iran's power; especially the vigilant voice of Mohsen Chavoshi, who at this critical moment, with a timely work, built a sturdy shield of pride against the enemy's psychological terrorism; and also dear ones like Garsha Rezaei, Hamed Homayoun, Meysam Ebrahimi, Parvaz Homay, and Reza Sadeghi with their warm melodies, and the creator of enduring tunes, Karen Hemayounfar, who with their epic songs echoed national solidarity”.

“I admire each of the esteemed individuals in the Quran program Mahfel, my dear ones Mahmoud Karimi, Mehdi Rasouli, Hossein Taheri, and Mohammad Hossein Pouyanfar”.

“I am grateful to the creators of beauty in visual arts and poetry, the Ashura-inspired brushes of Hassan Ruholamin and the awakening scripts of Masoud Shojaei Tabatabai, alongside the steadfast words of Mohammad Mehdi Sayyar and Afshin Ala”.

“I thank the truthful narrators of resistance cinema Ebrahim Hatamikia, Majid Majidi, Ahmad Reza Darvish, Jamshid Hashmehpour, Seyyed Mahmoud Razavi, and Merila Zarei”.

“And I express my gratitude to the brave journalists and media activists who tore through the Western censorship barrier”.

“The number of those who played roles in this magnificent epic is so vast that the pen falls short of mentioning all their names. Undoubtedly, those dear ones whose names are not here are the nameless and modest servants of the cultural front who are more rewarded in the presence of the Almighty God. Our endless gratitude is dedicated to the silent heroes of this civilization; the proud Iranian mothers and women who were the anchors of family tranquility”.

“I also honor the pure struggles of others, from the vigilant professors, elites, students, and academics to the compassionate teachers and educators who safeguarded the spirit of hope in the trench of education and upbringing; from artists, writers, and cultural figures to the champions, heroes, and sports federations who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the armed forces and displayed the spirit of chivalry to the world; from the esteemed clergymen, religious preachers, and religious boards who, in harmony with the selfless warriors of the Basij force, remained in the field of jihad”.

“I ask the valiant people to continue their magnificent presence in the streets and urge the artists to create noble works, thereby keeping the strong bond between the battlefield and public opinion unbreakable. The enemy should know that this nation rises from the heart of every crisis like a phoenix, more powerful. Just as it showed on the International Quds Day that the pure blood of our loved ones is the fuel of a fire that will eliminate Zionism. Undoubtedly, conquering hearts in cognitive warfare is the definitive prelude to the liberation of the noble Quds”.

Millions of Iranians flooded the streets for Quds Day under U.S.-Israeli bombardment, declaring they will not yield.

Crowds were massive in hundreds of cities across Iran on Friday, March 13. From the northern city of Rasht to Bandar Abbas in the south, from Tabriz in northwestern Iran to the southeastern city of Zahedan, Iranians waved their national flags, held up pictures of their martyred Leader and their new Leader, and shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greater).

Following the martyrdom of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, his son Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei has been appointed as the new Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Assembly of Experts.

The attacks by the U.S. and Zionist regime prompted a swift response from the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), with missile and drone launches targeting Israel and several U.S. bases in the region, occurring less than two hours after the strikes, which have been intensified in recent days.

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