Tehran: Iran's Acting Defense Minister, Brigadier General Seyyed Majid Ebn-e-Reza, has described the media as a key component of national power and a pillar of the country's deterrence system. He emphasized the vital role defense journalists play in countering cognitive warfare and showcasing Iran's defense progress.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Ebn-e-Reza, speaking at a meeting with journalists held in honor of Iran's Journalists' Day, highlighted that national power extends beyond military equipment. It encompasses industry, science, technology, the economy, human resources, public opinion, and the media. He noted that recent conflicts have demonstrated the media as a major battlefield, where adversaries seek to influence public perceptions before targeting physical infrastructure.

Ebn-e-Reza elaborated on the strategies employed by enemies, such as psychological operations, cognitive warfare, distortion of reality, creating despair, and projecting incapability, all aimed at weakening national power. He stressed the importance of the media in protecting the 'cognitive and mental borders of society,' adding that deterrence relies not only on military capabilities but also on public awareness and confidence in national capabilities.

Furthermore, Ebn-e-Reza highlighted Iran's defense industry as pursuing a broader 'defense industrial revolution.' This involves technology management, the defense economy, knowledge-based production, and more efficient manufacturing processes. He described the 'narrative of progress' as an integral part of progress itself, with defense achievements reflecting years of scientific, managerial, and industrial work.

He pointed out that significant confrontations occur in the arena of public opinion and the battle over perceptions. The media, therefore, should focus on explaining facts, countering distorted narratives, and strengthening society's cognitive resilience. Ebn-e-Reza remarked that every report in the field of defense and security has both news value and psychological and perceptual dimensions.

The acting defense minister underscored the importance of journalists as part of the defense sector's human capital and called for continued collaboration between the defense industry and the media. He concluded by affirming that 'industry produces power, and the media builds public confidence in this power,' describing defense journalists as narrators of Iran's progress.