By Associated Press. Iran's top leader said Wednesday the United States is using 'money and sexual attractions' to try to infiltrate the Islamic Republic and warned Iranians not to fall into the 'enemy's trap. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Revolutionary Guard commanders that authorities should take concerns about 'infiltration' seriously and political factions should not use the issue against each other.
His comments appeared to lend support to a recent wave of arrests of pro-Western writers and journalists, which hard-liners in the judiciary and security services have said is necessary to prevent Western infiltration. Iran's moderate President Hassan Rouhani criticized the arrests earlier this month, saying hard-liners are 'exaggerating the issue' and misusing Khamenei's warnings as an excuse for the detentions.
The recent arrests of pro-Western writers, journalists and filmmakers are widely seen as part of a backlash by hard-liners in the wake of the landmark nuclear agreement reached with the U. Hard-liners fear the deal could lead to a broader rapprochement between Tehran and Washington that would undermine and ultimately end the Islamic Republic.
Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, said that 'if some are making factional use of this infiltration , it's a mistake. But these words should not lead to ignoring and forgetting the main issue of infiltration. Share this article Share. Share or comment on this article: Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says US is using money and sex to try and infiltrate country e-mail Most watched News videos Woman is run over by speeding car as she walked on the pavement Mom of girl with Batman mask sees amazing results from treatment Man pulls gun and gets shot to death by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma Bedoun girl Zakura films herself playing with her hair Corbyn can't answer who would campaign for his new Brexit deal Jeremy Corbyn says Chief Rabbi is wrong on anti-semitism claims Holidaymaker is hit by massive wave as she poses on the beach Aggressive man screams at Tory campaigner while he's out canvassing Jeremy Corbyn refuses to apologise to the British Jewish community Security guard kicks man as he lies outside a McDonald's in Leeds Fluffy hamster squeezes itself into narrow glass bottle for snacks K-pop star Goo Hara has been found dead at her home in Seoul.
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