The leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said during a meeting with the Basij members (IRGC militia) that economic sanctions were the only recourse that "the enemy" had, but "economic sanctions are more fragile than Iran's national economy." According to him, "to defeat the sanctions is to defeat the United States, and the United States will take another slap in the face from the Iranian people."

Speaking on Thursday, October 5^th at the Tehran Azadi Stadium and the "Basiji Service" meeting, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic pointed out that "the enemy wants the Iranian people to conclude that they have reached a dead-end", he said those who believe there is no other way but kneeling and surrendering to the United States are "betraying the country."

ISNA has reported that the people present were "militant jihadi Basij groups that had participated in the Basiji exercise in September this year and had provided various services in development, health, culture, and education fields to deprived and destitute people."

Ayatollah Khamenei admitted that Iran does, in fact, have some problems, but none of them are "real flaws". He continued: "The real flaw is a dead-end and thank God we do not have it. We do not have a dead-end."

The leader of the Islamic Republic also referred to the issue of "media" in a part of his speech and said: "For the time being, the enemy is using the media as a tool to influence public opinion. Media is an important tool, and if it is in the hands of the enemy it becomes a dangerous tool."

Khamenei stated that "some compare the media to the chemical weapons in the military warfare" and said " when chemical weapons are used, the tanks and equipment will not be destroyed, people will be eliminated, and they will lose the ability to use their tools. The media is the same." According to the Iranian leader, "Today, the television, the Internet, the social networks, and the cyberspace are used against our public opinion." He called for more control over these media by asking for the attention of "those responsible for this section", so that "these media do not become a tool for the enemy to use their chemical weapon freely, against our people. They should know their duty and act with determination."

Ayatollah Khamenei also called for unity between the people and the authorities in his speech, because according to him "if the enemy sees that the Iranian people and the young faithful Iranians are powerfully present in the middle of the battlefield, they will retreat; but if there is a feeling of weakness and disagreement between the authorities of the country, that there is no harmony, or there is a distance between the people and the authorities, the enemy will be encouraged to increase the intensity of their activities."

At the same time, some government officials have reacted to this meeting and Ayatollah Khamenei’s speech. Hassan Rouhani's adviser, Hesamodin Ashna described the meeting as "a decisive response from the leadership and the Basiji women and men throughout the country to the U.S threats and sanctions," as well as the "national show of strength against the subversives."