Protecting the Credibility of National Figures Must Become a Priority in the Country's Cognitive Warfare Agenda

The Head of the Parliament Research Center said the country must have plans in place to protect the credibility and social capital of its prominent figures against cognitive operations.

Referring to the lesser-known dimensions of cognitive warfare against Iran, Ambassador Arjan Babak Neghadari said: When it comes to targeting the country's human resources, the assassination of scientists, commanders, and prominent personalities usually comes to mind. But in addition to physical threats, there is another form of targeting the country's capital, the issue of which is not the lives of individuals, but their credibility, authority and power of social influence.

We need to master the mechanisms of cognitive warfare and take care of social capital

He added: Imagine that a prominent scientist or an influential figure of the country is under the threat of terror. Does reason and logic dictate that we leave him alone or use all the necessary capacities to protect his life? The same logic applies to a character who is subjected to an organized operation of reputation destruction. With the difference that in one field, it is a tool for security protection, and in another field, we need to master cognitive warfare mechanisms, care for social capital, and strategic communication.

To remove a national capital, the enemy tries to destroy its credibility and effectiveness

Naghdari clarified: The enemy does not always seek to remove a national capital physically. Sometimes he tries to keep the character alive, but destroys his credibility and effectiveness. In such a situation, the person may still be present in his scientific, managerial or social position, but his ability to influence and mobilize the social capacities around him is severely damaged.

Any person with social authority can be threatened

The head of the Majlis Research Center, stating that the scope of this threat is not limited to the officials of the Islamic Republic, noted: the important thing is that any person with social authority can be exposed to such attacks even if he has no responsibility in the system or is not fundamentally close to the Islamic Republic in terms of thought and politics. What makes him a potential target is not just his political positions, but the amount of trust and credibility he has among a section of Iranian society.

Destroying the credibility of a person with whom we have a disagreement will not benefit us

He continued: These credits are not personal or factional assets. Their collection forms a part of Iran's national capacity. We should not think that something has happened in our favor when they destroy the reputation of a character with whom we disagree.

The fate of all of us is tied to each other

Referring to the need to review national unity, Neghdari stated: There may be differences among Iranians, but the fate of all of us is tied to each other. The effort to completely homogenize society and reach maximum consensus on all issues is a mirage that is neither compatible with the reality of Iran's society and history, nor is it necessary for the country's progress. What we need is an agreement on fundamental principles that make it possible to live, cooperate and build a common future.

It is possible to reach an agreement on the preservation of Iran, the independence of the country and the security of the people

He added: All Iranians are not supposed to think alike so that they can defend Iran together. We can disagree about politics, economy, culture and many other issues, but we reached an agreement on the preservation of Iran, the independence of the country, the security of the people and the need to protect national capital. Such an agreement does not mean the disappearance of differences, but it means accepting joint responsibility for the fate of the country.

In the field of protection of Iran, we should not be spectators of the destruction of each other's capitals

The head of the Majlis Research Center emphasized: One of the costly mistakes is to make our political competitions indifferent to the importance of other people's social capital. In the field of politics, we may be each other's rivals, but in the field of protecting Iran, we should not be spectators of the destruction of each other's capital. If a nation cannot be defeated on the battlefield, one can try to reduce the power of that nation from within by eroding trust, destroying social authority and engaging people in internal corrosive conflicts.

Damage to the reputation of a political figure or prominent manager spreads to society's image of the country's ability to manage affairs

Referring to the importance of the credibility of the authorities and institutions of the country, Neghdari said: This issue becomes more important for the personalities who have official responsibility in the governance system. Because the damage to the reputation of a political figure or prominent manager is not limited to his individual position and spreads to the public trust in the institution he represents, the acceptance of the decisions of that institution, and even the society's image of the country's ability to manage affairs.

When a national figure is the target of cognitive operations, we should not wait for his credibility to disappear

He clarified: When a national figure is the target of a cognitive operation, we should not wait for his reputation to disappear and then think about rebuilding it. Just as security protection is based on identifying threats in advance, protection of credit capital also requires continuous monitoring, recognition of vulnerable points, detection of targeted attacks and preparation for timely exposure.

The cognitive war cannot be managed with only episodic media reactions

Pointing to the need for scientific and political research institutions to enter this field, he added: Cognitive war cannot be managed by simply issuing refutations or partial media reactions. The country needs mechanisms to recognize credit capital, monitor cognitive threats, predict reputation crises, and formulate professional models for protecting the reputation of national personalities and institutions. This issue should go beyond the level of scattered media actions and become a serious issue in the country's policy agenda.

At the end, emphasizing the responsibility of the Research Center of the Islamic Council, Nizhdari noted: We at the Research Center of the Parliament consider the protection of the social capital and the credibility of the effective personalities of the country as part of our responsibility in helping to strengthen the power of governance and national cohesion, and we will try to play our part in protecting these capitals by using our scientific and specialized capacities, formulating policy packages and providing implementation solutions.

Iran does not only need to protect its borders, facilities and infrastructure

In the end, the head of the Majlis Research Center emphasized: Iran does not only need to protect its borders, facilities and infrastructure. We must also protect the people who can create hope, trust and strength for the country. Anyone who loves Iran should be careful that no precious social capital is left defenseless in today's merciless cognitive war.