Introduction: The aim of this research is to describe and conceptually organize the notion of soft war in the thoughts of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei.
Method: This research is qualitative and employs the grounded theory method.
Findings: The design of a “systematic” model of the Supreme Leader’s thoughts with a focus on soft war, and the identification and extraction of concepts and categories related to soft war in the defensive thought system of the Supreme Leader.
Conclusion: Soft war in the thoughts of the Supreme Leader has specific contextual conditions and occurs in a unique environment. This war is extensive, deep, comprehensive, vast, and unending. Various human factors are present in this arena, and the new war is conducted in a soft manner, which is different and more dangerous than hard war. In the realm of soft war, victory is temporary, and defense in this field is sacred. The seemingly large enemy makes significant efforts and spends substantial budgets in this area. Soft war is essentially an intellectual war conducted in a worldly context, and in the real arena, the enemy is weak. It is important to note that the delicate, important, and vital field of soft war requires greater capability and alertness. To counter soft war, various strategies must be adopted.