Minister calls Persian foundation of Iran’s national identity
Iran's Culture Minister Abbas Salehi called on state institutions to treat the preservation of the Persian language as a cultural mission rather than a bureaucratic obligation, saying that Persian remains the cornerstone of Iran's national identity and one of the country's most powerful instruments of cultural influence.
Salehi, speaking during the first coordination meeting of the Persian Language Preservation Council on Tuesday, said safeguarding Persian required "a greater sense of responsibility" as the language faced mounting pressures from digital technologies, social media and artificial intelligence, while stressing that protecting it was a shared national duty extending beyond the Ministry of Culture, CHTN reported.
"We should not regard this responsibility merely as an administrative or legal obligation. It must be seen as a cultural mission," he said.
Describing Persian as "the main pillar of our national identity," Salehi said the language had bound together generations of Iranians for more than a millennium, allowing modern readers to engage directly with masterpieces such as Ferdowsi's ‘Shahnameh’. That continuity, he said, has helped preserve Iran's historical memory and strengthen national cohesion among the country's diverse ethnic communities.
He also portrayed Persian as a major component of Iran's soft power, saying the language continues to shape cultural ties across Central Asia, Anatolia and the Indian subcontinent.
Recalling his recent visit to Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization culture ministers' meeting, Salehi said he found a striking reminder of that legacy at the Chingiz Aitmatov House Museum, where the celebrated Kyrgyz writer's family genealogy had been written in Persian.
"Many countries know Iran through the Persian language before they know it through its natural resources," Salehi said. "One of Iran's greatest assets in global cultural engagement is the Persian language."
The minister also announced that the Ministry of Culture has established a dedicated Office of Persian Literature and Language within its Cultural Affairs Department to strengthen policy coordination and executive work on language preservation.
He said the office was created after officials concluded that the ministry lacked an independent structure devoted exclusively to Persian, although its launch was delayed by the Ramadan War.
Salehi said the new office, headed by prominent poet Gholamreza Tariqi, would work alongside the Persian Language Preservation Council to reinforce both preventive measures and positive initiatives aimed at promoting the language across Iranian society.