A number of manufacturers and officials in charge of economic and industrial matters met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, this morning (Sunday, January 30, 2022) in the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyyah.

At the beginning of his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution said, “One of the advantages of holding this meeting is that you honorable officials are able to listen directly to economic activists speaking about their problems and the obstacles in their way.”

Imam Khamenei said that the enemies of Iran have pursued the goal of destroying Iran’s economy. He explained this by saying, “Of course, destroying the economy was only a preliminary step to turning the people against the Islamic Republic for them to pursue their vicious political goals.”

Praising exemplary entrepreneurs, economic managers and workers, the Leader said, “Praise God, the country’s stronghold in production and the economy is standing firmly. The officers in this Sacred Defense against the enemy have been our entrepreneurs and competent economic managers. The soldiers in this Sacred Defense have been our sincere, pure workers. All economic activists have a share in the honor of preserving the economy of the country.”

In explaining the various dimensions of this economic war, Imam Khamenei remarked, “One of the things the enemy does is to use psychological warfare. As well as waging an economic war, which is a real war, the enemy is using psychological warfare too.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed that the economic figures in the 1390s in Iran were not satisfactory at all, “In my opinion, if the state officials had cooperated and heeded more, we would have achieved more and we would definitely be in a better situation today.”

He emphasized that he does not agree with the idea that state officials and government agencies should intervene in economic activities, but that he thinks their guidance, supervision and assistance is necessary.

Imam Khamenei described the centers of production that did not wait for the sanctions to be removed as being successful examples during the current time and added, “I have always said that you should not make the economy of the country conditional on such and such an issue that is not in our control. Rather, we should put our own determination to work in order to meet our needs. Praise God, we have a good capacity in this regard.”

His Eminence explained that he always uses the advice of experts and specialists in various fields, especially economic issues, and that he values these opinions. He added that what he tells the people and the officials is based on the consultative opinions of experts.

He described production as being an act of jihad and expounded on this by saying, “In defining jihad, I have frequently said that jihad is an effort that focuses on the enemy’s attacks and actions. Not every effort is jihad. Only an effort that concentrates on the enemy’s attacks is jihad. Well, there is a very clear attempt on the part of the enemies to destroy the economy of the country today.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated that the enemies themselves have admitted to their defeat in their anti-Iranian policy of imposing sanctions, “These are the words of the US Department of State. A few days ago, the spokesman for the US Department of State announced this. He stated that their ‘maximum pressure campaign’ against Iran has led to the US’s abject defeat.”

In referring to the slogans used for the years 1399 (2020) and 1400 (2021), Imam Khamenei made it clear that a surge in production is very significant and that it will change important economic indexes in the country. He stated that the most important outcome of such a surge in production is economic independence.

His Eminence stressed the necessity of benefiting from the youth and their capabilities in economic activities. He went on to say, “In whichever area the youth were trusted and asked to do something, they shone brilliantly in the true sense of the word. This holds true in all areas ranging from the manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines to manufacturing precision missiles. As for the Covid-19 vaccines, they produced the best vaccines. We must appreciate these talents.”

At the end of his statements, Imam Khamenei emphasized the need to increase the quality of domestic products. He requested that the executive organizations and the banks in the country put production at the service of creating employment in the country because employment is a vital matter for the country.

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