Leader Reiterates Call for Efforts to Boost Production

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei congratulated the Iranian people and all nations on the occasion of Norouz that marks the start of the new Iranian year, which he named the year of “Production, Support and Removal of Obstacles.”  
In his New Year message, he pointed to the unprecedented events that unfolded over the last Iranian year, especially the coronavirus pandemic that affected many aspects of people’s lives, including education and employment. 
He said the deaths of tens of thousands of people from the disease was the most tragic of all incidents over the past year, Leader.ir reported.  
Ayatollah Khamenei also described the previous Iranian year as the manifestation of the Iranian nation’s capabilities in tackling the viral outbreak as well as the enemies’ “maximum pressure campaign”.
“Despite sanctions and blockage of channels for using foreign equipment, the dear nation showed a great ability and experience in managing this bitter incident,” he said. 
“Iran’s enemies, with the United States on top of them, sought to bring the Iranian nation to their knees, but the great Iranian people resisted until the pressure campaign failed.”
The US initiated its so-called “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran in 2018 after unilaterally pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. 
Iran withstood the economic pressure, although it gradually reduced its compliance in several reversible moves as per the deal’s provisions so as to restore balance between its rights and obligations.
Ayatollah Khamenei later pointed to the motto of the previous year, “surge in production”, saying that the target has been achieved to an acceptable level according to reports. 
However, he said this level does not meet expectations because the development of infrastructural and construction projects was not felt in the country’s overall economy and people’s livelihoods. 
According to the Leader, the reason for the non-fulfillment of objectives last year was the presence of obstacles and lack of support for production. 
He pointed to unchecked imports and smuggling as impediments to production and regretted the absence of adequate incentives for investment in manufacturing. 
“Therefore, the slogan for year 1400 is ‘Production, Support and Removal of Obstacles,” he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that this year is a sensitive and important one both due to the upcoming presidential election in June and the favorable grounds for the fulfillment of a surge in production. 

Nat’l, Int’l Importance

The Leader also delivered a televised speech on the first day of the Iranian New Year, in which he underlined the importance of the presidential election at both domestic and international levels.  
“Domestically, election marks a renewal and breathes fresh air into the executive sector because new blood and motivated people will take over,” he said.
At the international scale, he added, election is a demonstration of national power.  
“More than defensive ad diplomatic capabilities, what can develop the power of a country is its very people and their alertness, motivation and preparedness, which is chiefly manifested in elections,” he said. 
He dismissed the notion that the president has no independent authority, stressing the key role of a president and calling on both voters and candidates to consider this significant responsibility in their decisions. 
During his speech, the Leader also described the US sanctions that prevent countries’ access to food and medicine as a real crime, saying there are two ways of countering the bans.
One way, according to Ayatollah Khamenei, is pleading with the imposer of sanctions to reduce or remove them, in which case it will naturally put forward its arrogant demands.    
“This is the very way of degradation, deviation and backwardness,” he said. 
“The second way is to use domestic capabilities to produce the sanctioned goods and alleviate the impacts of restrictions and neutralize them. The Iranian nation has opted for the second way and will carry on with it.” 
The leader said Iran’s achievements over the past few years showed that sanctions can be turned into opportunities, advising the current and future authorities to avoid attaching the country’s economy to sanctions and to assume that they will remain in place.

Inviolable Position

Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the status of the nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which has been unravelling since the US pullout. 
He stressed that Iran’s stated policy has been widely agreed by all and is “inviolable”.  
The new US administration wishes to rejoin the deal, but calls on Iran to resume full compliance first, while Tehran demands a complete and effective removal of sanctions before it reverses its remedial steps.
“The US must revoke all sanctions, then Iran will verify and in case they are practically lifted, we will return to our JCPOA commitments without a problem,” the Leader said, citing Iran’s mistrust of mere verbal or written pledges by Washington. 
Pointing to American officials’ claims that JCPOA must be modified because the conditions have changed since its signing, Ayatollah Khamenei said the changes have favored Iran. 
“If JCPOA is to change, it must change in favor of Iran.” 
Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran is very patient and in no hurry to resolve the nuclear deal issue.
“If they accept our stated policy, things will work out fine and if they don’t, conditions will proceed as they are.” 
 

End of Difficulties  

President Hassan Rouhani also delivered a speech on the same day, saying the end of winter and beginning of Nature’s blooming coincide with the end of a difficult period in the history of the Iranian nation’s life this year.  
“Three years of cruel economic war against the Iranian nation, the like of which no nation in modern history has experienced, will be reaching its end, thanks to the resistance of this people,” he said on state television, noting that the dangerous virus also intensified the difficulty of sanctions for Iranians. 
According to Rouhani, although foreign pressure caused much suffering to people, it did not wear down the nation. 
“This year will be the year of nationwide access to vaccines and containment of the coronavirus, and the year of reaping the results of the three-year resistance and end of sanctions,” he said.