The multibillion-dollar smuggling of contraband by apparently organized networks have frustrated attempts to develop a self-reliant, oil-independent domestic economy, the parliament speaker said.
Ali Larijani said goods smuggling has been eroding the foundation of the Resistance Economy, a set of principles outlined by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei to boost the domestic economy and cut reliance on oil revenues.
"With about $20 billion worth of contraband being smuggled into the country [annually], developing the Resistance Economy is impossible," he said in a speech to commanders and staff of the police in Tehran on Monday, IRNA reported.
"Domestic production will not experience a boom unless the inflow of contraband is blocked."
Calling for a stronger role by the police in this connection, the Majlis speaker said smuggling on such a large scale is an organized crime.
"Strict action should be taken to tackle it and I believe the police are capable of doing that," he said.
"We need to develop detailed projects and the police can do that, provided they take the issue seriously."
Larijani noted that smuggling harms domestic production and investment, which have been emphasized on multiple occasions by the Leader.
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday underscored the important role of the police in safeguarding national security, declaring it as central to creating a self-sufficient economy.
"Without security, people's daily lives and their scientific, academic and economic activities and the running of the country would not be possible," he said.
"Acting within the framework of the Resistance Economy and creating a self-developing economy depend on domestic security."
The Majlis speaker said, "If some people consider themselves above the law and the rule of law is violated, it will undermine the business security and there will be little investment."
Ayatollah Khamenei named the current Iranian year, which started on March 20, the "Year of Resistance Economy, Action and Implementation."
Larijani urged the police to mount an effective crackdown on smuggling to help the national economy thrive, in line with the motto adopted by the Leader.
