Iran is undergoing a transition from an oil-dependent economy to a nation reliant on science and technology, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Saturday.
Pointing to reports by reliable databases and journals from around the world regarding Iran’s scientific achievements, he said, “These reports acknowledge the scientific achievements of Iran, describing them as amazing.”
“Iran is an emerging scientific power and wants to transform itself from a resource-based economy into a knowledge-based economy. Iran’s achievements in stem cells, nuclear science, aerospace, energy exchange and information technology are remarkable; this data should be available to the new generation so that aside from having a sense of identity, they take pride in being Iranian.”
The Leader was speaking in a meeting with academics and university researchers from across the nation in Tehran.
He mapped out a 20-year vision for the government toward achieving the status of a “mighty, dignified, independent, faithful and wealthy” Iran that would “enjoy justice under a democratic, genuine, jihadi, benevolent and pious ruling establishment.” Ayatollah Khamenei described universities as the base and foundation for these noble goals, his official website reported.
He stressed the need to “speed up the scientific growth of universities and scientific centers, create and consolidate a sense of fulsome Iranian-Islamic identity among the youth and maintain a revolutionary spirit in universities and among students.”
“Thus, a distinguished scientific power will emerge as an example of democracy coupled with Islam and spirituality in the world,” the Leader noted.
New Discourse
He described the ruling establishment’s new discourse in the field of democracy as another source of pride. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only government which has offered a democracy intertwined with Islam and spirituality.”
“If these indices are disregarded by universities, in the future we will witness a dependent Iran, where culture is overlooked, and the society is afflicted with social, ethnic, religious and political fractures under the rule of an aristocratic government,” Ayatollah Khamenei cautioned.
“The outcome of such a future will be a country with enormous wealth next to oceans of misery, poverty and distress, a clear example of what the American society or the American Wall Street. In such a future, all the people will not enjoy welfare and the country will become an Iranian version of Wall Street.”
Ayatollah Khamenei stressed the importance of the Economy of Resistance by saying, “The Economy of Resistance, if implemented in the real sense of the word, can both promote national dignity and fulfill the needs of the country because it relies on internal capabilities.”
The Resistance Economy is a set of principles outlined by the Leader to bolster domestic production and national productivity and wean the country off oil export revenues.
