Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei called for adoption of a prudent approach as the government tries to promote economic relations with foreign countries.
"The development of the domestic economy requires good exports, imports only to the extent needed, and foreign investment, but the control of affairs should remain in the hands of the local managers and the outsiders should not be allowed to take the charge," Ayatollah Khamenei was quoted as saying by his official website.
He made the call in a meeting with a group of people from East Azarbaijan Province in Tehran on Sunday.
"As I have repeatedly said Resistance Economy, whose principles have been endorsed by all the authorities, does not mean locking ourselves inside the country. It is rather self-developing and outward-looking… Developing our relations with the world has also been envisaged in Resistance Economy but the focus should be on the people not outsiders," the Leader said.
Resistance Economy refers to a set of policies that constitute an economic concept outlined by Ayatollah Khamenei to wean the country off oil revenues by bolstering domestic production and productivity.
Unhelpful Approach
He cited the unhelpful approach of the US and its allies to the implementation of a nuclear deal that they negotiated with Iran in 2015 to scale down its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.
"We have seen the result of putting trust in foreigners in the case of the JCPOA issue. We trusted them in the nuclear negotiations but it did not benefit us," Ayatollah Khamenei said, using the official title of the landmark agreement, namely the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif led the team of diplomats representing Iran during the two years of negotiations leading to the accord.
US President Donald Trump has called the UN-endorsed JCPOA into question, demanding a renegotiation.
The three European parties to the action plan, namely Britain, France, and Germany, have sided with Tehran in ruling out the deal's revision but have backed Trump's call for new curbs on Iran's missile and regional activities.
Iran highlights the purely defensive nature of its missile program to argue it is legitimate and denies allegations that its regional role is destabilizing.
The Leader praised the diplomacy adopted by Zarif and his ministry in the face of intense lobbying by the Trump administration.
"Fortunately the officials have so far dealt with the issue really well and I should thank the foreign minister for his very good and strong response … and he should continue this path."
