Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei urged officials on Wednesday to take serious, practical steps to ease people's financial strains and prove to the enemy that the tool of sanctions have become blunt.
"The rising prices and the drop in purchasing power of a large number of people, particularly those from lower income classes, have put pressure on them," the Leader said in a meeting with the heads of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government in Tehran, his official website reported.
Washington reintroduced restrictions on Iran's currency trade, metals and auto sectors in August after the US withdrawal from a multinational 2015 deal that lifted sanctions in return for limits on Tehran's nuclear program. US curbs on the country's oil exports are set to come into force in November.
Combined with rising inflation and a slump in the rial currency, this has caused Iran's economy to slag. The International Monetary Fund predicts it will shrink 1.5% this year and 3.6% in 2019, before recovering slowly, Reuters reported.
"Extraordinary efforts are needed to address the country's current economic problems and meet people's needs," he said, while appreciating the measures taken by the authorities to improve the situation.
>Two Types of Challenges
Ayatollah Khamenei said the economic difficulties facing the country can be divided into "internal and structural challenges" and "issues stemming from cruel US sanctions."
He called on the authorities to find and implement "wise solutions" to economic hardships and frustrate the enemy in its attempts to use sanctions as a tool to exert pressure on the Islamic Republic.
"To solve some key economic issues such as problems in the banking system, liquidity, unemployment, inflation and the budget planning process, you need to make serious and practical decisions," he told the officials.
The Leader added that proposals put forward by economic experts and businessmen working in the private sector should be studied properly and their experience should be used to boost the economy and improve people's livelihood.
"The country should rely on its own natural and human resources. There are no problems in the country that cannot be fixed," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that people and officials should maintain their unity to help resist the pressure of US sanctions and address economic grievances.
Before the Leader's speech, President Hassan Rouhani briefed the gathering on steps taken by his administration to strengthen the economy and hailed cooperation between the three branches of government to address people's demands.
