In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Oh, Reformer of hearts and sight
Oh, Planner of day and night
Oh, Transformer of conditions and circumstances
Change ours to the best of conditions
(Prayers in Arabic)
I’d like to congratulate all Iranian families and individuals across the world on Nowruz (the beginning of the Persian New Year).
Congratulations dear fellow countrymen.
I’d specially like to congratulate dear families of martyrs, disabled war veterans, their respected families, and all those who make sacrifices [for the Islamic Revolution],
and I’d like to honor the memory of our great martyrs and [the late] Imam [Khomeini].
The year which has just begun, the year 1395 [on the Iranian calendar], is blessed with the name of Hadhrat Fatima Zahra (the daughter of the Prophet Mohammad) both at the beginning and the end.
Both the beginning and the end of this year fall on the birthday of Hadhrat Fatima.
Therefore, thanks to this auspicious occasion, I hope the year 1395 will be replete with blessings for the Iranian nation, so that we will benefit and take lessons from Hadhrat Fatima’s virtues, guidelines, and lifestyle.
The year which just drew to a close, the year 1394, was marked with sweet and bitter events as well as ups and downs, like all other previous years.
This is the nature of life; from the bitterness of the Mina tragedy [in Saudi Arabia] to the sweetness of the Bahman 22 (February 11th) rallies [marking the victory anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution] and the Esfand 7 (February 26th) elections.
Also, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the Iran-P5+1 nuclear agreement), the hopes it raised and the concerns associated with it,
all of these were among the incidents which happened last year. Every year has been [full of different events] like that. The years [which pass by] and man’s lifetime include opportunities and threats.
We should be able to take advantage of opportunities, and turn threats to opportunities as well.
The year 1395 is ahead of us. This year will also include opportunities and threats.
Everyone should make efforts, so that we will be able to use this year’s opportunities in the true sense of the word, and see tangible changes in the country throughout the year.
There is some hope for the year 1395. By getting an overall view of the circumstances, one can see some hope.
Of course, round-the-clock and relentless efforts should be made for these hopes to become reality.
The bottom line is that the Iranian nation must make itself invulnerable to the enemies’ threats and animosities.
We need to make ourselves invulnerable to threats by the enemies and reduce [our] vulnerability to zero.
In my estimation, the issue of economy is the top priority.
In other words, among high-priority issues, economy is the most pressing matter.
If, by God’s grace, the nation and the government, as well as officials, manage to take appropriate and decisive actions in the domain of economy, it could [positively] influence other issues such as social issues, social vices, ethical issues, and cultural issues.
When it comes to economy, what counts is domestic production, job creation, and elimination of unemployment.
Also important is economic prosperity and tackling stagnation. These are the issues facing the people.
These are issues which people feel, and they make demands accordingly. Even figures and statements by authorities show people’s demands are legitimate and rightful.
If we are to solve the problems of stagnation, [low] domestic production, and unemployment; if we are to curb inflation, [the solution to] all those fall within the purview of Economy of Resistance.
Economy of Resistance encompasses all of them. With the Economy of Resistance, it is possible to fight unemployment and recession and to curb inflation;
it is possible to stand up to the enemies’ threats; it is possible to create numerous opportunities for the country and use those opportunities.
To that end, efforts should be made to promote the Economy of Resistance.
A report that government officials have presented to me shows a lot of work has been done, but that is just preliminary work.
The work done so far, which concerns bylaws and instructions to state institutions, is preliminary work.
What needs to continue [to be done] is to take action and take practical steps in a bid to bring about tangible results for the people. This is our duty. God willing, I will talk about it in detail in my [Sunday, March 20] speech to the nation.
Therefore, I will choose the rubric “Economy of Resistance; Initiative and Action” as the motto of this year.
“Economy of Resistance; Initiative and Action”
This is a straight and bright road to what we need.
Of course, I don’t expect the action and implementation to solve all problems in a year’s time.
But, I’m confident that if action and implementation are well planned, we will witness their results at the end of the year.
I’d like to thank all those who have made and are making efforts in that regard.
Once again, I congratulate and express greetings to our dear nation.
May God bless the Prophet Mohammad and Imam Mahdi (the 12th Shia Imam).
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
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