TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Tuesday described production as the driving force behind economic progress, calling on the administration to remove any obstacle to domestic production.
Ayatollah Khamenei met President Ebrahim Raisi and members of his cabinet, saying economy is the country’s overriding priority, although it should not mean ignoring other topics such as science, security, or social and cultural harms.
The Leader also called on the cabinet to “carefully and constantly” monitor the main economic indices, such as the inflation, economic growth, investment growth, employment growth, per capita income growth, and reduction of economic inequality.
The Leader touched on the significance of agricultural production, citing the food crisis in the wake of the war in Ukraine as he stressed the significance of food security, and reiterated the necessity of self-sufficiency in the production of basic data-x-items like wheat.
“There is a war in a corner of the world today and food security has become a global issue. We insisted on self-sufficiency in terms of wheat, corn and livestock feed years ago. Some had a different opinion in Iran. It’s now clear for everyone in the world today how important this is.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also cited housing, saying laxity in the housing sector has resulted in exorbitant rents and high prices, which pressuring many people.
The Leader urged efforts to prevent the country’s massive natural and humanitarian resources from being wasted.
The Leader highlighted the importance of paying attention to the construction of petrochemical refineries, completion of the added-value chain in the mining industries and preventing the sale of raw materials, completion of the vital north-south and east-west corridors in order to raise the capacity for international transportation, and promoting the employment of the unparalleled capacities available in the seas.
Ayatollah Khamenei said one of the successes of President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration is the emphasis on the slogans of the Islamic Revolution and Islam such as seeking justice, avoiding luxury, supporting the oppressed and countering the arrogant powers.
“One of the new administration’s achievements has been to eliminate the society’s state of constantly waiting to see what others on the outside decide about us. This administration is placing importance on domestic capacities and is working on them,” he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said, “Some people say we must definitely have relations with a certain country to solve our problems, but this is very harmful to the country. Basing the country’s issues on others and waiting for them is the wrong approach.”