TEHRAN – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday said the bright future of Iran is in need of rapid and continuous economic growth.
The Leader met with a large group of Iranian entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and members of knowledge-based companies here, where he cited the “rapid, continuous economic growth” as the current necessity for the country.
The Leader explained the reasons and requirements for economic growth as he touched on the Seventh Development Plan which prioritizes economic growth along with justice.
“Economic growth is absolutely crucial in order to solve the tangible problems associated with people’s livelihood and the difficulties experienced in households,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei expressed his satisfaction with the spirit, optimism and tangible endeavors of those who are active in the fields of manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
“As I have said many times before, due to the country’s God-given resources, its geographical, international, political position, and especially its human resources, the country’s talent and growth capacity are very high and exceptional in certain fields. For this reason, the future of the nation and the prospects of Iran’s progress are much brighter than the current predictions.”
The Leader touched on this year’s slogan titled, “Production: Knowledge-Based and Job-Creating”, saying the exhibition of internal capabilities he visited on Saturday showed that relatively good endeavors have been made in line with this year’s slogan.
The official indicators of the first half of the Iranian year of 1401 which started on March 20, 2022 mainly indicate movement and growth, the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei addressed state officials at the meeting, urging them to take note of issues raised by some entrepreneurs.
“In order to follow up on these issues and resolve the complaints and expectations of those active in the economic field, form a committee under their supervision and solve their problems by continuously following up their case. By doing this, the country’s economy will also grow,” the Leader demanded.
Ayatollah Khamenei also pointed out the direct relationship between economic growth and Iran’s position in the world.
He said, “The advancement of a country’s position is largely related to its economic situation. When a country’s currency depreciates, its economic possibilities diminish. It becomes less credible in today’s world. We need to experience economic growth in order to maintain the country’s position in the world.”
Ayatollah Khamenei also outlined the reasons why Iran fell behind in certain economic fields in the last decade.
He said certain managerial weaknesses, issues such as sanctions and the country’s focus on the nuclear issue, and as a result, the conditioning of the economy to outside factors were among some of the important reasons for Iran’s economic lag in the previous decade.
The Leader said making up for the backwardness will require continuous endeavors and perpetual economic growth during a time span of at least ten years.
“For this reason, we prioritized economic progress along with justice in the Seventh Development Plan,” he said.
The Leader highlighted the need to solve the problems associated with people’s costs of living, the need to ensure the welfare and comfort of the people, the need to improve Iran’s position in the regional and world economy, and the need to create jobs for millions of graduates as some of the reasons why a rapid and continuous economic growth is required.
Ayatollah Khamenei touched on requirements needed for the realization of economic growth, saying increasing investment for production and productivity are two important pillars and a basic requirement for economic growth.
“Improvements in knowledge and technology” is another important requirement of economic growth that the Leader addressed, drawing the attention of universities and scientific-research centers towards it.
Ayatollah Khamenei said achievements currently made in various areas are a result of the scientific movement that has begun about 15 years ago.
“Young scientists should cross the front lines of global science and prepare the grounds for this dream to come true, so that in 50 years time, if anyone decides to find out about the latest science, they will need to learn the Farsi language.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said goods and services should be made competitive by increasing their quality and reducing the price of the final product.