Ayatollah Khamenei urges university students to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their resolve, as the government moves to translate his directives into scientific advancement, technological self-reliance and greater national resilience.

TEHRAN -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday called on university students to strengthen their knowledge, faith and self-discipline and intensify their efforts to advance the country, as the government pledged to implement his directives through scientific development, stronger national resilience and measures to counter economic pressure and sanctions.

In a message responding to letters from university students across the country, Ayatollah Khamenei thanked them for their expressions of support and described their determination to help shape Iran’s future as a bond of commitment between the leadership and the younger generation.

“I have read your heartfelt letters. I thank you for your many kindnesses, dear and motivated young students, and will pray especially for all of you, who have placed an obligation upon me,” he wrote.

Ayatollah Khamenei described the students’ sense of responsibility as a valuable trust rooted in Islam and the legacy of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini, and the martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

He urged the students to equip themselves with knowledge and faith, purify their souls, maintain their connection with God and deepen their understanding of the Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad’s household.

He also called for greater effort and initiative to strengthen Iran and advance the country toward the goals of progress and Islamic-Iranian civilization.

The message places particular emphasis on the role of young people in building the country’s future, a priority that has also featured in the government’s plans for scientific development and national self-reliance.

Vice President for Science, Technology and the Knowledge-Based Economy Hussein Afshin outlined an eight-part strategy to translate Ayatollah Khamenei’s guidance to the scientific community into a coordinated program aimed at strengthening Iran’s technological capabilities and establishing the country as a global scientific and technological authority.

Afshin said the vice presidency, the National Elites Foundation and the National Science Foundation would develop a comprehensive, time-bound and mission-oriented plan to move Iran from a knowledge-based economy toward what he termed “power-based development.”

Under this approach, scientific progress would be assessed not simply by the number of research papers, companies or technological products, but by the capacity to develop lasting capabilities, reduce strategic dependence, address national challenges and strengthen economic and national power.

The proposed strategy covers support for basic sciences and the humanities, frontier research, scientific creativity and high-risk innovation, as well as the development of domestic technologies and stronger links between universities, research centers, industry and markets.

It also calls for greater participation by talented young people in national development and sustained funding for scientific research and emerging technologies.

Afshin said the plan would assign clear responsibilities to relevant institutions, identify funding requirements and implementation deadlines, and establish measurable indicators to assess progress.

Cooperation among government agencies, universities, research institutions and knowledge-based companies would be central to its implementation.

He said the country needs to move beyond producing knowledge and individual technological products toward creating sustainable capabilities that could meet strategic needs and enhance Iran’s international standing.

The scientific initiative is part of a broader government effort to implement the Leader’s directives and strengthen the country’s ability to withstand external pressure.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that his government will use all its capacities to carry out Ayatollah Khamenei’s directives, including efforts to move Iran beyond the “neither war nor peace” situation.

Addressing a Cabinet meeting, Pezeshkian described the Leader’s recent instruction to the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council to pursue conditions set by Iranian officials for ending the current impasse as an important message outlining the country’s path ahead.

He pledged that the government will work with all its resources to implement the objectives and measures set out by the Leader.

Pezeshkian called for greater national resilience through improved resource management, administrative reform and higher efficiency.

He urged government agencies to remain prepared for changing circumstances, reduce unnecessary expenditure and make better use of existing capacities, saying Iran must be able to withstand threats, sanctions and external pressure.

He also called for public participation in strengthening national resilience, urging officials, political and cultural figures, educators, clerics and the media to promote responsible consumption and avoid waste.

Alongside these efforts, the government has reported progress in maintaining trade flows and countering attempts to restrict Iran’s access to regional and international transit routes.

Abbas Pazouki, deputy for communications and information at the office of the first vice president, said field reports indicate that efforts to impose a transit blockade on Iran have failed.

Writing on the social media platform X after a meeting of the National Transit Headquarters chaired by First Vice President Muhammad Reza Aref, Pazouki said the activation of Iran’s diverse transit and customs capacities has produced significant increases in trade volumes, with some routes recording growth of several hundred percent.

“Although the considerations of economic warfare limit the publication of numerical details, field reports point to one reality: the project to impose a transit blockade on Iran has definitely failed,” he wrote.

Pazouki acknowledged that economic warfare and sanctions continue to impose costs on foreign trade, but said supply channels for essential goods and export flows remain stable.

He added that the government is expanding transit and customs infrastructure to turn external pressure into lasting economic opportunities.

The government’s stated priorities span scientific advancement, administrative efficiency and the preservation of trade links, with officials presenting these efforts as complementary measures to strengthen national capabilities and reduce dependence on external systems.

In the Cabinet meeting, officials also reviewed regional and international developments, diplomatic consultations concerning Iran and the United States, and discussions with regional countries on security cooperation and preventing further escalation.