President Raeisi vows no retreat in dealing with 'enemies'

Iran's President Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi insists his government will not back down from ensuring sustainable economic growth despite the brutal US-led sanctions against Tehran, further underlining his administration's determination to tackle existing problems.

“We do not view surrender and retreat as the way to deal with the conspiracies and plots of our enemies. We are determined to solve problems. We can overcome such challenges only by means of becoming strong and building a strong Iran,” President Raeisi said on Thursday as he addressed a group of religious scholars, clerics and Friday prayer leaders during a visit to the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz, which serves as the capital of East Azarbaijan Province.

According to Press TV, he noted that enemies have been devising conspiracies over the past 44 years to undermine the Islamic establishment in Iran, recalling Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s remarks that the enemies that are infuriated, try to downplay the Islamic Republic’s achievements and have resorted to evil plots to foment riots in Iran.

“Despite all the hardship imposed on the Iranian nation, the people have turned all threats and sanctions into opportunities,” Raeisi emphasized.

The president continued to refer to the challenges that his administration has been facing ever since it took office in early August 2021 and the steps that the government has taken to confront them, namely overcoming budget deficit without borrowing directly from the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), controlling liquidity growth, significantly increasing production, ensuring food security through timely supply of basic commodities, setting records in foreign trade and expanding trade exchanges especially with neighboring countries.

Raeisi further pointed out that enemies have resorted to spreading rumors, targeting the psychological status of the nation with inaccurate economic figures, and falsely suggesting high levels of inflation as parts of their persisting cognitive and hybrid warfare against Iran in efforts to hinder the nation's progress.

“Despite all these conspiracies, we are trying to stabilize the country's economy. With trust in God as well as people's support and help, we will definitely succeed in this path,” the Iranian president added.

President Raeisi also said US authorities have admitted that Washington's so-called campaign of “maximum pressure” against the Islamic Republic has failed to achieve its evil aims.

ME