Thoughts of Imam Khamenei | The Iranian nation will not surrender to bullying

Pars Today: The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei, stated that the purpose of the sanctions is to force surrender to their coercive demands and power-seeking expectations, and emphasized: The Iranian nation will not surrender to such bullying.

According to Pars Today, quoting from KHAMENEI.IR, Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, said during a meeting with Iranian workers: "For years, we have been facing severe sanctions; sanctions that the sanctioners themselves—meaning primarily the Americans and, following them, some Europeans—said are unprecedented in history! They themselves said this. Well, first of all, what is the purpose of these sanctions? They mention some objectives, but they are lying; these are not the real objectives. They bring up the issue of nuclear energy, they bring up the issue of nuclear weapons, they bring up the issue of human rights; these are not the issues. They say we are sanctioning Iran because it supports 'terrorism'! Who is the 'terrorist'? The people of Gaza! In the view of those gentlemen, the people of Gaza are terrorists! A vile, fake, usurping, merciless regime kills tens of thousands of people, thousands of whom are children, it massacres them, but it is not terrorist, and the people who are under its bombardment are terrorists! Therefore, these pretexts are false; the purpose of the sanctions is not these issues. The purpose of the sanctions is to put Islamic Iran in a tight spot. They want to put the Islamic Republic of Iran in a tight spot through sanctions; so that what happens? So that it follows their colonial and arrogant lines, surrenders to their coercive demands and power-seeking expectations, and makes its policies subordinate to their policies; that is the goal.

The great and historic nation of Islamic Iran will never surrender to such bullying

Imam Khamenei added: "In political fields, in economic fields, in the overall management of the country, they want absolute obedience. They say, 'Simply surrender to us'; the same situation that some governments have, as you see and know; their wealth is at their disposal, their dignity is in their hands, their politics follow them; this is what they want. Well, it is obvious that the Islamic system, Islamic honor, and the great and historic Islamic nation will never surrender to such bullying."

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized: "Sanctions cause talents to flourish within Iran; these very sanctions cause Iran's capacities to emerge." He also added: "The effect of these sanctions is gradually fading; they sanctioned for several years and saw that it is of no use. Reliable international sources say Iran's GDP growth this year is higher than last year; well, why is it higher? Because they work more, because they work better, because the sanctions do not bring them to their knees, because they do not pin their hopes on help from outside the country and beyond the borders. This must be strengthened; this spirit must be enhanced within the country."

Sanctions are an opportunity

Meanwhile, Imam Khamenei said during a meeting with Iranian producers and economic activists: "We have external problems, sanctions, and various hostilities, but these too can become an opportunity for us. Although sanctions are damaging and undoubtedly create problems, they can be used as an opportunity for various advancements."

All of Iran's progress happened during the sanctions era

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution also stated in a speech to a gathering of pilgrims and residents near the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS): "We have achieved progress, and all this progress was during the era of sanctions. Under such conditions, the Iranian nation progressed in the fields of science and technology, health, nuclear, and defense sectors."