Leader: Economic roadmap guarantees people’s peace, stability

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, on Sunday July 15 granted audience to President Hojjat al-Islam Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet, and called on officials of the Executive Branch of the government to focus on domestic potential in order to resolve the economic problems of the country through round-the-clock efforts with full trust in the revolutionary spirit and diligence of the people who have always cooperated and contributed to the national cause.

He said Iran’s economy must not linger on waiting for Europe’s elusive guarantees following the US breach of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action), and said the main condition for success in all areas is possession of “a strong spirit, motivation, courage and resolute determination”, which warrants all government executives “to act with a sense of responsibility and greater efforts in the face of problems.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution called upon all government institutions to spare no efforts, saying: “The image of the administration in the eyes of the public must be one of capability, efficiency and assiduity, because the essence of industriousness is appealing and promising for the people.”

He also urged the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) to convey a correct image of the measures taken by the administration, saying: “Of course, there is nothing wrong with expressing reasonable criticisms; furthermore, a huge portion of the correct portrayal of the administration depends upon the performance of the officials themselves, and the authorities must appear among the people, laborers and industry [workers] and establish ties with them first hand.”

Ayatollah Khamenei described as powerful the stances of President Rouhani during his recent visit to the two neutral European states of Switzerland and Austria, saying: “The display of might against foreigners, particularly the Americans, is a necessary measure and this should be done in a timely, resolute and explicit manner.”

He said: “Indeed, the European sides are obligated to provide the necessary guarantees regarding the JCPOA; however, the economy of the country must not be tied to this issue and be held up by it.”

The Leader highlighted the “need for the daily expansion of foreign relations and diplomacy,” adding, “except for a few cases such as the US, the country’s ties with the East and West must be enhanced ever more and operational and purposeful mobility of diplomacy must increase.”

On resolving the economic problems, he described as necessary the drawing up of a “roadmap for a stable economy,” saying: “If a roadmap for economy is devised, the people and economic agents will be aware of their conditions and will rush to the aid of the administration with a sense of stability and calm.” 

He stressed enhancement of the private sector and the need to resolutely confront law-breakers. In this regard, he pointed to transgressions by some government institutions and individuals regarding the recent issues of gold coins and the foreign currency market, saying: “Offenders must be dealt with, whatever their status.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described as positive the recent order issued by the President to address the violation in the imports of vehicles, adding, “These directives must be followed through, so that they would lead to a satisfactory outcome.” 

He described as imperative “the administration’s control over financial transactions to prevent destructive operations such as smuggling and money-laundering” and pointed to some offences committed in using foreign currency that was provided at the official rate. He said, “Such blatant violations must be stopped via relevant systems or constitutional regulations.”   

Other issues highlighted by Ayatollah Khamenei during the meeting included “taking Resistance Economy policies seriously, timely action and prevention of incidents before their occurrence, and genuine efforts to combat corruption”.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed that in the campaign against offences, first corruption and lawbreakers must be dealt with and then this should be transparently publicized, saying, “Of course, the issue of countering the corrupt is in the first place a responsibility of the authorities of government institutions and the issue should then be delegated to the Judiciary.” 

He said it is necessary for officials to speak face-to-face with the people in order to acquaint themselves of the situation is necessary. He added: “Discuss the problems with the people and while outlining your measures, elaborate the enemy plot for them.”

In conclusion, he said, “I earnestly believe that the administration, provided that it takes the necessary measures, will succeed in overcoming the problems and foiling US plots.” 

In the meeting, President Rouhani promised to spare no efforts to execute and put into practice the points mentioned by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

He said: “Despite all the psychological and economic plots of Iran’s enemies, the country’s foreign and domestic currency revenues in the first three months of the current calendar year have been greater than those of the corresponding period last year and in the development sector the credit allocated and provided has been 22 times more than the previous year.”

Rouhani stressed that some issues such as the problems of the banking and liquidity systems is not related to sanctions and foreign pressure and pointed to the administration plans to resolve these issues.

He said, “The settlement of these issues is on the main agenda of the Supreme Economic Cooperation Council and the administration’s Economic Committee.”

The president also described as crucial complete coordination among the three branches of the government and government institutions to thwart the US plots.

AS/ME