Defeating enemy not enough, economic deterrence required
TEHRAN, Mar. 21 (MNA) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that while Iran will definitely defeat its enemies, the country still needs to achieve a level in deterrence where enemies cannot harm the country’s economy.
He made the remarks today while addressing a large gathering of pilgrims at Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, northeast Iran. This is the first live speech of the Leader in the new Iranian calendar year 1398, which started on March 21.
The Leader congratulated the birthday of Imam Ali, the first Imam of Shia Muslims, and described it as true Nowruz. The leader also felicitated the Nowruz holiday to all Iranians.
Ayatollah Khamenei noted that he was going to discuss some issues in the speech including the relations of Iran with other countries, and the country's prospects this year.
“Sanctions can serve as opportunities,” he said, adding that the country should move toward using non-oil revenues and this period of sanctions can prepare the ground for this change.
He went on to mention the imposition of sanctions against Iran during the Iraqi invasion in 1980s, noting that no country even gave Iran barbed wire to defend itself, but Iranian youth were able to address the needs of war.
Iran will continue to boost its defense power despite pressures of enemies, he highlighted.
Now everyone has come to the realization that enemies are waging an economic, political, and intelligence war against Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said, adding that “we will defeat the enemy by the will of God.”
In addition to defeating the enemies, we need to boost our power of deterrence, the Leader stressed, saying that enemies should reach a point where it can be clear to them that nothing they do will cause any harm to Iran's economic sector.
To give an example regarding deterrence, he pointed to the country's missile power, which can destroy any target with precision, and enemies are fully aware of this as well.
Iran should put its faith in Western countries, since they have proved that they cannot be expected to be honest or helpful, he added.
Europe should have stood firm against US on the country's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA, in a bid to save the agreement, but it failed to do so, he said, adding that the European countries stabbed Iran in the back regarding the nuclear deal.
Ayatollah Khamenei also censured European countries’ failure to label the recent attack on New Zealand mosques, which left as many as 49 Muslims dead, as an act of terrorism.
Western countries are providing Saudi Arabia, which is a dictatorship and a wrongdoer in the region, with nuclear capabilities and even missile factories, he noted, adding that he is not concerned about this issue since Islamic fighters will be the final victor in the region.
All this does not mean that Iran should sever ties with Western countries, rather it means that Iran should not trust them, he stressed.
All officials and Iranian people must contribute to boosting production in the country during this year since it will have a positive impact on many economic issues, the Leader noted elsewhere.
He went on to add that today, the US and Europe have come to this conclusion that if Iranians put their mind to something, they will definitely achieve it, and no obstruction will undermine this process, so they are investing billions of dollars to influence the will of Iranian youth in the first place.