Being powerful Iran's only solution

 IRGC deputy-commander has announced that world’s top economies are still imposing sanctions against Iran and the country needs to become strong enough to be able to avoid pressures.   Speaking at the general meeting of IRGC’s science, research and technology deputies, Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami emphasized the need for sharing experiences, innovation and creativity adding that “these remain as primary prerequisites to scientific advancement since it has an extremely high growth rate in the world.”   “In addition to improving research and development horizons, we also need to drastically accelerate our growth rate,” he continued.   Pointing to the Leader’s earlier remarks on Great Jihad, Salami said “the Leader defined Great Jihad as refusing to adhere to unbelievers and the key to our success over the past 38 years is that we refused to follow disbelievers and infidels."   IRGC's second-in-command Brigadier General Hossein Salami went on to note that not relying on atheists required a certain degree of ability and power since the Great Jihad covers a large and global geographic scope.   “During the Holy Defense (1980-88), we witnessed a practical and unwritten coalition against the Islamic Revolution where all world powers of the day joined each other against Iran,” underlined the official.   Brig. Gen. Salami further stressed that the enemy has exploited economy as a means to spark a world-wide war against Iran as "we are still entangled with economic sanctions."   The enemies have formed a political warfare against us and world political powers had abeted to put Iran at risk of political isolation by cutting its relations with the whole world; “they made efforts to impose their political order on Iran forcing us to accept their own political norms and values."   He went on to maintain that enemies had also taken similar measures in cultural areas against the Islamic Republic of Iran at a large scale; “hundreds of satellite channels are working day and night trying to induce uncertainty, doubt and transfer anti-human and anti-moral values of the West aimed at undermining firm foundations of our beliefs and to bring our youth to vulgarity.”   Scientific and technological areas were another domain of warfare which Salami believed enemies were woakring against Iran and recalled 'self-empowerment' as the only solutio to survive against it.   IRGC deputy commander emphasized that nations faced two options; “countries can either surrender to political will of great powers by reacting positively to cultural elements of their cultures or become strong to the extent that they can fight enemies and succeed since no third option exists.”   Brig. Gen. Salami stressed that the country’s survival, independence, dignity, honor, progress, prosperity and security all depended on becoming more powerful asserting that “we need to have substantial plan and power since we are building the foundations of a new Islamic civilization which can be formed only when a successful model is produced.”   “Successful models break boundaries and extend radius of influence by rapidly affecting geometry of the world's power,” said the commander. “We are looking forward to observing an extremely strong side in the world’s power geometry since weak ones are thrashed.”   “We are pursuing great objectives which require great power and infrastructure in order to cross the enemies’ borders to form an independent space for free life on external influences,” he reiterated.  Also speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, Salami outlined the movement of science and technology production as one of the important programs followed by IRGC.  The commander said IRGC has put accelerated advancement in scientific areas on the agenda; “one level of these activities pertains to IRGC’s self-sufficiency and production of weapons and military hardware like missiles, aircrafts, radars, artillery and armor as well as work on a variety of different types of materials that have applications in weapons industry.”   “Also another level of activities regards mobilization of science and technology,” stressed the official asserting that “talents, capabilities and capacities at national level will be supported.”  He said IRGC has intended to establish research institutions as well as knowledge-based companies inside the country.