Leader: Military Threats Meant to Hamper Iran’s Economic Progress

The previous and current US administrations’ threat of war against Iran has been a ploy to divert attention away from the real war in the economic sphere, Ayatollah Khamenei said in a gathering of people from the province of East Azerbaijan, held in Tehran on Wednesday.

The leader slammed as “an outright lie” the comments by a European official who had told Iran that without the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a war against Iran would have been inevitable.

The real purpose of the military threats is to disturb the Iranian officials’ concentration on economic progress and divert their attention from the West’s cultural war against the Iranian nation, the Leader said.

Imam Khamenei called on the officials to focus their efforts on the country’s economic progress, stressing that economy is the top priority in the short run.

The Leader further referred to “unemployment, recession and high costs” as the country’s major economic problems, urging the authorities to push for actions rather than words.

Ayatollah Khamenei also highlighted the Iranian nation’s support for the Establishment despite all shortcomings, saying the enemies are vainly attempting to portray the Iranian Establishment as ineffective.

“The enemy is trying to ignore the (Iranian) developments and major achievements in the past 38 years (after the Islamic Revolution) and demoralize the people,” the Leader noted, adding that some of the accomplishments and breakthroughs Iran has made over the past four decades are usually impossible to make in even a century.

Imam Khamenei then described the high turnout in the February 10 nationwide rallies in commemoration of victory of the Islamic Revolution as an honor for the country, saying the presence of young people from the third and fourth generations after the 1979 Revolution is the epitome of the revolution’s growth and vitality.

Describing the ethnic diversity in Iran as a privilege, the Leader said the adversaries seek every opportunity to create rift in Iran but the Iranian nation remains integrated and united in the face of the enemies.

Ayatollah Khamenei finally dismissed the notion of “national reconciliation” raised in the media in recent days, saying such perception is meaningless since there is no quarrel among the Iranian people to require a reconciliation.

Despite some natural differences on certain political issues, the Iranian people are united and integrated when it comes to Islam, Iran, and independence, the Leader underscored.