Leader Puts Focus on People’s Role in Economy in New Year Message

Ayatollah Khamenei issued a message on Wednesday morning, minutes after the beginning of the new Iranian calendar year 1403.

The following is the full text of the message:

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

O Transformer of hearts and sights

O Director of nights and days

O Transformer of situations and circumstances,

Transform our circumstances to the best of circumstances!

I would like to extend my congratulations to the entire Iranian nation on the arrival of Nowruz and the beginning of this new year, which has coincided with the blessed month of Ramadan, the spring of the hearts and the spring of spirituality.  I would especially like to extend my congratulations to the families of the war veterans as well as all the other nations who celebrate Nowruz.

I would also like to pay my respects to our dear martyrs and the Imam of the Martyrs, who paved this path for the Iranian nation. I hope the Iranian nation will benefit from both springs – both the spring of nature and the spring of spirituality.

Let’s review the year 1402 AHS (March 2023 - March 2024), which has just ended, and take a look at the year that we have just entered. The year 1402, just like all the other years of our lives, was filled with both sweet and bitter moments. It was filled with both desirable and undesirable events. This is the nature of the world and the nature of life itself. In the country’s internal affairs, we saw significant progress throughout the country in the fields of science, technology, and basic infrastructure. These were some of the pleasant things that we experienced. On the other hand, the problems that people encountered with regard to the economy and their livelihood were some of the bitter events that we witnessed.

The epic participation of the people in the Quds Day and 22nd of Bahman rallies, these magnificent rallies being carried out in safety, the elections being held in safety and without corruption at the end of the year, and other situations where the public displayed their presence were some of the pleasant, desirable events that took place during the year that has passed. The tragic event that took place in Kerman on the anniversary of Martyr Soleimani’s (assassination), the floods that swept through Baluchestan at the end of the year, and the occurrences that our security forces and our maintainers of security have encountered during the past few months were among the bitter events that we witnessed during the past year. And the most tragic of all was the tragic event that occurred in Gaza – an event that holds great importance in our international affairs. We did not experience anything more tragic than that this year.

Regarding foreign matters, the government’s actions in the international arena in various economic and political fields were some of the pleasant, desirable events. As I have already mentioned, the tragic event in Gaza was not just one of the most tragic events. Rather, it was the most tragic event for us in the international field. I ask Almighty God to compensate for these bitter events and to continue granting the Iranian nation and the Muslim nations pleasing events and that which is a source of goodness and blessings for the Islamic Ummah and the Iranian nation.

As for the slogan that I announced in 1402 AHS, which was “Inflation control and growth in production,” good measures have been taken. Accomplishments have been made regarding both sections of the slogan. And progress has been made, but not to the extent that was desired. God willing, I will address this in more detail in my speech today to the Iranian nation. The measures that were taken were good, but they must continue. This slogan is not one that we should expect will yield the desirable result in just one year. It shall continue.

There is a great amount of work that needs to be done in the year ahead of us that we have just entered, and we must fulfill our responsibilities with regard to the tasks at hand. Our country’s officials, our government officials, the parliament, the judiciary, the public, and others – all of us need to fulfill our duties for the various tasks in different areas. But the main issue the country is facing again this year is the economy. The country’s main weakness is in the field of economics. We must be active in this field.  

After studying the opinions of the experts on this subject, I have come to this conclusion that the key to solving the country’s economic problems lies in production – domestic production, national production. This is why we have focused so much on production over the past few years. If growth in production and advancements in domestic production are pursued in a suitable manner, many of the country’s key economic issues, such as inflation, employment, and the value of our national currency, will be solved in a desirable manner.

Therefore, production is an important issue and that is why I am once again focusing on this matter this year. I expect, I am anticipating , God willing, that we will witness a surge in production. In addition to this, I truly believe that this surge will not take place without the presence and participation of the people.

If we plan to increase our production rapidly, we need to get the people actively involved in the economy. We must pave the way for the people to get involved in production in a tangible manner and remove the obstacles that stand in the way to their participation. There are great capacities in the public sector, which I will explain, God willing. These capacities must become active. They should be used for the benefit of the country and the people. It is for this reason that the slogan that I have chosen for this year is, “Surge in production through people’s participation.” This is the slogan for this year. I hope, God willing, this slogan will be actualized in the best possible way. It is necessary for those who are making the plans for the country to create plans, for experts to collaborate by providing their thoughts, and for those who are active in the economic sector to, God willing, actively participate in this endeavor.

I pray that Almighty God will grant the great, beloved Iranian nation success, and I humbly extend my greetings to the Remnant of God on earth (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). I ask God to hasten his reappearance as this, in turn, will bring relief to all of humanity.

May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.