Year of Surge in Production

"Last year's slogan was ‘Boosting Production’ … This year is the year of ‘Surge in Production’… Officials should act in a way that production will witness a surge, God willing, and that there will be a tangible change in the lives of the people," he said during his New Year speech on March 20, Leader.ir reported.  

To achieve this purpose, Ayatollah Khamenei said state entities such as the Plan and Budget Organization, parliament and judiciary, as well as private businesses and knowledge-based organizations have a role to play, Financial Tribune reported.

Last year's slogan, according to the Leader, has been implemented and production in the country has moved forward, but what has been done is not even one-tenth of what the country needs. 

"This means that we need to do 10 times more work—including research, work related to production and various other tasks—so that boosting production can influence the lives of people," he said. 

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that although the country is facing many economic issues, the role of production is substantial because its promotion will help address them. 

"If we can move production forward, God willing, economic problems will definitely come to an end and [the United States] sanctions imposed by them will prove to be to our advantage," he said. 

The US imposed sweeping sanctions on the Iranian economy after it withdrew unilaterally from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018. 

The illegitimate economic restrictions have hampered the trade of humanitarian goods such as medical supplies that are particularly essential while the country is battling the new coronavirus pandemic. 

"They [sanctions] have inflicted some damage until now, but they have also generated profits, because they have made us think about our own resources, about manufacturing products and about satisfying the needs of the country by relying on domestic resources," the Leader said. 

Gains Despite Hardships 

Ayatollah Khamenei prayed to God that the Iranian nation will witness great victories in the new year. 

He noted that the last Iranian year was tumultuous for the Iranian nation, as it began with floods and ended with the coronavirus.

Various incidents also took place throughout the year, the peak of which, according to the Leader, was the martyrdom of Major General Qasem Soleimani who was brutally assassinated by the US in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Jan 3. 

He pointed out, however, that despite the hardship, there were unprecedented achievements, because the Iranian people performed well in the face of the difficulties. 

People volunteered to help flood-stricken areas, their massive demonstrations in protest to US act of terrorism against an Iranian commander, and most recently, the medical staff's sacrifices during the viral pandemic were "a source of dignity" for the Iranian nation.

"I genuinely and sincerely thank all those whom I referred to and I want them to know that divine rewards—both worldly and otherworldly—await them," he said.