"Circumventing the sanctions is good as a tactic, but the basic strategy should be focused on immunizing the country against the damaging impacts of sanctions," he said, addressing a group of over 2,500 manufacturers, entrepreneurs and business leaders.
A few years after international sanctions were lifted thanks to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran came under severe sanctions once again after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord last May, according to Financial Tribune.
Ayatollah Khamenei advised against pinning hope on the removal of sanctions in the near future, which he described as a "false expectation", and called for shielding the country's economy against such hostile policies, Leader.ir reported.
"With the knowledge I have about the policies of arrogant powers [referring to the US and its allies], sanctions will continue for long. Therefore, to save the country's economy, we should not wait for the end of sanctions or the existence and non-existence of one person or the measures of one country," he said, addressing those who are waiting for the end of the term of US President Donald Trump or for compensatory measures by the remaining parties to the nuclear pact.
He noted that although the current US administration is engaged in an “economic war” with several countries, its war through sanctions with Iran has taken a "brutal, spiteful and criminal" form.
Iran has been seeking to find ways for bypassing the US restrictions, including by developing non-dollar trade.
Only Solution
The Leader stressed that the only path to revitalizing Iran's economy is the one that producers open up before the country.
"The only available solution is to pursue the policy of encouraging and boosting domestic production," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei said relying on other countries' decisions over these years—and now on the French president's initiative—has not addressed and will not solve any problem and this strategy needs to be abandoned.
"It is no problem to employ a method [in pursuing diplomacy with the West] that does not involve crossing [the Islamic Republic's] redlines, but one must not depend on these plans to tackle economic issues," he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has offered to mediate between Iranian and American authorities to alleviate the situation and save the nuclear deal. His initiative, however, failed because neither side agreed to make the compromises he suggested.
According to the Leader, by countering the effects of sanctions over time, the imposer of restrictions will stop its pressure, because it would suffer a loss.
“Nevertheless, the policy of relying on domestic capacities must not change even if the US shifts its approach,” he stressed.
Ayatollah Khamenei called on the private sector to prepare a practical plan and roadmap to create an efficient production chain from design to marketing.
He also urged the public to use domestic products, participate in productive investments such as cooperatives and the stock market, and promote a culture of hard work and cooperation.
Intellectuals and academics, according to the Leader, are also responsible for offering specialized assistance in areas such as banking and budgeting.
The branches of power need to create a better environment for business and production by making the required reforms and removing bureaucratic obstacles, he added.
The Leader called on the media to provide a widespread coverage of producers' success stories to encourage entrepreneurship and the use of domestic products.
"Using these unique capacities … and with the efforts of businesspeople, we will hopefully turn sanctions from a threat into an opportunity," Ayatollah Khamenei said.