Leader praises Iranian nation for grand achievements despite Western sanctions

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has commended the Iranian nation for achieving great success despite the West’s harshest sanctions and its attempts to undermine the Islamic establishment.

In a televised annual New Year address on Tuesday – the first day of the Iranian New Year – at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in the city of Mashhad, the Leader said Iran’s enemies have “our points of strength” in the cross-hairs.

The Islamic Republic has made big headways in sectors including science, technology and defense, among others in the face of the sanctions, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The enemy is seeking to change the very nature of the Islamic Republic, the Leader stated, by resorting to all means at its disposal. Through attempts to polarize the nation and disappoint the young generation, Ayatollah Khamenei argued, the enemy looks for an establishment in Iran fully in sync with the way of the global arrogance and imperialism.

The Leader also referred to the recent riots in Iran. He said the West, not least the United States and its allies, pulled out all the stops to support the disturbances with the purpose of undermining the Islamic establishment. But the Iranian nation, Ayatollah Khamenei said, gave the enemy a great slap in the face.

In remarks given during an address earlier in the day delivered from the capital Tehran, the Leader underscored the country’s growth in the insurance industry, and its good performance in the fields of construction, water, gas, roads and environmental sectors.

The Leader called on officials to work hard to overcome difficulties and generate prosperity in people’s lives and bring food to their tables, especially among the lowest stratum of society.

Turning to recent riots in Iran, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed that several Western presidents openly supported the internal riots in Iran while several other western governments supported the unrest not only verbally but by providing weapons and financial aid. "But what happened on the scene was the opposite of what they wanted. The Islamic Republic (of Iran) showed that it is strong," he emphasized.

"Westerners tried to isolate Iran earlier. What happened had the opposite result. Yes, our relationship with the West weakened, but we made our relationship with Asia one hundred percent stronger," Ayatollah Khamenei underlined, adding that the country will follow this track after on.

"We continue political, economic, technical, and scientific relations with the important part of Asian countries. We became a member of some of the important treaties. The enemy wanted to isolate us and failed. Our relations with the nations and governments of the region were strengthened."

Saying that Tehran seeks to establish strong connections with Africa and Latin America, Ayatollah Khamenei stressed that Iran is also ready to work with any of the European governments and countries if they do not blindly follow the US policies.

In a separate speech on Tuesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi hailed the “heroism” of the nation, outlining the government’s new plans for the Persian New Year.

Raeisi also recounted the achievements in the past year, saying Iran saw a rise in production and a record decline in unemployment. On foreign policy, he said his administration pursued “balanced diplomacy,” under which Iran did not wait on the countries that hesitated to cooperate with the Islamic Republic. Iran also followed a policy to revive regional and neighborly relations.

The president said the Islamic Republic enjoyed a strategic and unrivaled position in the region and his administration planned to tap into that capacity of the country.