Statements on the Arrival of the Year 1397

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

O Turner of hearts and sights, O Manager of night and day, O Transformer of years and conditions, transform our state to the best state. O God, guide us to the guidance of the guided and grant us the diligence of the diligent.

I congratulate all dear compatriots in every corner of the country and every part of the world, as well as all nations that honor Nowruz (the Persian New Year). I especially congratulate the esteemed families of martyrs and the disabled veterans and their families, and I particularly congratulate the youth and adolescents of the country who are the bearers of hope and the driving force of the national movement. I hope they have a joyful and sweet Nowruz and a year full of goodness and blessings. This year, the spring of nature coincides with the spring of spirituality; that is, Farvardin, Ordibehesht, and Khordad coincide with Rajab, Sha'ban, and the blessed month of Ramadan. We hope that, God willing, we will have both natural growth and spiritual growth for our country and our nation this year. This hope sprouts in the heart that, God willing, spiritual growth alongside material growth will be a treasure for this nation and this country and for the future. We send our greetings to the presence of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and we remember and send blessings upon the pure soul of our great Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified).

One sentence about the year 1396 (2017) and one sentence about the year 1397 (2018): The year 1396, like all years, was a collection of ups and downs, sweetness and bitterness, like all periods of life; the sweetness of 1396 was the emergence of the greatness and power of the nation and national presence from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, there was a very magnificent and astonishing presence of the people in the presidential and council elections; more than forty million of the country's population participated in the elections, and this was a very meaningful and good presence. Then, there was the rally on Quds Day during the blessed month of Ramadan, and at the end of the year, the rally of the 9th of Dey and, above all, the spectacular rally of the 22nd of Bahman (February 11) this year. Of course, on the 9th of Dey, due to the disturbances that occurred - and I will refer to them - the people held spontaneous rallies in various cities for several consecutive days, all of which demonstrated the presence of the great Iranian nation and the insightful, agile, and ready-to-act nation of Iran in all the arenas where its presence is necessary.

Another important and sweet point from the past year was that the Islamic Republic was able to turn regional threats - one of the goals of which was to strike at the Islamic Republic - into an opportunity. Not only did the threats not harm the country, but they also turned into an opportunity; and those who are aware of international issues understand this meaning correctly.

Another positive point was the efforts made to revive and implement the slogan of the year - that is, national production and employment under the title of resistant economy. Good work was done regarding employment and national production; however, many other tasks remain to be done. This slogan was somewhat implemented in the country, but work must continue so that, God willing, this slogan can be fully realized.

We also faced some bitterness in 1396; there were earthquakes, floods, airplane incidents, and maritime accidents, in which some of our dear ones lost their lives, and these were bitter events for us. In addition to these, there was drought in some regions of the country that continues, and we hope that God's grace will compensate for it in the spring. Some of the livelihood problems of various classes have also continued from the past, which must be addressed, and everyone must strive, and I will make a reference that, God willing, these problems will be resolved. Of course, in the last months of the year, according to the planning of the enemies of the Iranian nation, disturbances also occurred in the country; the Iranian nation entered the field itself, and even those who wanted to attribute the disturbances to them entered the field and stood against the rioters; and of course, it was an incident that occurred, and the greatness of the Iranian nation became clear.

Regarding the year 1397 - the year that begins from this moment - what is important is that everyone must work hard. In the slogans of previous years, I usually addressed the officials; this year, the audience will be all segments of the nation, including the officials. I would like to say that the issues of economy, culture, and various matters are all on the table, but our main issue this year is still the economy and the livelihood of the people. Everyone must strive, everyone must work, and the focus is on national production; that is, if national production is pursued by all - with the explanation that I will provide in my speech - many economic problems, the livelihood issues of the people - both employment and investment issues and the rest - will be resolved. Social harms will be significantly reduced; that is, the focus is on national production. Therefore, if national production accelerates, many problems will be solved. I have set this as the focus for this year's slogan; this year's slogan is "Support for Iranian Goods"; the year of "Support for Iranian Goods." This is not only related to the officials; all segments of the nation can help in this regard and truly enter the field. Of course, this support has various dimensions from five or six aspects, which I will explain and elaborate on in my speech, and I will present what different classes of people and various officials of the country can do, God willing.

I hope, God willing, that the Almighty God will assist both the officials and the people so that they can fulfill their duties in the best possible way and realize this slogan - which is the slogan of "Support for Iranian Goods" - in the true sense of the word.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.