Message on the Occasion of the Beginning of the Year 1396

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.

May God send blessings upon Fatimah and her father, her husband, and her children.

I congratulate the blessed birth of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra, the Great Sadiqah (peace be upon her), and the occasion of Nowruz to all of you, dear compatriots. May your holiday be blessed, dear compatriots, the great nation of Iran, dear youth, and various strata of the people! I especially congratulate the dear families of martyrs, the Disabled, and the self-sacrificers, as well as all nations that are familiar with Nowruz and honor it.

I thank the Almighty God for this opportunity to once again congratulate the Nowruz holiday to you, the dear nation of Iran; we hope that a very good, blessed, and prosperous year awaits the nation of Iran, and that the year 1396, God willing, will be a year of happiness for all the nation of Iran and for Muslims around the world; may all Iranian families, all dear Iranians, God willing, in this year that has just begun, be recipients of divine grace, mercy, and blessings.

If we want to evaluate the past year - year 1395 - we must say that it had joys and sorrows, bitterness and sweetness, like all other years; the bitterness and sweetness refer to the nation, personal matters are not the focus. We had sweetness in the past year, joy that relates to national dignity, national security, youthful determination among the nation of Iran, and widespread faithful movements throughout the country; we also had bitterness that mainly relates to economic and social issues, which I will refer to.

The dignity of Iran and our dear nation was evident throughout the year 1395; from the beginning of the year to the end. Our enemies around the world acknowledged the power of the nation of Iran, the greatness of the nation of Iran; the identity of the nation of Iran manifested itself in various events of this year. With a disrespect shown by the President of the United States towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, the people responded with enthusiasm, determination, and honor on the 22nd of Bahman; on Quds Day, during the blessed month of Ramadan, the massive gathering of people demonstrated the identity and goals of this country to the entire world.

The security of the country in this turbulent regional and even international environment was a major and significant indicator for the nation of Iran. Today, around us, the countries that are our neighbors: from the east and southeast of the country to the northwest, are experiencing insecurity; the region is afflicted with insecurity, while the nation of Iran, thanks be to God, experienced stable security throughout the year.

The youthful determination I referred to arises from observing and being informed about the activities of thousands of youth groups across the country, who are engaged in their enthusiastic activities, whether in scientific, cultural, sports, or production fields, presenting new works and innovations, and preparing reserves for the future of the country.

The faithful movements I mentioned refer to the warm and engaging religious gatherings that existed throughout the year; related to the issues of the Imams (peace be upon them), concerning important religious matters, from the retreats and worships, the month of Ramadan, the Arbaeen pilgrimage, and significant gatherings of Ashura and the month of Muharram; these are positive and joyful points for our country and our nation.

The bitterness and hardships mainly relate to the economic and livelihood problems of the people; the middle and lower classes have been grappling with these problems throughout the year and continue to do so; since I am aware of the people's situation, I feel the bitterness with all my being; the bitterness of the people, especially the weak and underprivileged, relates to economic issues and problems, such as inflation, unemployment, and social harms that also mainly have economic roots; such as discrimination and inequalities.

Well, we are all responsible; we must be accountable before the Almighty God and before the nation. In the year of "Action and Work" - which was year 1395 - I asked the esteemed officials to form a committee for action and work, and they did; fortunately, good works were carried out, and we received reports on them; however, what has been done is far from what the people expect and what we expect. In the speech, I will explain that some of the indicators and statistics provided by responsible officials are positive; some, however, provided by the officials themselves, are negative; these must be viewed collectively.

The resistant economy is a comprehensive set; if this set is only considered under the name of resistant economy, it may not have much effect; I see the remedy in dividing this set into important points and assigning a period of time for each key and important point, and asking the officials and prominent individuals and the general public to concentrate all their efforts on these key points; in my opinion, the remedy is to correctly identify this key point this year. I believe this key point is production, domestic production; and employment, mainly the employment of youth; these are the main key points. If we can focus on these two points and plan and categorize the work accordingly, it is imagined that work will progress significantly and noticeable successes will occur. In the speech, God willing, I will explain the characteristics that are associated with these two key and fundamental points; therefore, I declare this year's slogan as "Resistant Economy: Production - Employment"; meaning that resistant economy is the general title, followed by production and employment; this is the set of points that everyone must focus on. My demand and the demand of the people from the esteemed and respected officials is to concentrate on these two points and carry out the work with planning, and God willing, at the end of the year, they will be able to report the results to the people.

We hope that all of you, under the grace of the Awaited Savior (may our souls be sacrificed for him) and with the prayers of the pure souls of the martyrs and the Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified), will have a joyful and happy year accompanied by security and prosperity.

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