Statements on the Session for Clarifying Resistance Economy Policies

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

I welcome all dear brothers and sisters and thank you for accepting this invitation and attending this session so that, God willing, with what is discussed in this atmosphere of solidarity, we can take steps towards the advancement of the country and towards achieving the lofty ideals of the nation.

The purpose of inviting you dear brothers and sisters here is to discuss the recently announced resistance economy policies, to clarify and emphasize what is necessary for these policies and the responsibilities that these important and fundamental policies place upon all of us. Various economic policies have been announced previously; such as energy policy, national production policy, Article 44 policy, investment security policy, water policies, etc.; in those policies, the focus has been on providing a roadmap; that is, we wanted, for example, in the area of national production or the issue of water or energy, to provide a roadmap based on which officials can carry out their work. However, in these policies, the issue is not merely about the roadmap, but here the correct indicators for traversing the path are also presented; just like traffic signs. In various sections of these policies, responsibilities have been determined that, in fact, guarantee the correctness of movement along this path; that is, these policies, which are comprehensive and general, have specified indicators in each section that clarify the tasks that need to be accomplished. The collection of resistance economy policies is, in fact, a native and scientific model that stems from our revolutionary and Islamic culture; it is suitable for our current and future situation. I will explain that this is not related to the current state and conditions of the country; this is a long-term strategy for the economy of the country; it can fulfill the goals of the Islamic Republic in economic matters; it can solve problems; at the same time, it is dynamic; that is, we do not see these policies as a rigid and closed framework; they are completable and adaptable to various conditions that may arise at any given time; and practically brings the economy of the country to a state of "flexibility"; that is, it eliminates the fragility of the economy against various shocks - which I will refer to - . This model has been prepared with the efforts and collaboration of experts and through discussions in the Expediency Council and the presence of the heads of the branches and officials; the assistance of economic experts has been fully utilized in preparing this model; in fact, one of the advantages of this model is that it is consensual; that is, it has been refined in the Expediency Council and has been thoroughly examined; the heads of the branches are present in the Expediency Council, various officials are also there, discussions have taken place; it is a well-considered, precise, and solid work.

The inclination towards a resistance economy is not exclusive to us; today, in many countries - especially in recent years - with the severe economic shocks that have occurred in the world, many countries have sought to strengthen their economies; of course, each country has its own specific conditions. This capitalist economy, with the problems arising from it, overflowed from the West and the United States to many countries; and the global economy as a whole is interconnected, naturally countries have been affected by these problems to varying degrees; some more, some less. Therefore, many countries have sought to strengthen their economies; in a sense, they have planned to implement this resistance economy in a manner suitable for their countries. In my opinion, our need for a resistance economy is greater than that of other countries; we need to strengthen our economy more. Firstly, for the same common reason shared between us and other countries; we are connected to the global economy, we are based on this connection, we have no intention of separating and isolating ourselves from the global economy in any way, and in the current world conditions, one cannot do so; therefore, we are affected by what happens in the global economies. Secondly, there is a characteristic that we have; due to our independence, our dignity, and our insistence on not being influenced by the policies of the powers, we are subject to aggression and ill intentions; that is, regarding us - as you can see in the current conditions - the motivations for opposition, disruption, and creating problems are greater than many other countries. Therefore, we must pay more attention to strengthening the foundations of our economy and making it resilient; we must not allow a situation to exist where either inevitable events and shocks or ill intentions can affect our economy. Therefore, we need this.

I will present a brief list of the components and characteristics of the resistance economy model. I have divided my remarks into three sections: one is the list of these components; then a few points on why we consider the resistance economy a necessity today and pursue it; and in the third section, the requirements that we must adhere to.

In this first section, I have noted ten characteristics that I will share with you, which are the features of these resistance economy policies that have been presented and are, in fact, the components of this collection. One is the issue of creating dynamism and vitality in the country's economy and improving macroeconomic indicators; such as economic growth, national production, employment, reducing inflation, increasing productivity, and public welfare. In securing these policies, dynamism in the country's economy and improvement in these indicators have been considered; and more importantly, the key and important indicator of social justice. That is, we do not accept the economic prosperity of the country without ensuring social justice and do not believe in it. There are countries whose indicators are very good, desirable, and their economic growth is very high; however, discrimination, class differences, and lack of justice in those countries are palpable; we do not see this as compatible with the wishes of Islam and the goals of the Islamic Republic. Therefore, one of our most important indicators is the indicator of social justice. The deprived classes must genuinely benefit from the economic progress of the country. This is the first component.

The second is the ability to resist against threatening factors, which have been considered in these policies. As I mentioned, some of the effective factors on the economies of countries are the economic shocks that occur in the world; like what happened in these years and in other periods that affect countries. I once said, a president of one of the Southeast Asian countries came and met with me; at that time when an extraordinary collapse occurred in that region; his statement to me was, "Just know that we turned from a rich country to a poor country in one night!" This is how a non-resilient economy behaves. So one factor for influencing economies is these various economic shocks that overflow to countries, one factor is natural disasters that occur, and one factor is hostile shocks; like sanctions and similar sanctions. Suppose that in decision-making centers, a decision is made regarding oil prices, at one point they bring the oil price down to six dollars, as it happened to us; many of these are not ordinary; these are premeditated and effective actions following specific decision-making from certain centers. Therefore, the second component is the ability to resist against threatening factors; as I have explained.

The third point is reliance on internal capacities, which have been considered in these policies; I will briefly explain these capacities later: what scientific, human, natural, financial, geographical, and climatic capacities we have. We have significant capacities; that is, in these resistance economy policies, the main reliance is on internal capacities, which are very extensive. Not in the sense that we close our eyes to external opportunities; no, we will certainly utilize them - we will make maximum use of them - but our focus, our reliance, and our trust are more on internal matters; our concentration is on the internal resources and assets of the country.

The fourth point is the jihadist approach that has been considered in these policies; jihadist effort, jihadist management. Progress cannot be made with ordinary movement; with ordinary and sometimes lethargic and insensitive movement, great tasks cannot be accomplished; a jihadist effort is necessary, jihadist dynamism and jihadist management are required for these tasks. The movement that takes place must be scientific, powerful, well-planned, and also jihadist. In a session I had with the esteemed heads of the three branches regarding this issue in recent weeks, fortunately, the President firmly told me that those responsible in the government for pursuing these tasks are determined to take serious and jihadist action; well, this is very good; that is necessary, without this, progress cannot be made.

The fifth point is the people-centered approach that has been observed in these policies. Experience has shown us, and Islamic teachings emphasize that wherever the people are involved, God's hand is also there. Yadullah ma al-jama'ah (God's hand is with the group); wherever the people are, divine grace and support are also present; a sign and example of this is the eight-year defense, the revolution itself, and the passage through the difficult junctures of these 35 years because the people were in the field, the tasks progressed; we have given less importance to this in the economic sphere. The policies of Article 44 that we approved and announced were for this reason; of course, the rights of it were not fully fulfilled. I mentioned in this very place years ago, in a meeting with officials regarding the policies of Article 44; it was acknowledged by all; in practice, actions were taken that should be appreciated, but not as much as the rights of those policies deserved. We must rely on the people, give them importance; the people must come into the economic arena with their resources; the active individuals, entrepreneurs, innovators, skilled individuals, investors, and the countless and endless forces that exist in this country, who are truly numerous. I have been dealing with various segments of the people for many years; at the same time, sometimes things become clear to me that I see we have been oblivious to. There are so many ready-to-work elements, or those with skills, or those with innovation, or those with knowledge, or those with capital in the country that are eager to work; the government must create the groundwork for their presence, guide them on where they can apply their abilities, and support them; the main responsibility of the government is this. Now, the economic activity of the government will inevitably exist in some unavoidable sectors; however, economic activity must be given to the people; this has been considered in these policies.

The sixth issue is the security of strategic and essential goods; primarily food and medicine. Domestic production must be structured in such a way that the country does not face problems in nutrition and medicine under any circumstances; this is one of the essential components in these policies that have been announced. We must be self-sufficient, and the completely sufficient grounds must be taken into account.

The seventh point is reducing dependence on oil; one of the most severe economic damages we have is this dependence on oil. This great God-given blessing has been a source of economic and political and social collapses for our country over decades; we must think fundamentally about this. We do not say that oil should not be used, but our reliance is on minimal use of crude oil sales; oil can be provided in the form of products; this has been seen in these policies. A fundamental and important task that must be done is this; this requires high ambition, which we addressed in clause thirteen of these policies, and it must be seriously operationalized.

The eighth issue is the reform of consumption patterns; the issue of saving, avoiding waste, avoiding extravagance, avoiding unnecessary expenditures. Of course, in this regard, my first address is to the officials; officials must not only avoid waste in their personal lives - which is a secondary issue - but primarily and in their mission areas, they must earnestly avoid waste. If this happens, that is, if we as the officials of the country adhere to this principle, then this spirit, this trait, this morality will overflow to the people. Today, we see a lot of waste among the people and those who can afford it; in many cases, waste exists; we address the people, but this is one of those areas where "Kunoo du'aatan-naasi bighayri al-sinatikum" (Be the callers of people without your tongues). The entire body of officials in the country must pay attention to this in the affairs of their management: there should be no waste; the consumption pattern should be a truly wise, prudent, and Islamic pattern. We do not tell the people to practice austerity; sometimes some convey this notion. After the resistance economy policies were announced, while the ink was still wet, some began to say, "They are inviting the people to austerity"; no, this is not the case at all; on the contrary, we believe that if these policies are implemented, the situation of the people will improve, and the underprivileged classes will find relief. In a country where inflation is at an acceptable level, and employment is at an acceptable level, the general public will live in comfort and ease. We do not tell the people to practice austerity; we say there should be no waste; consuming is one thing, misusing is another.

A few years ago, in my New Year speech, I spoke in detail about this. We officials must make this our priority; waste in water, waste in bread, waste in food, waste in medicine, waste in household items, waste in luxury and adornment items, a significant part of the country's living resources is wasted; this is also something that must be taken into account; good and proper consumption is different from wasting and throwing away and extravagance.

The ninth point is anti-corruption; if we want the people to be in the economic arena, the economic scene must have security; if we want security, we must bind the hands of the corrupt and the exploiters and those who circumvent and break the law; fighting corruption is this; this must be taken seriously; today, fortunately, officials say this, but saying is not enough. All officials - whether executive officials, judicial officials, or legislative officials - are responsible in this regard. If the social situation, the economic situation of the country is like a house without doors and windows where anyone can come and act as they wish, it is clear that a noble and decent person who wants to earn a living through lawful means will not come forward. Transparency is the main condition for this anti-corruption effort; transparency must be established, a competitive environment must be created, a stable environment must be established; an economic actor will come in these conditions and feel secure. Then, in such an environment, whoever gains wealth through their innovation, investment, or entrepreneurship will be supported and endorsed by the Islamic system. If the environment becomes healthy, then acquiring wealth and income will be permissible and endorsed by the system. This is also the ninth point.

And the tenth point of the components of the resistance policies is the issue of knowledge-based orientation, which is also a very important characteristic. Fortunately, the current scientific situation of the country allows us to have the ambition to want to make our economy knowledge-based; I will refer to this later. We have many scholars, specialists, knowledge-based companies, and innovative individuals in the country; and this is one of the most important economic infrastructures in any country; that is, the most important economic infrastructure for a country is the existence of human resources. If we pay attention to this point, which was the tenth point, the cycle from knowledge to wealth - especially in areas that have advantages - will be set in motion and will extend; and this will, God willing, occur in the resistance economy. These are the most important characteristics that have been considered in these policies; there are certainly other matters that exist in the text of the policies; the most important of them were these ten points that I mentioned.

Well, the question is whether the mention of the resistance economy in the current conditions means that we want to undertake a temporary movement? Because now the country is under sanctions and pressure and is experiencing an economic war, just as, for example, think tanks and action committees are formed to counter the economic war, have we announced these policies for this? The answer is no, it is not like that at all; these policies are long-term policies; they are useful for today, and they will be useful for a time when we have no sanctions; that is, they are long-term policies on which the economy of the country is based; it is not a temporary measure, it is a long-term strategy, a strategic policy. Naturally, a country like ours - our country is a large country, a rooted country, a country with an outstanding position, today a very respectable country in the world, with a progressive culture, a brilliant and progressive history, and lofty goals, presenting a new discourse - needs its economy to have the same characteristics that have been considered in the resistance economy policies. We have stated that these policies are not rigid policies; they are not closed so that if a new idea, a new plan, or a new path arises in the world, it cannot absorb it; it is not like that at all; it is flexible, it can be completed, it can be developed, but its direct line will not change.

In the text that we announced, in the introduction of these policies, we mentioned four main points as the motivation and factors for preparing these policies; I will repeat these four points here: one is the reference to the abundant material and spiritual capacities of the country; in the announced introduction of these policies, we referred to this, this is a very important issue, the capacities of the country are very vast; many of us are not aware of the extent of these amazing capacities, or we do not pay attention to their importance; we know, we have the statistics [but do not pay attention]. Some officials are like this; they have the statistics, but the importance of the statistics does not receive their attention; for example, the human force that I previously referred to. We are currently in the best situation in terms of human resources and having a young workforce; that is, now more than 31% of our population is between fifteen and twenty-nine years old; this is an excellent situation, extraordinary. Of course, if what I have repeatedly recommended regarding the generation is not taken into account, we will lose this advantage in the not-so-distant future; the policies regarding generations will also be announced, they are also in preparation. For now, this is our situation: we have more than 31% youth; we have 25 times more students than at the beginning of the revolution - the population of the country has doubled from the beginning of the revolution to now, while the student population has increased 25 times; that is, we have gone from 120,000 to 410,000; this is significant, a tremendous event; both this growth is important, and this asset that we currently have is important - we have ten million university graduates; we have sixty-five thousand faculty members, which is more than ten times what existed at the beginning of the revolution; we have five thousand knowledge-based companies, and now seventeen thousand specialists and active individuals are working in these companies; see how important these capacities are; the result of this has been that according to reports from databases that determine the scientific rankings of countries, we rank fifteenth in the world - in one database we rank sixteenth, in another database fifteenth, around this - which of course is for the past calendar year [that is, the year] 2013. This is significant. In some scientific fields, our rank is higher than this; in some scientific fields, we are among the top seven or eight countries in the world, and in some areas, we are among the top four or five countries in the world. This is the essential infrastructure: human resources.

Another capacity is mineral resources. We rank first in oil and gas [as I mentioned] last year, I said, we are first in the world in terms of oil and gas reserves; we are second in gas, and second or third in oil; recently, the President gave me a report that regarding gas we are first, and certainly in oil we are second; this is very important; no country in the world has as much oil and gas as we do. Oil and gas are the lifeblood of the world today, at least today it is so, and it will be so for years to come; now when humanity will be free from oil and gas, it is uncertain. This vital and primary material is more abundant in your country than in all other countries; is this a small capacity? Is this a trivial matter? Now, this oil and gas, and other mineral resources [are the same]: gold mines, cement mines, rare metals, and valuable metals. The reports we receive are very shocking in some sectors; these are the mineral capacities of the country. Industrial and mineral capacities are diverse and abundant. We rank seventeenth in the world's economies - which is among the statistics and international reports - with about one trillion dollars in gross domestic product. Infrastructure assets [such as] roads and dams; today there are more than six hundred dams in the country of various sizes; the Islamic Revolution handed over this country in a situation where there were about ten to fifteen dams across the country; today there are over six hundred dams in the country; in large and small sizes; some of them are very important and large. The issue of roads is the same; the statistics regarding roads are also good. Geographical capacity and advantage; access to free waters, the four-way position of north and south and east and west, which explains the issue of transit - which is a very important matter - for us. Climatic diversity, the capacity for clean energies [such as] water and solar energy, nuclear energy. These capacities exist in the country. Therefore, this is the first point of the points that motivate us to pursue a model and a pattern of economy that we call a resistance economy.

The second point is the problems we have - chronic problems, long-standing problems - that cannot be resolved without a significant collective economic movement; one of them is dependence on oil, which we mentioned, one of them is the habit of imports - also imports without priority; it is a habit that unfortunately we are afflicted with and we have not been able to set aside this habit; our gaze is towards foreign production - chronic inflation, unemployment, the defective nature of some of our economic structures, problems in our financial systems - our monetary systems, our banking systems, our customs systems - problems in consumption patterns, problems in production, problems in productivity; these are the existing problems of the country, we must confront them. One of the things that motivates any caring person and any responsible person with determination to undertake a movement like the resistance economy is the existence of these problems. These can only be resolved with a jihadist, collective, caring, and continuous movement - with the requirements that it entails, which I will mention.

The third point is the external economic threats. Well, sanctions existed before, but these sanctions have turned from the winter of 2011 until today into an economic war; it is no longer called targeted sanctions, it is a full-scale economic war directed at our nation. The reason for this is neither the nuclear issue, nor human rights issues, nor other matters of this kind; they themselves know the reason, and we know it; the reason is the independence-seeking of the Iranian nation; the reason is having a new discourse based on Islamic principles that will serve as a model for other countries and Muslim nations; they know that if the Islamic Republic succeeds in these arenas and fields, it will not be possible to stop the growth of this movement in the world, and this is an important movement; this is the issue. Now, the pretext is one day the nuclear energy, one day enrichment, one day human rights, one day statements of this kind. The sanctions against us existed even before the nuclear issue was raised, and they will continue to exist after this. This nuclear issue and these negotiations, if God willing, reach a resolution point, you will still see that these pressures will exist; we must create resilience against these pressures, we must strengthen the internal foundation. We must strengthen the economy so that the enemy becomes hopeless from influencing us in this regard; when the enemy becomes hopeless, the minds of the nation and the officials of the country will also be at ease.

The fourth point is the global economic crises; which I have previously mentioned are caused by the Western economy and the American economy; in Europe, in fact, the overflow of America's problems has exacerbated the issues, although the groundwork existed; in other places, it is the same. We do not want to isolate ourselves; we cannot and do not want to cut off our economic communications with the world, it is neither possible nor desirable, therefore we will be affected by these; thus, we must strengthen our resilience. These four reasons and four motivations were for the necessity of a resistance economy. This is the second part of my remarks.

The third part is the requirements and expectations. Well, now this great plan, this comprehensive and extensive roadmap has been presented; merely presenting the policies does not solve any problems; this is the beginning of the path. Actions must be taken:

First, there must be a serious determination from the officials and main managers and active citizens; the officials of the country must decide - primarily the executive branch, government officials; and also the legislative branch; and the judiciary; and various sectors that are related to economic issues - and they must certainly have serious and resolute determination in this matter. Without serious and resolute decisions, progress will not be made.

Second, entering the field of action [is necessary]; action here is a righteous action; anyone who takes action in this regard will certainly be a manifestation of "wa 'amilu al-salihati" (and they did righteous deeds). This overall plan, this great roadmap, must be transformed into programs, various programs; if this happens, then the economic epic will truly come into existence. We declared this year as the year of political epic and economic epic; thanks be to God, the political epic has come into existence; unfortunately, the economic epic has been delayed; but now at the end of the year, this will be the beginning of the economic epic that must, God willing, be pursued with full seriousness by the officials and must start in practice.

The third issue is converting it into executable programs and policies, which has been instructed by the heads of the three branches; both the esteemed President, the esteemed head of the legislative branch, and the esteemed head of the judiciary have instructed their subordinates to prepare executable programs in every sector; however, I want to emphasize the importance of timing; there must be a timeline; it must be specified how much progress has been made and until when we should expect the realization of this program and then its execution; it must accelerate; the share of each branch must be determined. In various branches - especially the executive branch - the share of each agency must be specified; indicators - especially time indicators - must be determined so that monitoring can be done and the progress of work and the correctness of the path can be understood.

Fourth, coordination among various sectors is necessary; of course, the mechanism for this coordination must be determined by the heads of the branches. Coordination will help, coordination between the parliament and the government, between the parliament and the government and the judiciary. In some areas, movement cannot be made without coordination; in some areas, coordination has an impact even if not to that extent; in any case, coordination is necessary. The mechanism for coordination must be prepared by the heads of the three branches, God willing.

The fifth issue is oversight at all levels; oversight must be established; both the heads of the branches must oversee their agencies, and the Expediency Council is obliged to fully carry out its oversight responsibilities and see what is happening, and our leadership and organization will also oversee, God willing. Therefore, oversight is one of the main requirements.

The sixth point is removing obstacles. There are obstacles that can be removed: there are legal obstacles [which I told the esteemed heads of the three branches in that meeting we had, "the law coming on top of the law makes things difficult"; the obstructive laws must be removed; this can be done by the parliament; otherwise, we have laws now, [if] another law is placed on top of that law, it becomes interpretable and problematic; it must be considered, careful attention must be paid, obstructive laws must be identified - there are also legal and judicial obstacles; these must be identified and removed. Economic activists, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and scholars must feel that they are not facing unreasonable obstacles, and they must be able to move forward.

The seventh requirement and necessary task is discourse creation; a correct image of the resistance economy must be presented; of course, the media and the country's media are obliged to do this, but it is not exclusive to them. The opposing propaganda devices against the country, against the revolution, against our national progress have many tools and have already started - we have seen - and they will do more [in the future] regarding the resistance economy, creating obstacles, sometimes booing, trivializing what is of utmost importance; they do these things. The opposite side must work; officials, thinkers, and caring individuals must present a correct image of this great and public movement and create discourse so that the people know, believe, and want; in this case, the work will be operationalized.

The last point I want to mention in this regard and conclude my remarks is monitoring and information dissemination. There must be a strong and insightful monitoring center that accurately tracks the progress of this work; they must gather information, process it, draw conclusions, and determine the movements that must be made at each stage; they must determine measurement indicators for each sector, and ultimately, information must be disseminated to the people; that is, the people want to know. This is the collection of remarks that we wanted to share with you dear brothers and sisters.

A great work has begun, and we can, God willing, advance this great work step by step, with trust in God Almighty, at a suitable and necessary pace. And it is such that, in my opinion, the effects and results of it are not long-term; the programs are long-term programs, but the results will come quickly, God willing; that is, the beginning of the fruits of this work and the public feeling of the people for the sweetness of the results of this work, God willing, is not far from reach. God willing, we hope that in this government, with the progress that is made, with the work that is done, the people will feel this and taste the fruits of this public and great movement.

We ask God Almighty to help us all, guide us all, show us our weaknesses, make us aware of our weaknesses and shortcomings, inspire us with what pleases Him, and grant us success in achieving it. I thank all of you brothers and sisters for sitting and listening; I hope that, God willing, this listening will be the beginning of a public movement.

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