Ali Khamenei Says the Main Issue for Iran in 1404 Will Be Economy

In his Nowruz message for the year 1404, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic stated that the main issue for Iran in the new year is still the economy. Without addressing the root causes of the economic pressures facing the country, he expressed hope that with government planning and public participation, there would be a 'breakthrough' in livelihood matters. Ali Khamenei characterized the year 1403 as a year 'full of adventures and successive events, similar to the events of the 60s' and acknowledged that throughout the year, especially in the second half, 'economic problems put pressure on the people, creating hardships for their livelihoods. These difficulties persisted throughout the year.' He claimed, however, that 'on the other hand, a tremendous and strange phenomenon emerged, which was the demonstration of the willpower, spiritual spirit, unity, and high-level preparedness of the Iranian nation.' The Supreme Leader made these claims while the mismanagement of government officials and sanctions resulting from the Islamic Republic's international policies have exacerbated severe economic problems and widespread concerns in the country, leading to successive shocks of inflation and rising currency rates, such that the Iranian rial is at its weakest historical value. Currently, the exchange rate for one US dollar has reached approximately 100,000 tomans, and the price of an Imam coin has risen to 97 million tomans. The dollar rate at the beginning of Ali Khamenei's leadership in 1368 was about 120 tomans, which has now increased by more than 800 times. The US Treasury Secretary has stated that with the sanctions, Iran's economy will collapse. Iran has been under international sanctions for years due to its controversial nuclear program, and since Donald Trump's return to the presidency of the United States, the 'maximum pressure' campaign against Iran has intensified, with Washington explicitly discussing the shutdown of the oil industry and the 'collapse' of Iran's economy. Mr. Trump has also written a letter to negotiate with Iran, and according to informed sources, he has given the Islamic Republic a two-month deadline in this regard. However, Ali Khamenei has rejected any negotiations with the US, claiming that such talks would 'tighten the knot of sanctions.' In another part of his Nowruz message, he referred to the deaths of several Iranian military personnel in Damascus, the death of Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, and 'bitter events in Tehran and Lebanon' in 1403, which he said caused the Islamic community to 'lose valuable elements this year.' His reference pertains to the repeated targeting of Iranian military forces in Syria, the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, and the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah Lebanon, along with many senior figures of this Iranian proxy group in that country and Tehran by Israel. Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, also referred to the livelihood situation in Iran in his Nowruz message, addressing citizens: 'I fully understand the problems of inflation and rising prices, and we will definitely find a way to confront these existing problems.' He identified the livelihood, health, education, and housing of the people as priorities in Iran and, like Ali Khamenei, promised only that they would 'overcome' the problems without providing any solutions. Pezeshkian added that to achieve the vision presented by the Supreme Leader, 'internal unity and cohesion and avoidance of polarization' and 'healthy communications in all areas with neighboring countries and then with all countries of the world' are necessary.