Ayatollah Khamenei: We Are Not Looking to Raise Expectations from the Government

The leader of the Islamic Republic reiterated the implementation of 'resilient economy' while stating that 'we are not looking to raise expectations and demands' from the government and is aware of 'problems and shortages of credits and resources.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei emphasized on Wednesday, April 18, during a meeting with several officials from the three branches of government, that 'the central headquarters of the resilient economy must operate under the command of the government and the first vice president' to precisely 'monitor' the activities of various agencies for the implementation of these programs. He called for 'action and operation' in the 'resilient economy' to be such that by the end of the year, there is 'the possibility of providing an accurate and tangible report' on performances in various areas. Ayatollah Khamenei also stated: 'We are not looking to raise expectations and demands from the government and are aware of problems and shortages of credits and resources, but we must compensate for gaps and shortages in other areas by saving in some sectors.' The remarks from the leader regarding budget shortages come as Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, also stated on April 14 that due to the decline in oil prices in global markets and Iran's oil production, the country's revenue has decreased from '119 billion dollars' in the previous government to '19 billion dollars.' The leader of the Islamic Republic, who has repeatedly emphasized 'resilient economy,' named the year 1395 (2016) as 'resilient economy, action, and operation,' a term used to describe an economy independent of foreign countries, especially during sanctions. Es'haq Jahangiri, the first vice president, announced on the first of Farvardin that '12 national programs' have been developed with the aim of 'achieving a resilient economy.' Mr. Jahangiri also stated on Wednesday during a meeting with the leader of the Islamic Republic that 'the government fully believes in the policies of the resilient economy, and these policies are accepted by the government from a religious, legal, and expert perspective.' Ayatollah Khamenei further emphasized on Wednesday that 'trust cannot be placed in the U.S. and some other Western countries,' and the positions and actions of U.S. officials 'confirm this belief.' He also announced that 'the officials of the branches and the main officials of the system, despite some differences in methods and paths, have a common understanding and opinion towards the main goals of the revolution.' The leader's statements come at a time when he had previously criticized, without naming, the discussion of 'JCPOA 2 and 3' and individuals who, according to him, have pinned their hopes on negotiations with the U.S. to solve the country's problems. On Tuesday, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, described the idea of using the Vienna nuclear agreement as a model for solving other problems as 'a sign of short-sightedness and a kind of self-deprecation' and accused the proponents of 'JCPOA series' of 'unintentionally following the anti-revolutionary path.' Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran, in his Nowruz message, referred to the elections of Esfand 7 as the beginning of 'JCPOA 2' and stated that 'this JCPOA begins with ethics before economics.' In this context, the armed forces also announced their readiness to achieve 'resilient economy.' The emphasis of Rouhani and Jahangiri on pursuing a resilient economy in the government indicates the economic meanings of the recent remarks by the leader of Iran.