Khamenei: Looking to Europe is of No Benefit Other Than Waiting

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, criticized the policy of 'looking to the West and Europe' during a meeting with a group of 'young elites' in Iran on Wednesday, October 17. He stated that 'our focus should be on the East, not the West.' According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the necessity of 'scientific connections with countries that are on the path of rapid growth,' noting that 'such countries are mainly in Asia, so we should look to the East, not the West, as looking to the West and Europe only leads to waiting, begging, and shrinking.' Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, European parties to this nuclear agreement have continued to seek to maintain the deal and continue economic interaction with Iran, devising measures to counter the effects of new U.S. sanctions against Iran. However, the leader of the Islamic Republic had previously stated on August 29 that the government of Hassan Rouhani should 'lose hope' regarding issues such as the JCPOA or the economy from the Europeans. He described communication and continued negotiations with Europe as 'not without merit,' but added that he considers Europe's behavior regarding the JCPOA and sanctions to be 'inappropriate' and urged the government to 'view their promises with skepticism.' This reiteration of his position comes as European parties are trying to establish mechanisms for financial transactions with Iran, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, recently stated in an interview with the BBC that the commitments made by the Europeans to prevent the severe impacts of these sanctions on Iran's economy are 'probably better than what was expected.' Zarif also mentioned that the situation would become 'very difficult' due to U.S. sanctions, a viewpoint acknowledged by many government officials, and Ayatollah Khamenei recently stated that 'the current livelihood problems have caused many people to face hardship.' While the Iranian president has recently mentioned better interaction with countries around the world, without excluding the West, as a way to improve the livelihoods of Iranians, the leader of the Islamic Republic on Wednesday identified the solution as cutting ties with the West and looking to the East. Currently, Iran is facing a dire economic situation, with the national currency's value plummeting several times in a short period, and the price of the U.S. dollar in Iranian markets rising from 3,500 tomans to between 13,000 and 19,000 tomans. Despite this, Ali Khamenei described reports about Iran's economic situation as 'negative portrayal' and stated: 'There are currency fluctuations and livelihood problems, but overall, the real image of the country, to the chagrin of the enemies, is the opposite of the image that foreign hegemonists depict of our dear Iran.' He did not provide an explanation regarding the 'opposite' state of the country nor any statistics related to this issue. In recent weeks, Ayatollah Khamenei has criticized those who speak of the country's deadlock and even unveiled the initial draft of a document called the 'Progress Model Document,' based on which the Islamic Republic intends to become 'one of the top seven countries in the world' and 'among the top ten economies in the world by the year 1444.'