Khamenei on Economy and Sanctions: Some Naivety Occurred

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on Sunday, June 6, during a meeting with the President and representatives of the tenth parliament that there were "some naivety" in the economy and sanctions issues, adding that "my embarrassment at a young person returning home empty-handed is no less than his own." According to the official website of Ayatollah Khamenei, he addressed the newly elected parliament representatives regarding the Iranian economy and sanctions, saying: "Although some naivety occurred and some passive positions and statements encouraged the enemy to use the weapon of sanctions, economic problems, especially recession and employment, must be solved, and mere talk is not useful." He did not provide further details on the dimensions of this "naivety" in managing Iran's economy and the "passive positions" that exacerbated sanctions. The Fars News Agency also reported that Khamenei referred to the economy as the "main issue of the country," stating that "my embarrassment at a young person returning home unemployed is no less than his own." These remarks come as the International Monetary Fund has reported a negative unemployment rate in Iran for 2016, stating that this rate was 10.8% in 2015 and is expected to rise to 11.3% this year. Meanwhile, the Iranian Statistics Center announced that the unemployment rate last year increased by 0.4% compared to the previous year, reaching 11%. Khamenei further commented on the nuclear negotiations, stating that "Americans, including the government, Congress, and future presidential candidates, constantly threaten and demand more, and their current positions and threats are similar to the pre-agreement period, and we should not remain silent in the face of these audacities." He urged the tenth parliament representatives to "be careful that your words and actions do not assist the U.S. and the Zionist regime," and according to reports, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the tenth parliament, also stated that "the representatives of the nation see it as their duty to make the parliament a shield defending the rights of the nation against foreigners." Khamenei continued that "a parliament representative can vote according to their political insight and express opinions or criticisms regarding an issue, but under no circumstances should it lead to disputes, verbal conflicts, or tensions as it has in some previous parliamentary periods." Regarding cultural issues, Khamenei noted that "there is a kind of negligence and indifference in cultural institutions, as there have been shortcomings in producing beneficial cultural goods and preventing harmful cultural goods." He stated: "Sometimes there is no positioning or action against the production or entry of harmful cultural goods due to the fear of being accused of preventing the free flow of information." He pointed out that "while we fear their baseless accusations regarding the prevention of the free flow of information, our controls are one-tenth as strict as theirs." These remarks come at a time when Iran is often cited in international reports as one of the most repressive countries regarding the free flow of information, and Reporters Without Borders has recently reported on "increased censorship on the internet" and "blocking mobile applications in Iran."