With Iran facing an escalation of economic problems and continued negotiations over its nuclear program, the Supreme Leader has appealed to Iranians to stand firm.
Addressing an audience in the holy city of Qom on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei declared that Iran would not make concessions in the nuclear talks just to lift US-led restrictions: “What if they set conditions for lifting sanctions which are against our beliefs? There is no doubt, none of the officials would accept it.”
Iran’s oil exports, industrial production, and employment have been restricted by sanctions, with the problems compounded by mismanagement and corruption in the final years of the Ahmadinejad Administration. With the sharp drop in global oil prices since June, the Rouhani Government faces further pressure on its budget and the Iranian currency.
The Supreme Leader then promoted his “Resistance Economy” to withstand the pressure:
No officials will let #Iran’s national pride to get hurt.So they should make the country immune to #sanctions: Leader pic.twitter.com/vs0eImuRB2
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 7, 2015
By relying on the #nation and internal power, govt. should thwart #sanctions. So in any case, ppl’s well-being & progress won’t be affected.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 7, 2015
The Supreme Leader invoked the spirit of resistance and the Revolution, on the anniversary of a 1978 protest in Qom against the Shah: “Malign minds try to distort the history of historic and influential milestones of the Islamic Revolution….January 9 uprising was a significant event, and enemies want it forgotten.”
He followed this with a call to stand against “sedition”, the label applied by the regime to mass protests after the disputed 2009 Presidential election:
By 2009 sedition, enemies wanted to divert the Islamic movement in #Iran; they couldn’t alienate 2nd & 3rd generations from the #Revolution.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 7, 2015
