Leader: Production Central to Economic Progress

Ayatollah Khamenei held a meeting with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and members of the cabinet on Tuesday on the anniversary of the martyrdom of martyr Rajaee (the second president of the Islamic Republic of Iran) and martyr Bahonar (the third prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran) who were assassinated by the MKO terrorist group back in August 1981.

In the meeting, the Leader said economy is the country’s overriding priority, although it should not mean ignoring other topics such as science, security, or social and cultural harms.

Describing “production” as the most important issue in Iran’s economic progress, Ayatollah Khamenei urged the administration to take decisive action against any factor that may weaken production.

The Leader also called on the cabinet to “carefully and constantly” monitor the main economic criteria, such as the inflation rate, economic growth, investment growth, employment growth, per capita income growth, and reduction of economic inequality.

Highlighting the significance of agricultural production, Ayatollah Khamenei pointed to the food crisis in the wake of the war in Ukraine, emphasized the significance of food security, and reiterated the necessity of self-sufficiency in the production of basic items like wheat.

On industrial production, the Leader pointed to the problem of shortage of working capital in the production units, saying it is the duty of banks to supply those assets.

Another topic in the list of economic priorities the Leader mentioned was the issue of housing. He said the backwardness in the housing sector has resulted in exorbitant rents and prices and has put pressure on people.

Ayatollah Khamenei also urged efforts to prevent the country’s massive natural and humanitarian resources from being wasted, highlighting the importance of paying attention to the construction of petrochemical refineries, completion of the added-value chain in the mining industries and preventing the sale of raw materials, completion of the vital north-south and east-west corridors in order to raise the capacity for international transportation, and promoting the employment of the unparalleled capacities available in the seas.

In comments in May, the Leader warned against the enemy’s policy to disable the process of domestic production in Iran with various schemes such as the imposition of sanctions.

Denouncing the global arrogance for its plots in the economic sphere to cripple the production in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said such hostile policy has become clearer in the past 15 years.