Leader stresses domestic production and national unity in Government Week message

In a message marking Government Week, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, stressed the need for preserving national unity and highlighted domestic production as the key to solving economic problems. The message was delivered on Friday, according to Press TV.

Government Week is held annually to commemorate President Mohammad Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar, who were assassinated in the bombing of the prime minister's office on August 30, 1981. The Leader honored the memory of the martyred presidents Rajai and Raeisi, the martyred prime minister Bahonar, and the martyred employees, managers, and ministers of various administrations, as well as the great martyr Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who held the office of president for nearly two terms.

Ayatollah Khamenei appreciated the efforts of active employees and managers of government institutions, particularly President Masoud Pezeshkian, whom he described as "sincere and caring." He commended their measures taken despite "various restrictions and plots of the American-Zionist enemy, and the intensification of sanctions and blockades, during the third imposed war and afterward, to ensure the provision of goods and various services needed by the people, repair key damaged areas, and manage energy."

The Leader said the Iranian nation, which has "demonstrated its true mettle" in the past six months during the US-Israeli aggression, is entitled to feel the service rendered by the branches of administration. He pointed to the need to address a chain of economic and livelihood challenges, such as inflation, while also paying attention to other elements of the economy, including "boosting production, gradually phasing out the dollar from its important role, and ultimately placing the entire set of resistance-economy policies at the center."

"The key to resolving all these matters in this field lies in relying as much as possible on domestic production," he said, adding that where sufficient domestic production does not exist, imports should be used properly and wisely. The remarks come as the United States launched on Monday a campaign under the title "Operation Economic Outcast," which came after Washington failed to reach its war objectives against Iran.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that although the enemy's conduct during the war and afterward is not without effect, ever-smarter management of the components of this field, seeking the assistance of the people and experts, and bringing new capacities into operation will guide the country toward the expansion of affairs and development. He said, "The sworn enemy of this nation tries to convey that the path to development and progress lies in following it and complying with its unreasonable demands; whereas observing what it has done to this country and its resources in past periods, even years before the Islamic Revolution, shows otherwise."

He also named the "application of technologies and innovations proposed by young elites" as another important issue, saying that at times, making timely use of this advantage and abandoning the usual procedures and established habits in a given matter can bring about effective leaps on the path of the country's progress and advancement.

Elsewhere in the message, the Leader stressed that "preserving unity and safeguarding social cohesion" is a "fundamental" issue that must be at the core of attention. "Undoubtedly, every discouraging statement that weakens national and public motivation, and every kind of imagined dichotomy — such as war or negotiations, consensus or extremism, compromise or warmongering — which in the past inflicted direct or indirect harm on our dear people, can have the same effect from now on," he said. "Therefore, I firmly declare that committing any act that harms social cohesion is prohibited."

He said culture, education, and upbringing should be treated as a cross-cutting priority in all government strategies. He added that particular attention should be given to teachers, university and seminary instructors, nurses and doctors who serve in public institutions, as well as homemakers, whom he said play an important role in shaping the cultural future of the country through raising their children. He hoped that putting these points into practice would lead to an "ever-stronger Iran."

President Masoud Pezeshkian issued a message, thanking the Leader of the Islamic Revolution for the support. According to Mehr News Agency (MNA), the Leader's message was delivered on the occasion of Government Week.