In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the MercifulO Conqueror of hearts and sight,
O Planner of night and day,
O Transformer of power and circumstances,
Change our condition to the best of conditions.
I would like to congratulate my dear countrymen across the country, all Iranians living in different parts of the world and all nations that value Norouz [Iranian New Year] on the auspicious occasion of Norouz and the beginning of spring and the new year. In particular I would like to extend my congratulations to the individuals and families who are rendering services to the country, the Revolution and the Islamic system, the families of our dear martyrs, our disabled war veterans and their families and the families of those who have sensitive and important duties and cannot be with their families during these holidays. I hope, by Allah's grace and favor, the people of Iran will have a happy year full of divine blessings. I hope the Iranian people will be successful in all arenas.
Of course the bitter tragedies that are being imposed on the people of certain countries - such as Bahrain, Yemen and Libya - prevent us from fully enjoying the New Year celebrations. I hope Allah the Exalted will soon bestow deliverance on the people of these countries - the people of Bahrain, the people of Yemen and the people of Libya. I hope Allah the Exalted will punish the enemies of these nations.
Eid shows the natural progression of man through the year, month, day and night. And because this progression should be towards perfection and transcendence, each Eid enables man to enter a new stage in life. By Allah's grace and favor, we Iranian people managed to make great accomplishments in the year 1389. I named the year 1389 as "The Year of Intensified Effort and Labor". Fortunately this slogan was practiced throughout the year. I can claim that over the past years "Intensified Effort and Labor" was the most successful slogan in terms of attracting the attention of the people and government officials, and it closely corresponded to the situation of the country. Fortunately the people and the government truly showed intensified effort and labor throughout the year. We were witness to great accomplishments by the officials of the three branches of the government in economic arenas, in political arenas, in the arena of public presence on political and revolutionary scenes, in the arena of science and technology, in the arena of foreign policy and in various other arenas. In particular the executive branch made great achievements last year, one example of which was the implementation of the sensitive and great Subsidy Redistribution Law. They started this enormous task, and I hope they will finish it successfully.
In general I feel that thankfully our nation is moving well on the path of progress and transcendence. Of course this movement, which has gained further momentum on a daily basis, is the result of many years of efforts by our people and government officials. But this movement has gained further momentum with the passage of time. For example, in the arena of production of knowledge, according to the figures presented by global and international centers, the contribution of our country to global scientific progress and production of knowledge is more than 11 percent. This is while our people make up only one percent of the population of the world. The contribution of the second country in the region to the production of knowledge was less than 6 percent. Therefore, our country has thankfully made good progress in different areas. This accelerated movement, which has been accompanied by serious efforts and determination, should be continued.
Among the national issues - which should be the focus of our determined efforts in the year 1390 - economic matters are one of the most essential tools which are used by the enemies of our people to counter our nation. Of course they are active in cultural, political and scientific arenas as well, but they are much more active in the arena of economic matters. The sanctions which were imposed on us by the enemies of our nation were an attempt to thwart the accelerated progress of our country. Of course their wishes were not fulfilled, and they did not manage to get the results they wanted. The measures adopted by our government officials and the cooperation of the people foiled the enemies' plot. But they will not give up. Therefore, in the new year, which starts from now, we must pay attention to the most essential issues of the country, and I believe economic matters are the pivot of these issues. Thus, I hereby name this year as "The Year of Economic Jihad", and I expect our officials - who work for the executive branch, the legislative branch and economic sectors of the country - and our dear people to make selfless efforts in the economic arena. It is not enough to move forward at an ordinary pace. We must make selfless efforts and accelerated progress.
As you know, we are entering the third year of the decade of justice and progress. Of course good achievements have been made both in the arena of progress and to a large extent in the arena of justice, but our movement must be such that we can call this decade the genuine manifestation of progress and establishment of justice. Fortunately with the movement that has started in the world of Islam, one feels that by Allah's favor this decade will be the decade of progress and justice for the region as well.
I hope Allah the Exalted will bestow His blessings on you dear people of Iran, on you dear government officials and on you faithful, spirited, active and talented youth. I hope God will help you benefit from the prayers of the Imam of the Age (may our souls be sacrificed for his sake). I commemorate our dear martyrs and our magnanimous Imam (r.a.), and I hope that by the blessedness of their souls, Allah the Exalted will bestow His mercy, grace and blessings on the Iranian nation.
Greetings be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings