Immediately Implement “The economy of Resistance”

As a new round of nuclear talks began between Iran and the P5+1 powers in Vienna this week, the leader of the Islamic republic directed the government, the Majlis and the judiciary of the country to implement what he calls “resistance economics” without delay.

Ayatollah Khamenei has called on the “immediate and scheduled” implementation of this program which aims at reducing reliance on oil revenues and reducing public expenditure.

According to policies associated with this drive, the production of basic commodities and particularly those that are currently provided to the public through imports should be increased while the sources of these imports should be diversified. Reserves should also be created for these basic commodities and the basic material for their production.

In a public speech a few days earlier, Khamenei had said that he would be soon issuing instructions for the implementation of these policies which he explained in these words. “The solution to the country’s problems is to embark on resistance economy. This means domestic reliance. We should not look up to others. We are capable and we are wealthy. We have human wealth – our human resources are rare in the world, if not unique, and underground wealth, which are extraordinary. The world needs us. The world needs us more than we need them.”

Resistance economy is not a new idea and Khamenei had mentioned it last summer as well. “Sanctions are not new for us. We have been under sanctions for thirty years. All the accomplishments that have been attained by the great Iranian nation were done under the sanctions. So they cannot do anything. But this is a reason for all authorities of the country to feel responsible to work to create jobs, production, invention, and turn this big workshop. Iran is today a true workshop. Everybody must view themselves responsible in this.”

Since Khamenei launched the notion of resistance economy a few years ago, the hardline principlist who were in power welcomed and embraced it. The government media immediately picked up the idea.

Jahan News for example, quoted a university professor to support it. “If we design our lifestyle on the three principles of national reliance, the jihadi (self sacrifice) spirit and desistance of haram (religiously forbidden), we can then expect it to work effectively. Attention to religious spirituality plays an important role in these principles. Of course it is natural for people to sense military war but a soft war is different, and so the jihadi spirit based on religious teachings is important and key,” it wrote.

Fars news agency quoted a deputy governor of Northern Khorasan province to have said, “Resistance economy can be materialized through non-oil exports.”

Prior to these the representative of ayatollah Khamenei in the Basij para-military mobilization force had said that resistance economy had played an effective role in the Geneva nuclear talks. “The implementation of resistance economy had resulted in self-belief of our negotiators and fortunately we have come out with our heads up. If we did not have resistance economy in recent years, we would have most certainly been crushed and our economy would have been paralyzed. If Iran had not resorted to resistance economy we would have surrendered to world powers.”

Hardline principlists believe that and economy structured on resistance can withstand Western sanctions against the country and prevent its economy from paralysis. It may be because of this that they have been attempting to censure the current minister of industries, Nematzadeh, who is against the continuation of the sanctions and argues they should be stopped.