In a decree issued Feb. 19, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei introduced the general policies of Iran’s “resistance economy.” The following are some of the key objectives presented in this document:
- Domestic capacity building with maximal utilization of the country’s resources, with a special focus on the participation of lower and middle-income classes in wealth generation
- Promotion of a knowledge-based economy through drafting and implementing a comprehensive, scientific plan for the country and promoting innovation with the ultimate goal of becoming the No. 1 knowledge-based economy of the region
- Increased efficiency in economic activity, improvement of economic competitiveness
- Utilization of subsidy reforms to optimize energy consumption in the country, increase employment and domestic production and promote social justice
- Improve Total Factor Productivity based on the empowerment of domestic human resources through skills education
- Promotion of domestic production, especially in strategic products and services and the consequent reduction of dependence on imports
- Provision of food and medicine security
- Consumption management based on the promotion of consumption of local products parallel to the qualitative improvement of domestic production
- Comprehensive reform of the financial system to respond to the country’s needs
- Targeted promotion of exportable goods and services through legal and administrative reform as well as the promotion of foreign investment for export purposes
- Increase the economy’s resistance through regional and international economic collaboration, especially with neighbors but also through diplomacy
- Reduce vulnerability of oil and gas exports through the selection of strategic buyers and involving the private sector in diversifying sales channels
- Increase oil and gas value-added exports
- Increase oil and gas strategic reserves and production to have an impact on international markets
- Implement reforms to rationalize government costs, increase tax revenues and reduce dependency on oil and gas export revenue
- Increase the share of the National Development Fund from oil and gas export revenues
- Increase transparency in financial matters and avoid activities that pave the way for corruption
President Hassan Rouhani immediately reacted to Khamenei's decree and clarified tasks for a number of government institutions on how to plan and implement the needed policies. As is common in Iran’s governmental affairs, a number of committees and task forces have been established to follow up on the actions needed to achieve the above objectives.
