Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has called for prioritizing foreign policy with the east rather than the west to improve the economy.
He also admitted that the government needs to work on social justice, stressing that officials owe Iranians an apology.
Addressing a group of people from Tabriz, Khamenei responded to the controversy that erupted in Iran after President Hasan Rouhani called for a popular referendum to overcome economic, political, social and cultural crises.
Khamenei began his speech with hints to popular protests that took place recently in more than 80 Iranian cities. He said that criticism against him personally or targeting the government "does not mean opposition to the origin of the regime."
“Progress has been made in various sectors in the real sense of the term; However, we admit that in the area of ‘justice’ we are lagging behind.”
His remarks came in the context of previous calls for the Iranian government to improve living conditions and combat discrimination.
After Rouhani's re-election for a second term, Khamenei said that "the improvement of living conditions must become one of the new government’s top priorities."
Khamenei attacked Iranian officials who depend "on the affluent classes instead of attending to the underprivileged and the fragile strata."
“Revolution means transformation, course change and movement toward lofty goals and if these objectives are forgotten, revolutions are meaningless," he warned.
Discussing foreign affairs, Khamenei stated: "In foreign policy, our top priority includes preferring the East to the West, preferring the neighboring countries ... and nations and countries that share our common goals."
Khamenei's remarks reignited the debate on Iran's foreign policy priorities.
Some officials like Rouhani and FM Mohammed Javad Zarif call for enhancing relations with Western countries, while others - including Iran's former Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and Khamenei's advisor on international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati - want Tehran to strengthen ties with China, India, Russia and Central Asian countries.
Iran should not depend on foreign countries, announced Khamenei. He stressed: "I am not against foreign funding; however, the leaders and managers should be Iranian. Work must not be trusted to foreigners. If too much work is entrusted to foreigners, Iranian managers will lose their grip on matters."
With respect to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Khamenei stated: “We witnessed the result of relying on foreigners in the case of JCPOA, and achieved nothing from trusting them in nuclear negotiations.”
He noted that officials are "fortunately" dealing with the issue well, and the foreign minister is adopting a strong approach to the deceits of the US and Europeans.
“We must take advantage of the foreigners, but we should not trust and rely on them, because they would seek to dominate the country’s fate,” Khamenei added.
