Meanwhile, President Ebrahim Raisi has defended the economic performance of his government, citing significant improvement with a considerable reduction in inflation, despite the continuing high prices of food items.

In his annual televised address, Khamenei described the past year as "filled with joys and sorrows," emphasizing that "economic and livelihood problems were among the bitter news." At the same time, he mentioned "good deeds" and "some progress" in implementing the motto of "curbing inflation and growing production" that he had set for the past year.

"This is not a slogan that we can expect to be realized as desired within a single year. This slogan will be ongoing," he stated.

Accordingly, Khamenei has launched the new slogan for the coming year, "A Leap in Production with People’s Participation," continuing a series of economy-focused mottos for the ninth consecutive year since the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which facilitated the lifting of international economic sanctions in January 2016. The sanctions were later reinstated by former US President Donald Trump in August 2018.

Since 1999, Khamenei has begun each new year by introducing an annual motto to guide the policies of state agencies, particularly the executive (government) and legislative (parliament).

Launching the motto "A Leap in Production with People’s Participation" for the new year, Khamenei stated, "In the year ahead of us, there is much work to be done, and we must all be committed to it," adding, "The main issue for the country this year is the economy, with our main weakness being the economic issue."

Khamenei has employed the term "production leap" in past annual slogans, including for the year 2020, when authorities refused to shut down businesses due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The word "production" has been recurring in recent years' slogans.

"After considering expert opinions, I have concluded that the fundamental key to solving the country's problems is national production, which is why we have relied on our production in recent years," he said. "If the desired growth in production and progress in national production is achieved, many important economic problems such as inflation, job creation, and the national currency issue will start to be resolved."

Khamenei clarified that a production leap could be achieved with the participation of the people in the economy, calling for the removal of barriers to the public’s economic engagement.

On foreign policy, he cited the government's actions in various economic and political areas as "good news" but described recent events in Gaza as "bitter developments in our foreign affairs."

Hours after his televised speech, Khamenei delivered his first annual address before a group of supporters, stating, "Improvement in the economy will affect all general issues," and continued, "The economy is one of our fundamental issues and weaknesses."

Typically, Khamenei goes to Mashhad, his birthplace in northeastern Iran, to deliver his first annual speech to his supporters.

Khamenei also partially addressed internal disagreements, advising Iranian youth to "overcome the plans of the enemies," adding, "The unity of the system is eternal from day one." He cautioned officials to be vigilant in the economic sphere, saying, "There were those who exploited government resources in the past."

Khamenei believed that "there are many factors creating optimism in the country," pointing to progress in industry, health, space, politics, and foreign policy, as well as national security, whilst warning that "enemies want to disappoint you." In part of his speech, he expressed regret that "our propaganda capabilities do not enjoy the desired access to show what is happening to the people."

Khamenei blamed external factors for the economic downturn, asserting, "The enemies have been trying for years to subjugate the country's economy, we have seen that in the hostile confrontations from America and its followers; they want to collapse Iran's economy."

Gaza Conflict

Regarding developments in the Gaza Strip, Khamenei held the United States responsible, stating, "Over 30,000 have been killed." He added, "We must reinforce the 'Resistance Front' in Western Asia around the clock.” However, he distanced his country from responsibility in another part of his speech, saying, "We defend the resistance, but they are the ones who make the decisions and take action."

The term "Resistance Front" in the rhetoric of Iranian officials refers to armed groups supported by Tehran, including Palestinian movements such as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, as well as groups that pledge ideological allegiance to Iran like Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi armed factions.

Khamenei claimed that "the Resistance has proved its capability, scattering all the enemy's plans, and America's erroneous calculations," adding, "America has become despised all over the world," and that "Israel has lost its decision-making ability and faces a crisis in finding a way out of the crisis."

President Raisi Defends His Record

Contrary to the picture reflected in the Iranian Supreme Leader's statements, President Ebrahim Raisi claimed that his government has attracted foreign investments amounting to 11 billion dollars.

Raisi, in his televised New Year’s speech, stated, "This investment is confirmed and not just on paper," pointing out that official institutions' statistics show an average economic growth rate of around 6 percent over the past year.

He continued, "Inflation has decreased although prices are still high, and while we still face inflation, the indicators show that we have chosen the right path toward a sustained reduction in inflation and economic growth with the assistance of the people and economic activists."

Raisi attempted to present a convincing picture and positive expectations of the Iranian economy's conditions, telling Iranians, "You remember that at the beginning of this government, some people claimed that inflation would exceed one hundred percent, but today those pessimistic expectations have not materialized, on the contrary, inflation has entered a downward trajectory, dropping from around 55 percent to approximately 35 percent."

Thereby, Raisi claimed that his government managed to decrease the point-to-point inflation by about 20 percent over the past year. Nevertheless, he acknowledged, "The inflation rate is still high, and the public, especially the poorer segments, are under significant living pressures."

Regarding unemployment rates, Raisi boasted that they have "decreased unprecedentedly, reaching 7 percent," adding, "The summary of the year's events was growth and prosperity for our dear Iran in various fields."

Quick to respond, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian released a statement expressing gratitude for Khamenei's praise of Raisi government’s international diplomacy.

US Commitment

Hours before the Iranian officials’ speeches, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered an address through a video recording to the nations celebrating Nowruz, including Iranians.

In his message directed at Iranians, Biden pledged that his administration would continue to stand with the brave Iranian women fighting for their freedoms, stating, "We will work with our partners to hold Iranian officials accountable for their denial of basic human rights."