Senior cleric urges for oil-free economy; stresses Iran’s readiness to confront any aggression

Speaking during Friday Prayers sermon in Tehran, Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Hassan Abutorabifard referred to the economic problems that the people are facing today in Iran, saying that part of the problem emerges from improper budgeting and the dependence of the government budget on oil incomes.

Abutorabifard urged the government to reduce dependence on oil revenues in accordance with the “Second Phase of the Revolution” Statement by the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Khamenei.

The senior cleric further said the budget’s dependence on oil income has resulted in more liquidity when the prices of oil go up, which in turn leads to a decline in the value of the local currency the rial and subsequently an increase in the inflation rate.

Elsewhere in his address to the Tehranian Friday Prayers, he hailed downing a US drone by the IRGC defense system, saying that the success of the country’s air defense system showed that the relationship between scientific centers (universities) and the Defense Ministry should further be strengthened.

Hitting the US drone showed that Iran is ready to pull the trigger in the face of any new aggression, Abutorabifard further noted.

Message end/