Iran Hit by Fresh US Sanctions, Mojtaba Khamenei Calls for Self-Reliance

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has issued a statement after the country was hit by a fresh round of US sanctions aimed at crippling the Tehran regime. The new sanctions come as the conflict with Iran drags on and diplomatic efforts have stalled.

In his latest statement, as reported by Anadolu Agency and Press TV on Saturday (29/8/2026), Mojtaba said that increasing reliance on domestic production could be the key to overcoming Iran’s economic problems. He also called for a gradual reduction in the dominant role of the US dollar in the country’s economy.

In a message marking Iran’s Government Week, Mojtaba urged the government to give ‘serious attention’ to interconnected economic and public welfare challenges, including inflation, unemployment, price control, and the regulation of goods and services markets.

‘The main key to overcoming all these problems lies in increasing reliance on domestic production,’ the Supreme Leader said.

Mojtaba called for efforts to boost economic growth, increase investment and direct it towards beneficial and important sectors, stimulate production, ‘gradually reduce the important role of the dollar’, and ultimately place the entire range of ‘resistance economy’ policies as a top priority on the government’s economic agenda.

Mojtaba, who has not appeared in public since taking office in early March, also stressed the importance of ensuring adequate supplies of basic and special goods. He added that if domestic production is insufficient, imports should be used ‘appropriately and wisely’.

According to Mojtaba, efforts to boost production and manage imports and prices can gradually reduce the ‘dark spots’ in Iran’s economy until the problems disappear completely.

The Iranian rial fell to a new record low against the US dollar on the free market this week, breaching 2,000,000 rials per US dollar, as Washington imposed additional sanctions to paralyse Tehran’s economy.

Furthermore, the Supreme Leader described ‘the application of technology and innovation proposed by Iran’s young elite’ as an important issue. He assessed that timely use of these could produce significant progress in agriculture, industry, communications, education and other sectors.

Mojtaba also praised the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian during wartime, saying it had managed to provide goods and services needed by the people, repair damaged critical facilities and manage energy supplies amid ‘the restrictions and conspiracies of the American Zionist enemy’ and ‘the intensification of sanctions and blockades’. Mojtaba praised Pezeshkian as a ‘sincere and caring’ President.

In his statement, Mojtaba also called for measures to maintain ‘unity and preserve social cohesion’.

‘Undoubtedly, any statement that breaks morale and weakens national or public motivation, and any form of false dichotomy – such as war or negotiation, consensus or extremism, compromise or war-mongering – which in the past has caused direct or indirect losses to our beloved people, could have similar effects in the future,’ he said.

‘Therefore, I affirm that taking any action that undermines social cohesion is prohibited,’ the Supreme Leader stressed.