TEHRAN, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday called for economic initiatives and the boost of production to offset U.S. sanction pressures.
He hailed what he called the nation's "fortitude and prudence" against the enemies' conspiracies.
Khamenei made the remarks on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, Nowruz, which began on Thursday local time.
"We had an eventful year ... The enemies hatched many plots," he said, adding that however, "the nation's fortitude and prudence as well as the perseverance of the youth foiled the enemies' conspiracies."
Over the past year, "the Iranians also showed a strong and robust reaction to the severe and allegedly unprecedented sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe both in the political and economic domains," he added.
In the meantime, Khamenei acknowledged the enduring economic woes, including hardship in the people's livelihood, and urged the Iranian administration to address people's economic concerns.
