According to President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran has given up hope on the west and is relying only on the Iranian people to achieve political and economic independence.

In a speech commemorating the 43rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on 11 February, Raisi said his administration’s foreign policy is built on balance, while implicitly condemning previous “look west” policies that have “caused imbalance in the country.”

“We must pay close attention to all countries, particularly our neighbors. But we have hope in God and in the people, which we never had in Vienna or New York,” he stated.

President Raisi has repeatedly stated that his administration is dedicated to the talks presently ongoing in Vienna to resurrect a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, but that the country and its economy will not be held hostage by the outcome.

Describing Iran as “the most independent country in the world,” Raisi said that this independence is only one fruit of the tree of the Islamic Revolution.

“The slogan of the Islamic Revolution is freedom, morality, rationality and justice, independence, national dignity, brotherhood and the denial of domination and oppression,” Raisi said later in his speech.

Raisi added that the nations of the world are committed to the Islamic Revolution.

“All the freedom-loving people of the world want the system to remain revolutionary and not to go up and down. Revolutionary action is still emphasized by the people of the world,” he pointed out.

Citing justice as a central precept in the Islamic Revolution, Raisi said: “We are proud that in the people’s government, we have made the republic and justice our two important axes. Ignoring the people is ignoring the Islamic Revolution. If the people are ignored, we will move away from the Revolution. Justice is the focus of the government’s work, which must always be emphasized.”

He ended his speech saying he envisions a bright future for Iran, highlighting the country’s enormous capabilities, particularly in its human resources.