TEHRAN – Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that the “maximum pressure” exerted by Washington against Tehran has failed, and this is acknowledged by the U.S. administration.

“The White House spokesman admitted that maximum pressure against Iran has failed,” Raisi said while visiting West Azarbaijan Province in northwest Iran.

“Maximum pressure” campaign against Iran was introduced by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Through such a strategy, Trump intended to suffocate the Iranian economy.

Raisi also called the people of West Azarbaijan loyal border guards who are committed to the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.

“The residents of West Azerbaijan province are loyal border guards who have been defending values and the Islamic revolution,” Raisi said in the city of Mianduab. 

The president indicated that all officials in his government are doing their best to solve problems and alleviate the suffering of citizens in various parts of the country, stressing that field tours in the provinces will address difficulties and problems, Al Alam reported.

Ayatollah Raisi added, “All our work in the government is based on justice, and the government seeks to make decisions on the basis of the general public, and justice is the people's demand and the government's efforts on this basis.”

On the other hand, the president pointed out, the friends of the revolution will become more optimistic and the enemies will become more desperate. He said, “Today the government and everyone are trying to solve the problems as quickly as possible because the people showed that they distinguish the servant from others.”

The president added, “America and European countries are currently suffering from Corona issues, but all people have noticed that the Corona situation in our country is different from other countries.”

And on the country's economic issues, Raisi said, “The government seeks to achieve development across the country and establish justice.”

Raisi also addressed a meeting of the administrative council of West Azerbaijan.

Raisi said, “In our religious culture, serving the people means loving God and we believe that closeness to God happens through serving the people.”

Ayatollah Raisi described serving the people as one of the central teachings of the Islamic Revolution and pointed out that during the past 40 years, remarkable work has been done in the country. “In these 40 years, the face of our cities and villages has changed and it is unfair to say that nothing has been done, but people's expectations of work and effort were different and higher than what was done.”

He said, “In the next 40 years of the Islamic Revolution, which is called the second step, we must have a fair look at what has been done so far. In the first 40 years of the revolution, we had many achievements in some areas, such as security, defense and military, but in some areas, we also have backwardness,” according to the official website of the Iranian presidency.

The president said shortcomings can only be redressed through hard work, adding, “All managers of the province and the country should know that in order to progress and compensate for underdevelopment, we need sincere and motivated jihadist work, along with thought and reason.”

He said that at this stage we have no right to trial and error and things must be done carefully and wisely. “We must use all the experiences inside and outside the country. We will not act based on other people's prescriptions without expert review, rather we must pay attention to the experiences of others and use them if necessary.”

Referring to the border situation in West Azerbaijan and its proximity to three neighboring countries, the president instructed the provincial governor to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to take steps to facilitate contacts and interactions with neighboring cities in neighboring countries.

In this regard, Raisi stressed that the formation of a joint committee between Iran and the three countries could further facilitate border communications.

Ayatollah Raisi added, “The governor-general of West Azerbaijan should review the necessary incentives to strengthen investment in the province and present them to the government so that the necessary measures can be taken to provide these incentives in the government.”

He said, “The government considers border not as a threat but as an opportunity. Cross-border trade is linked to the livelihood of some of the country's border residents and therefore cannot be shut down.”