News - Middle East: Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has commended the Iranian nation for achieving great success despite the West’s harshest sanctions and its attempts to undermine the Islamic establishment.

In a televised annual New Year address on Tuesday – the first day of the Iranian New Year – at the holy shrine of Imam Reza in the city of Mashhad, the Leader said Iran’s enemies have “our points of strength” in the cross-hairs.

The Islamic Republic has made big headways in sectors including science, technology and defense, among others in the face of the sanctions, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The enemy is seeking to change the very nature of the Islamic Republic, the Sayyed Ayatollah Khamenei stated, by resorting to all means at its disposal. Through attempts to polarize the nation and disappoint the young generation, Ayatollah Khamenei argued, the enemy looks for an establishment in Iran fully in sync with the way of the global arrogance and imperialism.

Sayyed Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to the recent riots in Iran. He said the West, not least the United States and its allies, pulled out all the stops to support the disturbances with the purpose of undermining the Islamic establishment. But the Iranian nation, Ayatollah Khamenei said, gave the enemy a great slap in the face.