*says grassroots support remains main source of the power of the Islamic Republic
By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Ahead of its National Day marked on February 11 annually, the Iranian Ambassador to Nigeria, HE Mohammad Alibak has reflected on how the nation has fared, expressing joy that they have crossed barriers and obstacles to get to the successes recorded today.
“To reach here, Iranian nation has paved a long way, full of obstacles and barriers, mostly manufactured and set up by those foreign powers who have been refusing to come along with and grap the new realities of the NEW Iran.
“From imposing a deadly war, to launching unending campaigns of economic terrorism, sabotage, and psychological warfare, those powers who were opposed to our revolution, our independence, and our self-reliance, did all they could to stop our popular movement,” he said.
The Ambassador said that the will and resilience of the great and proud nation of Iran was and is, stronger than their schemes.
“Despite all hardships and ups and downs, grassroots support remains the main source of the power of the Islamic Republic.
“By violating international rules and withdrawing from the nuclear deal between Iran and the five world powers, the United States pursued a policy of maximum pressure and imposed new sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran to defeat the revolution,” he said.
He stressed that they used economic terrorism against the Iranian people, a clear example of which was to prevent drugs from entering the country during the Coronavirus pandemic.
“But these sanctions did not cause the great nation of Iran to join hands, and we were able to achieve good achievements during these forty-three years, thanks to the efforts of our faithful, educated and revolutionary youth.
“In the field of health, we have been able to become a health tourism hub in the region from dependence on foreign doctors, and now people from 53 countries, including Nigeria, travel to Iran for treatment.
“We are also one of the few countries to produce the corona vaccine,” he added.
According to him, in the field of science, they are ranked 21st in the world in terms of scientific articles.
“In terms of nuclear knowledge, we are in the top 5 developed countries in the world; In terms of level of welfare, 100% of urban people and 91% of villagers have access to asphalt roads; electricity and water distribution network is established in 99% of villages.
“Also, 83% of cities and 78% of villages have been supplied with gas network; Industrially, the share of industry in GDP has increased from 16% to 40%; Iran’s non-oil exports have increased from $ 54 million to $ 31 billion and …
“The balanced and smart foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is based on the expansion of relations with all countries of the world.
“Accordingly, in the past year, we have witnessed the development of relations with the friendly country of Nigeria,” he informed.
Speaking further, he said that in that regard, they can point to the multiplication of the volume of economic relations, exchange of economic delegations and conducting meetings and political consultations between the two countries at different levels.
The Ambassador said that now that they are on the eve of the forty-third anniversary of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, he considers it necessary to congratulate the prominent event, which is also known as the greatest revolution in the world in the twentieth century, to the great people of Iran and all freedom seekers in the world.
“The Islamic Revolution of Iran took place at a time when the world was divided between the materialist blocs of East and West, and few thought that an oppressed nation could break the framework and come up with a new plan.
“But the people of Iran, led by Imam Khomeini (PBUH), were able to oust the Shah, who was a kind of puppet of the Western powers and pursued only their interests in the country and the region, and set up a new course in the world,” he said.
