He made the remarks at the cabinet session on Wednesday.
“The conditions of the oil market are exceptional nowadays so that in a few months we have faced such a downward trend in oil prices,” Rouhani said.
“All oil-rich countries, including Iran, have suffered losses. This loss has been greater for some countries and less for Iran,” he added, saying, “This situation has created problems for all of us, but each country has relied more on crude oil, has faced more difficult conditions.”
“However, all those countries that have relied on crude oil, are having difficult situations, and because our reliance on crude oil has decreased, willingly or unwillingly, with our own will or with the imposition of the enemy, our losses will certainly be less,” said Iranian President.
He went on to say, “I would like to thank the country's economic sector and the fact that we have grown in agriculture and industry in the last three months of the year is very important.”
“Thank God, the numbers we see in inflation were good. The announcement that our point-to-point inflation has reached 19 percent and that 12-month inflation has reached 32 percent indicates that the path is still towards the reduction of inflation,” President noted.
Rouhani also said, “We congratulate the dear people, as well as all Muslims, on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, which will begin next week. Ramadan is a month that encourages us to trust, inspire, and help others, we have always needed Ramadan, and this year we need it more than previous years.
“The holy month of Ramadan is a month of mercy, blessing, and forgiveness. This year, due to the outbreak of coronavirus, all Muslims have special conditions during the holy month of Ramadan, and worship cannot be done in groups during this month, and it becomes individual,” he added.
“People are well aware that the outbreak of coronavirus is a test for the effectiveness of all countries and systems around the world. All nations are working hard, some have been more successful, some have been less successful, and it is at the end of the day that scores are determined,” President said.
He went on to say, “Praise be to God, what we can claim about Iran is that the skills of the medical staff and their mastery of the work have increased day by day. Today, our doctors and nurses have greatly increased their dominance, mastery, skill, familiarity, and ability to fight the virus compared to a month or two before. This is a great privilege.”
“Our people cooperated a lot, I mentioned before, and today I saw the figures again, which show that a month ago when people were asked to reduce the amount of travel, they responded very well. Our people responded positively to the call of the medical staff and the government, as well as to all intellectuals, scholars, and experts. This was the second important point, and the third point was the provision of equipment, Rouhani noted.
Iranian President continued, “Why in the first days nurses and doctors were worried and more at risk? This was because there was not enough equipment in hospitals, the masks they needed was not enough, the gowns they needed were not enough and maybe in some hospitals, ventilators they wanted was not enough, the test kits were not enough, and even disinfectants and cleaning products were not enough.”
“The great jihad to meet the country’s needs for cleaning products and medical equipment has resulted in us exporting some of these items. The fact that today, we can export disinfectants and cleaning products to countries that need them is very important. Even in producing masks, I hope we can reach a point in the future where we can be an exporter in these areas, and we can export COVID-19 test kits and antibody,” he added.
Rouhani said, “It was very important that everyone was working during the difficult days of coronavirus, and here I have to thank all the executive organs, the armed forces and the private sector, which were all active in difficult days. If it were not for these activities, then our market would not be saturated and people's needs would not be met, because we had to not only fight this virus but also solve people's problems and their daily needs.”
“Let’s not think about a small group that take advantage of sanctions one day, and take advantage of coronavirus outbreak the other. We are very sorry that this small minority is taking orders from the outside, and unfortunately, they echo whatever they say,” President added.
He continued, “On the Internet and other places, on the corner of a newspaper, in a media and everywhere, they are looking to spread anxiety and distrust among people. You know that no medicine for corona is higher than people's trust and spirits, and if our spirit, mutual trust, and mental vitality are high, this virus will affect us less.”
“Gradual reopening was a necessity for the country and if people continue to observe health protocols, we will succeed. Unnecessary exit from home is still against health protocols, any gathering is against the law. Institutions must also be careful not to announce anything that will create a public gathering,” Rouhani said.
Iranian President highlighted, “I would like to tell the dear and noble people that to date, no scientist, no medical center, no health center, and no international organization has been able to predict when human beings will get rid of coronavirus. Because it is not clear, the disease may be with us for a month; it maybe 2 months, 10 months, or until the end of the year. It is not clear to us.”
“This will be the case until humans reach a definitive cure for the disease or develop a safe vaccine. So until the next few months, and until the issue becomes clear and definite, we have to live with coronavirus and we must take all the necessary precautions. We will succeed if this is accompanied by the continuation of people's observing health protocols,” he added.
MNA/4906729/President.ir
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