"The enemies of the Iranian nation try to block the nation's progress and they have waged a massive psychological war (on the country)," Ahmadinejad said, addressing people in the Southwestern city of Ahwaz, Khouzestan province, today.
He referred to the economic sanctions imposed by the US and its allies against Iran, and said similar to the case of the nuclear issue that enemies couldn't impede the country's progress, they will not succeed in countering the Iranian nation in the economic arena either.
Ahmadinejad underlined the necessity for people's partnership in implementing economic projects, and said, "If we cede control over economy to the people, we can take a major step and turn into the most powerful nation of the world in 4 to 5 years."
Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Despite the rules enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitling every member state, including Iran, to the right of uranium enrichment, Tehran is now under four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions and the western embargos for turning down West's calls to give up its right of uranium enrichment.
Tehran has dismissed West's demands as politically tainted and illogical, stressing that sanctions and pressures merely consolidate Iranians' national resolve to continue the path.
Tehran has repeatedly said that it considers its nuclear case closed as it has come clean of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s questions and suspicions about its past nuclear activities.
