"The speed of Iran's scientific progress was so high that international circles have no way out but to admit to it," Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing a large number of Iranian students and teachers in Tehran on Wednesday.
He said that the country has also recorded a high speed of progress in political, social and development fields as well as public knowledge and insight, national power and might and international prestige but ill-wishers don't mention it in their propaganda.
Meantime, Ayatollah Khamenei called on the Iranian people to double their efforts to make further progress to attain their goals, causes and ideals and reach their proper position.
In similar remarks in October, Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the country's experts and scientists for their strenuous efforts which have resulted in Iran's rapid scientific advancement, and urged the country's researchers not to hesitate one moment about continuing their firm movement on the path of progress.
Addressing a large number of young elites in Tehran at the time, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed pleasure in the atmosphere of dialogue and interaction dominating the country's scientific move and progress, but meantime urged the Iranian scientists to accelerate their efforts.
"Of course there is one concern that a status of satiation and satisfaction will be created due to the country's rapid scientific move and this is while we are still at the start of the path and this (present) scientific speed should not be decelerated or stopped," he underlined.
Ayatollah Khamenei said that Iran is lagging behind the world's top countries in area of science and technology because it had been ruled by dependent, ignorant and autocratic rulers for centuries.
Thus, this wide distance with the world's top scientific powers and the existence of rather powerful rivals in the region double the necessity for Iran's accelerated scientific move towards a top position in area of science which deserves the Iranian nation's prestige, he added.
Iran has taken wide strides in science and technology, particularly in medical and medicinal fields, in recent years.
