TEHRAN- The Martyr Leader's economic vision was far more than a collection of policies; it was a holistic national doctrine aimed at liberating Iran from the chronic vulnerabilities of raw-material dependency, structural defects, and external domination.

As this report traverses his strategic perspective on oil—where he reframed crude not as a budget-financing commodity but as a tool for value creation, job generation, and resistance against sanctions—it also reveals the wider architecture of his thought: a self-reliant economy anchored in knowledge-based production, agricultural self-sufficiency, and sustainable capital accumulation through the National Development Fund. Former Economy Minister Khandozi underscores that the Second Step statement, issued in 2019, serves as the Leader's definitive testament, diagnosing seven critical axes including structural flaws like oil dependency, centralism, and corruption, while warning that a weak economy invites foreign domination. Agriculture Minister Nouri affirms that his guidance illuminated the path to food security as a pillar of national authority, and National Development Fund Chairman Ghazanfari celebrates the Leader's final authorizations as enduring blessings for major energy projects. Together, these testimonies paint a unified picture: the Martyr Leader's legacy is a comprehensive, actionable roadmap—from completing oil value chains and empowering rural producers to insulating the budget from price volatility and fostering knowledge-based enterprise—that demands a genuine renewal of allegiance through implementation, not ceremony, as Iran stands at a post-war crossroads where reform, social justice, and anti-corruption are prerequisites for a more powerful and resilient nation.

Oil is not a budget item": Martyr Leader's doctrine of economic sovereignty through value chain completion

The Martyr Leader's strategic perspective on Iran's oil industry transcends mere economics, defining a national doctrine to overcome dependency and achieve authority. By explicitly criticizing raw material sales and emphasizing value chain completion, he framed oil not as a budget‑financing commodity but as a strategic tool for wealth creation, job generation, and strengthening defensive‑economic capacity against international pressures.

According to IRNA, understanding Iran's oil industry today requires looking at its 118‑year history—a journey that has made Iran a global oil power, both in market influence and domestic processing capabilities. Yet as the nation bids farewell to its learned and militant leader, a central challenge re‑emerges: the crossroads between selling national wealth as raw materials or creating value with authority.

At the heart of the Martyr Leader's analysis lay a bitter truth—structural inequality in global energy trade. In the early years of his leadership, he foresaw the "cheap sale" trap. In his Nowruz speech of 1994, he warned that oil‑producing countries gift their future to industrial nations by selling crude. He asked: if oil were in the hands of great powers, would they sell a single drop cheaply? Western industrial civilization, he stressed, was built on our oil, yet we lose this wealth through raw exports, and its cost returns to us via expensive refined products.

From budgeting to wealth creation

A primary concern was the misuse of oil revenues for current expenditures. He repeatedly cautioned that using oil for daily expenses undermines productive capacity; oil wealth must instead fund national infrastructure and the country's future. His vision rested on two pillars: insulating the government budget from oil price volatility and converting oil revenues into sustainable capital through the National Development Fund. The goal was not survival but development—modernizing industries, supporting knowledge‑based enterprises, and building infrastructure.

Such a vision could not be achieved through raw sales, which monopolize knowledge and income at the extraction stage. He insisted that the processing chain must extend to its final link, secured through petro‑refineries.

Completing value chain: a weapon against sanctions

Translating his vision into operational strategy, the Martyr Leader consistently argued that real power lies in processing—moving beyond simple refineries into petrochemicals, polymers, and downstream industries. This is not merely economic but a security imperative. While crude oil export sanctions can devastate the economy, sanctioning thousands of petrochemical and final products is nearly impossible and costly for adversaries. Moreover, returns multiply as we move downstream, transforming Iran from a vulnerable supplier into a resilient producer.

Above all, what he repeatedly emphasized was not export revenues but reliance on enduring human capital—oil and gas create wealth only in the hands of specialists, engineers, and knowledge‑based youth. Today, achievements such as domestic drilling rigs, catalyst technology, nanostructures in petrochemicals, and GTL advances all embody the "We Can" spirit he inspired. These successes show that shifting from extraction to knowledge transforms the oil industry from extractive to knowledge‑driven.

Ultimately, his view looked to a future where oil serves not just foreign currency needs but national authority. Through value chain completion, engineering employment, and converting natural resources into powerful industries, Iran would escape the raw‑material trap and become a pillar of the resistance economy and global industry.

Khandozi: "Greatest renewal of allegiance is reforming Iran's economy, Let’s not return to past"

Former Economy Minister Seyyed Ehsan Khandozi, in an exclusive IRNA interview, described the Second Step of the Revolution statement as the Martyr Leader's testament. He stressed that the key question is whether all governance branches—executive, legislative, judicial, armed forces, state companies—will align with this new path and move in step with the people's awakening.

Khandozi identified the post‑war era as an opportunity not just for reconstruction but for redefining government‑nation‑economy relations. He pointed to the Leader's intellectual framework, emphasizing that overcoming Iran's "structural defects"—oil dependency, weak currency policy, inequality, corruption, and declining public participation—is the most urgent lesson. The social capital generated after the recent war offers a rare chance for genuine reform; if lost by returning to past errors, the costs will be immense. A strong economy, social justice, practical anti‑corruption, and empowering people in production and investment are prerequisites for a more powerful Iran.

Regarding the Leader's economic thought, Khandozi noted a turning point in 2011, when UN, US, and EU sanctions began. From then, the Leader's focus shifted decisively toward "domestic production" and national self‑reliance, as reflected in the annual slogans and the Second Step statement issued in February 2019. That statement, Khandozi argued, is no less than a testament for present and future generations.

He highlighted the seven axes: (1) science, research, and technology; (2) spirituality and ethics; (3) economy—with emphasis on a "strong economy" versus a "weak economy," explicitly linking economic weakness to foreign domination. The Leader identified "structural defects" (oil dependency, centralism, budgeting flaws) as root causes. (4) justice and anti‑corruption—acknowledging achievements but admitting a deep gap from the ideal. (5) independence and freedom; (6) national dignity and delineation from the enemy, including warnings against trusting US negotiations; and (7) lifestyle.

Khandozi stressed that the Leader's perspective was validated by subsequent events—US withdrawal from the JCPOA, the assassination of Soleimani, and two military attacks on Iran in 2025. The Leader had warned that beneath the velvet glove lies an iron fist; today, many more Iranians and elites recognize his foresight. He argued that if economic policies after the Ramadan War do not return to old wrong tracks but instead foster growth, control inflation, stabilize the currency, and combat corruption effectively, then Iran's economic strength can deter a third war. Conversely, if past rent‑seeking, monopolies, and corruption persist, the immense social capital from the war will erode.

Khandozi concluded that the necessary blueprints are already in the Second Step statement. The main challenge is whether the policy‑making system will implement them. The people, who preserved the nation even without a leader, have shown their resolve; now officials must match that with a genuine renewal of allegiance—not ceremonial, but substantive—to the Martyr Leader's vision. He urged frank discussion of structural defects in all domains—political, cultural, social—and warned that those who once accused the Leader of extremism or idealism have now seen that the world is exactly as he described.

Nouri: Martyr Leader's guidelines illuminated path to food security

Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh stated that the Leader's guidelines have made the government's path for supporting domestic production, self‑sufficiency, and food security clearer and more solid. He emphasized that the Leader's thought will continue to guide officials, and they are determined to implement his policies. 

Noting the Leader's special attention to agriculture, Nouri said he always considered food security a key component of national authority and stressed rural development, support for underprivileged areas, and strengthening the agricultural sector. The Leader believed that Iran's agriculture is rural‑based, so supporting rural producers must be a policy priority. 

Nouri added that one major factor in the government's success in food security, despite numerous challenges, was the Leader's guidance, which gave officials motivation and a clear direction.

National Development Fund: Martyr Leader's Legacy for Development

Mehdi Ghazanfari, Chairman of the National Development Fund, wrote that one of the Leader's last effective measures for Iran's development was authorizing the Fund to remove financing obstacles for major development projects—blessings now bearing fruit as energy production enhancement projects come online. He described the Leader as a rare hero who, alongside Imam Khomeini, transformed Iran into an independent and capable regional power, forcing the US‑led coalition to withdraw after a year of brutal aggression. Rising from Mashhad, nurtured in a school that changed global equations, the Leader's life was an epic of resistance, insight, and steadfastness. He played an unparalleled role in advancing science, technology, and the knowledge‑based economy as the foundation for sustainable growth and endogenous national authority.