IRNA – Iran's exports have overtaken imports after 63 years and this is one of the achievements of the Economy of Resistance, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday.


He made the announcement while speaking in the inaugural ceremony of 18 development projects which were simultaneously inaugurated by the President through video conference in the capital city of the north central province of Semnan.

“Non-oil goods exports was about 43.9 billion dollars last year while it stood at 43.6 billion during the previous year. This indicates a 300-million-dollar rise in the volume of the exports comparing to imports,” said the president referring to last year’s figures.

President Rouhani also referred to the Supreme Leader’s new year message in which Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei named the current Iranian calendar year (1396) as the year of “Economy of Resistance: Production and Employment”.

The President stressed all officials and organizations nationwide must take serious steps to reach this year’s goal.

About 1.2 million individuals were looking for jobs last year which 700 thousand of them could be provided with jobs, however, there was an extra figure of 500 thousand to the number of unemployed ones, Rouhani said mentioning the Leader’s concerns about employment situation in the country.

“A good move has been started for development not only in Semnan, but also for all other provinces in Iran,” he said.

The President is on a day-long journey to Semnan with some of his cabinet members.