Iran relies on its own abilities and resources and does not pin “hopes on Vienna and New York,” President Ebrahim Raisi said during Friday Prayers in Tehran.

The president was speaking on the 43rd anniversary of the 1979 revolution on February 11, as government-organized marches and rallies took place across the country. The anniversary coincided with Friday prayers and Raisi delivered a speech at the venue of the weekly gatherings in Tehran University.

The celebrations were a hodgepodge of motorcycles and cars driving in streets and people marching on foot, although crowds were smaller than in previous years apparently because of the Covid-19 pandemic, although the government had not announced any restrictions.

Raisi emphasized economic self-reliance and diplomatic “balance” condemning any tilt towards the West. Self-reliance has been a persistent tenet of the Islamic Republic since its establishment in 1979, as its founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini campaigned against Iran’s alliance with the United States during the monarchy.

As relations deteriorated with Washington with the taking of US diplomats hostage in Tehran in November 1979, the motto of self-reliance became an alternative to maintaining cordial relations with the West. But its economic cost has been incalculable, with anemic growth for four decades and eventually confrontation over its nuclear program and severe sanctions.

Raisi’s remark about not pinning hopes on Vienna could be directed at the United States, as Washington warns little time remains for an agreement to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. Iran’s economic situation in February 2022 is much worse than during any previous anniversary of its revolution. A nuclear agreement in Vienna could lift sanction imposed by former president Donald Trump and provide billions of dollars to the embattled government in Tehran.

Raisi’s remark about Vienna was not mentioned by state-controlled media immediately after his speech, but later they added the sentence to their reports. Videos showed that the president tried to sound decisive when he uttered the sentence.

No one knows what he meant when he mentioned New York alongside Vienna. Some began joking on social media that he probably meant Washington DC, but New York came to his mind as the capital of the United States.

Raisi came to office six months ago with lofty promises to improve the economy despite sanctions, but nothing has changed on the ground as high inflation and soaring food prices continue.

Iranian pundits and politicians have been warning of a social explosion if economic conditions do not improve in coming months. On Thursday, videos emerged of people shouting anti-regime slogans from their windows at night. “Death to Khamenei” chants were broadcast by loudspeakers in the bazaar in Mashhad on Thursday, as the PA system was apparently hacked, and a recording of incendiary slogans rang out for a while. Videos showed bewildered shopkeepers and shoppers listening to chants.

Raisi also emphasized “economic independence” but acknowledged that Iran has a long way ahead to achieve economic security. He emphasized the need for investments, while even in case of a nuclear agreement, large corporations would hardly take risks to invest because of a state-controlled economy, corruption and risk of sanctions returning.