Ghalibaf says Iran must move from ‘launchers’ to economic growth

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic must move beyond confrontation and focus on economic development.

“We must take over the trench from the launcher boys, lift people out of economic pressure and build the country,” he said at a meeting on China-related economic policy with Iran’s chamber of commerce.

Ghalibaf, who lead Tehran’s negotiating team with the United States, described China as a unique trade partner for the Islamic Republic and said Beijing must believe that Tehran is “a partner in the full sense” for China.

He said any bloc formed with Persian Gulf littoral states would “certainly” be centered on China and the Islamic Republic.