Iran's Government Spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht underlined that the country's reliance oil revenues has considerably decreased.
"For the first time the Iranian budget's reliance on oil has declined by 23 percent," Nobakht said, addressing worshippers before the Tehran's Friday prayers sermons.
He noted that Iran's economic trend has taken an upward trend despite the western sanctions imposed against the country, and said, "Exports of non-oil goods with the exception of gas condensates has increased by 13 percent as a result of the resistance economy."
In relevant remarks in January, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei underlined the necessity for cutting the country's dependence on oil revenues.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in Tehran, addressing a large number of Iranians from the Central city of Qom.
"The country's officials and government shouldn’t pin hope on the aliens and they should know that even one step of retreat will lead to the enemy's advance; therefore, we should have fundamental thoughts, rely on the nation and internal forces, and act in a way that even if the enemy doesn’t lift the sanctions, people's progress, flourishing and welfare won't be hurt," he underscored.
"You should take the weapon of sanctions from the enemy because if you pin hope on the enemy, the sanctions will remain, as today the Americans say flagrantly that even if Iran withdraws in the nuclear issue, the sanctions will not be lifted all together and at once," Ayatollah Khamenei said.
"I am not opposed to negotiations, but I believe that we should pin hope on really promising points and not imaginations," he added.
Ayatollah Khamenei predicted a completely bright future for the country, and said Iranian officials are making strong efforts for the country's advancement and all people should help the government.
In August 2013, a prominent Iranian lawmaker blasted the US for imposing a new round of unilateral sanctions against Iran’s energy sector, saying that the Islamic Republic can seize the opportunity to reduce the country’s reliance on oil revenues.
"Since the US-led western sanctions have targeted Iran’s energy sector, this opportunity can be used to alleviate the country’s dependence on oil revenues,” member of the parliament’s Presiding Board Mohammad Hossein Farhangi told FNA.
He noted that Iran can move towards less reliance on oil-based economy through the proper tackling of sanctions.
In July 2013, Iran’s former Oil Minister Rostam Qassemi said western sanctions have backfired as they have given Tehran a strong feeling of self-reliance, adding that embargos have made Iran, a once importer of gasoline and gasoil, into an exporter of such products.
Iran is turning sanctions into opportunities, and has managed to domestically produce the parts subject to the sanctions through close cooperation between its universities and research centers, Qassemi said.