I asked my coach, Ehsan Karimian, “With this club, how many yards can I hit? Is it possible to go beyond 100 yards?”
He replied, “Which club did you just use?”
“It was a 9-iron,” I said.
He responded, “With that, you can easily hit 110 yards!”
In golf, the angle and number of the club give you different capabilities to reach the ball to your target.
You can’t achieve optimal distance and height with a 56-degree sand wedge!
Now, what’s the connection between these sentences and the economy?
In economics too, in order to reach your specific goals—namely economic growth and increased public welfare—you need the right “clubs.” Simply exerting more effort doesn’t necessarily get you better results!
These “clubs” in the economy include:
• Improving international credit rating (we’re currently 7 out of 7)
• Improving economic freedom ranking (we’re 159 out of 165)
• Enhancing economic transparency
• Boosting competitiveness
• Prioritizing resource spending for Iranians
• Budget transparency
• And so on…
A country doesn’t develop through mere words or force!
Your tools and mindset must align.
Statements like “Iran is ready for American investment” at best reflect a lack of understanding of investment mechanisms, global competition, and most importantly—the concept of risk.
Iran possesses 7% of the world’s underground resources, a market of 90 million people (currently with a per capita income of $4,000), and a youthful population of 30 million (for now). But when it comes to understanding its strategic position, its neighbors, and how to utilize these tools—turning idle instruments into effective ones to boost economic growth—there is a fundamental misunderstanding.
The day we see that reducing Iran’s risk, improving its credit rating, enhancing economic freedom, and prioritizing Iranians in resource utilization become the top priority for everyone—that’s when we can finally glimpse a window of hope to move forward in this intensely competitive regional and global landscape.
