Imam once said that Shah regime had allowed foreigners to plunder Iranian resources. The following statement by Imam explains how the political system and the economy of the country is closely related.
Imam once in this regard said as following:
We demand independence. There have been many periods in our history, and especially during the rule of this father and son, although more so during the rule of the son, when our country was dominated in all aspects by foreigners. Our economy is now disrupted because it is being controlled by foreigners. They are taking our oil and in return they build bases for themselves in Iran, that is, they sell us the weapons for bases to be built for themselves here. They have kept our education in a state of backwardness; they do not allow our young people to receive a proper education lets some of them begin to oppose what they are doing here.