TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's supreme leader has suggested the government has fallen short in its efforts to improve the economy as moderate President Hassan Rouhani prepares to campaign for re-election in May.

In a televised message in honor of the Persian New Year, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday that "there is a large gap between what has been carried out, and what the people and what we expect."

Rouhani was a driving force behind Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers, which lifted international sanctions in return for restrictions on the country's nuclear program, but the effects have yet to trickle down to many Iranians.

The supreme leader, who supported the nuclear negotiations but has not weighed in on the accord itself, has the final word on all major policies in Iran.