TEHRAN, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday the United States will fail to achieve its goals by imposing sanctions on Iran.
"The Americans will definitely be defeated on this path. The path they have chosen is wrong," Rouhani was quoted as saying by IRAN daily.
If they are honest and concerned about regional security, this is not the path, he said, adding that the "cruel" U.S. sanctions will only harm the Iranian people.
By returning sanctions on Iran and Iranians, the U.S. officials hurt their own reputation in the world, he pointed out.
The Iranian president made the remarks in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The first part of the U.S. sanctions on Iran snapped back on August 7, targeting Iran's automotive sector, trade in gold, and other key metals.
Washington imposed second round of sanctions on Nov. 5, targeting Iran's energy, financial and shipping sectors.
Rouhani also hit back at the U.S. restrictions on Iran's oil exports, stressing that Iran will overcome the restrictive measures and will continue to sell its oil.
"The Americans thought they could completely cut Iran's oil exports, but they realized that this is neither practical nor possible," he was quoted as saying.
