Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei says that the enemies � the US and some European countries - seek to link sanctions to Iran�s nuclear energy program, stressing that the main reason behind the anti-Iran embargoes is not the nuclear issue but the Iranian nation�s "resistance and independence" against the global hegemony.

Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei arrived in Iran�s northeastern province of North Khorasan Wednesday morning while large crowds of jubilant people flocked to the streets of Bojnord to welcome their leader.

In his speech addressing tens of thousands of people in the province of North Khorasan, Leader of the Islamic Revolution lashed out at the West for imposing what he called �barbaric� sanctions. "These sanctions are barbaric. This is a war against a nation... But the Iranian nation will weather the sanctions, and overcome problems as always," he said.

Ayatollah Khamenei reminded on his Wednesday speech that sanctions are nothing new to Iran, as similar boycotts had been in place before the West started its hues and cries about Iran's nuclear program.

The leader stressed that the Iranian nation will emerge victorious in the battle as it has overcome much bigger problems over the past 33 years.

The West is lying when it claims that economic sanctions imposed on Iran will be lifted if the Islamic Republic halts its nuclear progress, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday, adding that the "enemies" were exaggerating the extent of the sanctions' damage.

Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei admitted that sanctions have caused problems but said the Islamic Republic will overcome the difficulties.

He added that European countries are "foolish" to support sanctions against Tehran, charging them with sacrificing themselves for the sake of the United States.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Iran's Supreme leader told Iranian officials to stop bickering over mounting economic woes as Tehran grapples with Western-imposed sanctions.

"The country's officials should know and accept their responsibilities and not blame each other," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised speech in the northeastern city of Bojnourd. "They should be united and sympathize with each other."

Moreover, he denounced Western officials who thought the rial's plunge showed Iranian weakness, saying that the problems of the West - Europe's debt crisis - are much more complicated than ours.

The Iranian rial has slumped as much as 40 percent against the dollar since August, leading to spiraling inflation, as U.S. and European sanctions curb Iran�s oil output and cut off the flow of hard currency.