TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader has warned against importing consumer goods from the United States as the Islamic republic prepares for the lifting of sanctions under a landmark nuclear deal.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's website on Sunday quotes him as advising authorities to "be watchful about irregular imports after lifting sanctions and seriously avoid importing consumer goods from the United States."

Iran's imports from the U.S. reportedly reached $140 million in the first half of 2015, around 60 percent higher than in the same period in 2014. The imports mainly consist of medical devices, food and seeds.

Ayatollah Khamenei, as well as hard-liners in the Iranian government, remain deeply suspicious of the United States despite the nuclear deal, and view Western cultural imports as a threat to public morality.

By AP