Tasnim � Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Hossein Salami highlighted Iran�s self-sufficiency despite harsh economic sanctions and said the country will never give in to the enemy�s will.

�The Iranian people have shown that they are greater than our enemies and their sanctions,� major Salami said in a speech in the northern city of Aq Qala on Thursday.

�The will of the Iranian people is greater than that of the enemies,� the top commander added.

He further said the enemies� pressures have made the Islamic Revolution more powerful, adding that the pressures have had no effect other than raising the morale and motivation of the Iranian nation for building the country, making further progress, and becoming more independent and self-sufficient.

�We are a nation that will never, under any circumstances, give in to the will of the enemy because we are united with a strong will and great leadership,� he went on to say.

The remarks come against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to reduce Iran�s oil exports to �zero,� and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.

Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans and selling crude oil.