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Iranian cleric urges unity against "economic war"

03 August 2012 19:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A senior Iranian cleric on Friday urged the Iranian nation and the authorities to form a united front against what he called an "economic war" waged on the Islamic republic, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"This is a war in which the enemy, which has suffered defeat in other wars, is trying to regain its lost face through victory," Tehran’s interim Friday prayers leader, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, was quoted as saying.

He said economic problems in Iran have their root in politics, adding that the United States seeks to restore its domination on the region by inflicting an economic defeat on Iran.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced Tuesday additional sanctions against Iran’s energy and petrochemical sectors over the Islamic republic’s disputed nuclear program.

Obama said he ordered the latest round of sanctions to "deter Iran from establishing payment mechanisms to circumvent existing sanctions."