"Sanctions against our country were imposed by some states speaking the language of force. These are illegal sanctions and, naturally, the Iranian nation has taken the necessary measures to resist them," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said.
He said that the Iranian nation, which denounced the "current colonialist world order," believed in its own strength and was developing relations with friendly states, had managed to turn the restrictions imposed by the international community to its own advantage.
"We are convinced that the tool of sanctions from ill-wishers is a thing of the past. As a point of fact, Iran's enemies have imposed sanctions against themselves, while the Iranian nation is following its path," the president said.
Tehran is under three sets of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, which many Western powers led by the United States say is part of efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has dismissed that claim, saying it needs uranium enrichment for electricity generation.
Washington has imposed unilateral trade and banking sanctions against the Islamic Republic and has not ruled out the use of force.
