Iran not to surrender under sanctions

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that sanctions and pressure cannot force the Iranian nation to surrender since Iranians are strong and always overcome problems, semi-official Fars news agency reported. "During the last 33 years, Iran has been faced with a wide range of political, security, military and economic pressure and sanctions, but the Iranian nation has defused these pressure and grown more powerful through its resistance," Khamenei was quoted as saying. He said the growing pressure is mainly aimed at making the Iranian nation surrender, "but Iran has not bowed and will never surrender to pressure, and this has made the enemy furious." The Iranian nation will overcome the harsh conditions through reliance on its natural wealth and talented people, said the Iranian leader. Iran is under substantive sanctions, especially on its oil industry and oil exports, by the West over the country's controversial nuclear program. The European Union imposed an oil embargo on Tehran on July 1.