Iranian president says country in ‘economic fight’ with US

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country is in a “fight” with the US, a day after protesters angered by Iran’s tanking economy confronted police in front of parliament.

In a televised speech, Rouhani blames the US for Iran’s woes and says the US is trying to damage the country by creating “an economic war.”

“The US cannot defeat our nation, our enemies are not able to get us to their knees,” he says.

Rouhani’s comments come after protesters angered by Iran’s tanking economy confronted police in front of parliament yesterday. It was the first such confrontation since similar demonstrations rocked the country at the start of the year.

The demonstration signaled widespread unease in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers and restore sanctions on the country.

— AP