He made the remarks Wednesday while addressing the people of Lahijan, Gilan province, in northern Iran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its path of independence and development which was started 40 years ago, he noted.

Rouhani praised the resistance of Iranian nation in the face of US sanctions, saying, “enemies wanted to name this year as the year of their victory and our defeat, but the great Iranian nation has resisted all pressures exerted by the enemies.”

At the first stage of their plot, enemies were after provoking the Iranian nation to breach the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), however, they didn’t gain any victory in this field, said Rouhani.

The president then added that the United States saw its isolation in the world and decided to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal unilaterally.

Washington thought that it could break the Iranian nation’s resistance with the imposition of sanctions but the nation resisted and enemies’ next plot was also foiled in the UN Security Council session in which all member countries voiced support for Iran against the will of US President Donald Trump, Rouhani noted.

“The United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was a violation of rules and regulations, standing against the United Nations and the world,” the official website of Iran’s Presidency quoted him as saying.

Enemies wanted to unite the world against Iran in Warsaw conference but they failed, he added.

Iran seeks constructive interaction with all countries, he said, adding, “some countries themselves have created problems, distancing themselves from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and it is their fault.”

Stating that the enemies make the problems, but they will definitely not achieve their goals, president said, “during the economic war, the country needs a single commander; I suggested to the Leader to be the commander, but he said it is the president who has to be the commander of this war.”

Elsewhere, he went on to say, “we promised that we would work towards self-sufficiency in energy consumption and today, we are fully self-sufficient in this sector.”

Referring to the government’s promise to people to connect four major provinces to the nationwide railway system, he said, “Hamedan, Kermanshah, Urmia, and today, Rasht, are connected to the system.”

“Bandar-e Anzali and Caspian Sea must be connected to the Persian Gulf through railways as soon as possible,” continued Rouhani.

He also stressed the importance of the environment and protecting the wetlands of Gilan Province.

Rouhani further said that the construction process of Rasht-Astara, which is very important for international purposes, would begin today.