Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Iran will break the sanctions imposed by the United States on Tehran as well as on countries that do business with it, shortly after a round of anti-Iran sanctions by America took effect.

Speaking at a meeting with the directors and deputies of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance on Monday, President Rouhani said, "We should break the sanctions very well, and we will do that."

"With the help of the people, and the unity that exists in our society, we have to make the Americans understand that they must not use the language of force, pressure, and threats to speak to the great Iranian nation. They must be punished once and for all," the Iranian president said.
The meeting and remarks came shortly after a new round of US sanctions took effect. The new bans target, among other things, Iran's oil sales and Central Bank. More Iranian individuals have also been targeted by the US Department of the Treasury.

The US measures also include so-called secondary sanctions — punitive measures against third countries doing business with Iran.