US sanctions on Iran 'economic terrorism': Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday described U.S. sanctions on Iran as an "economic terrorism" and a "crime against humanity".

"Today, nobody doubts that the United States' anti-Iranian plots that began last year with the sanctions with the aim of making people lose their faith in the system has completely failed," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.

"Even the President of the United States has told a world leader that it is [Trump's advisor John] Bolton who is doing all these and we thought that if we put pressure on Iran, we can bring it to its knees, but now he has understood that he was wrong," he said.

"The world is against the United States' unilateralism," Rouhani said.

On June 7, the U.S. Treasury Department issued new sanctions on Iran's petrochemical industry, including the country's largest petrochemical company for providing "financial support" to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Tensions have been rising between the U.S. and Iran since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from an international pact world powers struck with Iran in 2015 to curb its nuclear program.

The Trump administration went on to pursue a number of actions meant to scuttle the agreement, including the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions on Iranian oil.