Tehran, October 4: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Thursday that Tehran will "slap the US in the face" by defeating it in its economic sanctions against the country.

"The American sanctions are more fragile than Iran's economy," Khamenei said while addressing a gathering in the capital.

"We will defeat the sanctions. The defeat of sanctions will be America's defeat, and the US, with this defeat, should once again be slapped in the face by the Iranian nation, God willing," he was cited as saying by Press TV.

The leader called for the unity among all the Iranians in the face of the "enemy's plots", saying that "if the enemy witnesses the unity, power, and determination, it will retreat".

Khamenei said over the past 40 years, when the Islamic republic was established in Iran, the US has been seeking to overthrow the Islamic establishment, stressing that Washington will also be disappointed in its recent plots against Tehran. Iran’s President Warns U.S. of “Historic Regret” If Trump Walks Out of Iran Deal.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier said that his country was terminating the 1955 Treaty of Amity with Iran after the UN's top court ordered Washington to lift sanctions on Tehran.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice issued a verdict against the US unilateral sanctions, following Washington's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 04, 2018 02:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).