President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country will respond with force to the new US sanctions that are aimed at pressuring Tehran to abandon its nuclear program, Fars news agency reported.

In his annual meeting with senior central bank officials, Ahmadinejad stated that the Iranian central bank was strong enough to defeat the US plans.

The sanctions included cutting off from the US financial system foreign firms that do business with the central bank.

Fars news agency also quoted the Iranian president as saying that “the central bank was the backbone of the country in facing outside pressure and should have the strength and confidence to thwart enemy plans.”

He further indicated that “the bank must with strength and self-confidence have the solidity to eliminate all of the enemies' plots… We must protect the people and the nation against the plots of enemies, so that the people are not under pressure.”