Reuters - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on the country’s political factions to end infighting and unite against foreign enemies in a new year speech broadcast on state TV on Thursday.

Hardliners in Iran have criticized Rouhani after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a multilateral nuclear deal, which Rouhani supported, and reimposed sanctions last year.

Rouhani defended his record in his new year speech, noting that economic problems are primarily caused by U.S. sanctions.

Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh; Editing by Leslie Adler