Tasnim � Tehran's Provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani called on the Iranian nation to stay vigilant against plots hatched by the US and the Zionist regime of Israel against the Islamic Republic�s culture, economy, and politics.

Addressing a gathering of worshippers in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Emami Kashani deplored the continued crimes of the US against the Iranian nation and said Washington has always sought to dominate Iran and the Muslim world.

Today, the global arrogance (the US) and the Zionist regime have hatched numerous plots against Islamic countries, including Iran, the cleric stated.

�They are plotting against the economy, culture, and politics of Iran and the Islamic Ummah,� he said, adding, �Are we awake or asleep in the face of enemies� plots?�

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on various occasions has rejected the US and Zionist officials� claim that they are opposed only to the Islamic Republic�s establishment, saying that their enmity is targeted at the Iranian nation because the Islamic Republic is based upon people.

The remarks come against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been trying to reduce Iran�s oil exports to �zero,� and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.

Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans.