It's time for the United States to hold Iran accountable.

Iran's president said on Wednesday that his country will stand up to the United States and reciprocate for any new sanctions that America imposes on the Islamic Republic.

Hassan Rouhani's remarks came a day after the Trump administration announced new, non-nuclear sanctions on Iranians while at the same time warning Tehran that it would face consequences for breaching "the spirit" of the nuclear deal with world powers.

The new sanctions, perceived as the latest attempt to clamp down on Iran's military financing, target 18 Iranian individuals and groups, ranging from an Iranian-based company accused of aiding the country's drone program to a Turkey-based provider of naval equipment and a China-based network that helped secure electronics for Tehran.

If Washington, under any pretext, imposes new sanctions against Iran, "we will stand up to the United States," Rouhani said, adding that the "great nation of Iran will have an appropriate answer" and that the Iranian parliament will also act.

He did not elaborate. His speech, at a weekly cabinet meeting, was broadcast on state TV.

Rouhani, a 68-year-old cleric and political moderate who secured a resounding re-election over a hard-line opponent in May, has been increasingly outspoken against the U.S., calling relations with Washington "a curvy road" even as he touted the 2015 nuclear accord Iran secured with world powers.

Click here to read more.