Rouhani said that the US was trying to create a distance between the government and the people of Iran and called for the country to unite before the National Assembly elections.

"We should not let Trump succeed in separating the government from the people. We should unite. Don't turn your back on the February 21 congressional elections. Let's make breakthrough changes." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today in a speech broadcast live on his website. "We should not let Trump and terrorists in the White House isolate Iran," he said.

Tehran faces challenges in sustaining economic development under the pressure of increasingly tough sanctions imposed by Washington, since the United States withdrew from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement (JCPOA). Oil exports, a key sector of the economy, are significantly affected.

The hard-line faction of the Iranian Guardianship Council has removed about 9,000 of the 14,000 candidates for the upcoming parliamentary election. The moderateists say they have very few candidates to participate.

The gap between the people and the Iranian government has increased since last year, when hundreds of people died in anti-government protests. Iran has not disclosed the number of people killed in the protests, but denied human rights figures.

Tensions between the United States and Iran were aggravated after the United States withdrew from the JCPOA last year and escalated after Washington's air raid killed General Qassem Soleimani earlier this month, prompting Tehran to retaliate with a missile strike on a military base. US garrison in Iraq. Iran on Thursday announced it would continue to enrich uranium unlimited and vowed to take revenge on the United States.