TEHRAN: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that Iran would not yield to the pressure of sanctions imposed by the West to get the Islamic Republic to change its nuclear course.

"The Iranian nation believes in their rulers ... Sanctions imposed on Iran by our enemies will not have any impact on our nation," he said in a speech broadcast by state television.

"Sanctions will not change our nation's determination."

Tension between Iran and the West has been rising after the United States and European Union expanded sanctions against Tehran in recent months over its disputed nuclear programme.

Washington and its allies say Iran is trying to develop atomic bombs under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy programme. Tehran denies this.

"The Islamic establishment ... knows firmly what it is doing and has chosen its path and will stay the course," Khamenei said.

Iran has so far refused to halt uranium enrichment activity, a pathway to nuclear energy or nuclear weapons, as demanded by the United Nations Security Council.