Tehran, February 6 (RHC)-- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Americans did all in their power to bring Iran to its knees, but they failed to achieve that goal thanks to the nation’s strong unity and vigilance.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani described national unity as well as trust between the people and the ruling establishment as the keys to resolving problems and withstanding enmities.

“The Americans, have done their utmost to pressure the Iranian nation over the past two years, but have failed, thanks to our people’s steadfastness and unity,” he added.

The Iranian chief executive also noted that the White House sought - in vain - to get its European allies to toe its line in dealing with the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Why has the U.S. even failed in dragging its allies along?  Why is the US incapable of presenting its act of terrorism as powermongering to the world?  The reason must be sought in the vigilance, awareness, resistance and withstanding of our great nation,” he said.

The administration of President Donald Trump has followed what it calls a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, which has seen Washington abandoning the JCPOA and imposing the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Iranian economy.

Washington is also exerting pressure on the European signatories to the JCPOA to scrap the multilateral nuclear accord, which was also ratified in the form of a UN Security Council resolution.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani emphasized the need for the Iranians to participate en masse in the upcoming countrywide rallies marking the 41st anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying, “Today, our enemies are standing against our national interests with all their might.”