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TEHRAN, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said here Saturday that the United States has failed to cripple Iran's economy by imposing sanctions, official IRNA news agency reported.

The United States has sought "to cripple and hold back Iran's economy" by resorting to sanctions, "but the outcome is that the country moves broadly towards self-sufficiency," he said.

"In the past, the Iranians had become accustomed to importing everything, but now, they are used to producing those things," he said.

The remarks by Iran's top leader come a day after Washington announced the return of its full-scale sanctions against Tehran on Friday.

A statement issued by the White House on Friday said the sanctions against Iran, to fully take effect on Nov. 5, would be "the toughest" and "unprecedented," targeting many of the country's "critical sectors" like energy, shipping, shipbuilding, and finance.