Iran shows calm in face of new US sanctions

Iran reacted calmly to sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the United States earlier this week, saying it won't leave the nuclear pact it reached with world powers two years ago.

US President Donald Trump is trying to provoke the country to leave the deal it struck in 2015 on the use of nuclear power, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"We won't give Trump this gift," Zarif was quoted as saying by state newspaper Iran.

The US slapped new sanctions on Iran on Friday in response to the country's launch of a satellite into space a day earlier, saying the launch violates UN Security Council measures.

Iran is prohibited from undertaking any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.

Iran contends the US sanctions are a breach of a deal it reached in July 2015, which permits the country to use nuclear power for civilian purposes in return for dropping sanctions.

According to Zarif, Trump alone can't annul the 2015 deal without the other countries that signed agreement: China, Germany, France, Britain and Russia.

Tehran has stressed consistently that its military and missile programmes are designed to defend its own borders and pose no threat to other countries.

Washington considers Tehran's missile programme to be violation of the 2015 nuclear deal.