International

Iran will not surrender to US pressure and will never abandon its goals even if it is attacked, President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Iran's top military chief said the standoff between Tehran and Washington was a "clash of wills", warning any enemy "adventurism" would meet a crushing response, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

But Iran's decision earlier this month to backtrack from some commitments in response to US measures to cripple its economy threatens to unravel the deal, under which Tehran agreed to curbs on its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions.

"After Iran's announcement to partly suspend its commitments under the [nuclear deal], there is a window of opportunity for diplomacy to persuade Iran to continue to fully comply," an unnamed German diplomatic source told Reuters News Agency.