Iran: Ahmadinejad says sanctions will be met with 'force'

Tehran, 2 Jan. (AKI) - The Iranian Central Bank will respond to new sanctions imposed by the United States "with force, "Iranian president Ahmadinejad told an annual meeting of senior central bank officials on Monday, according to state media.

US president Barack Obama on Saturday signed into law a defense bill that included sanctions on the Iranian central bank in response to Iran's refusal to curb its nuclear program which the West believes is for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies it has a nuclear arms program.

Separately, Iran is flexing its muscles in response to Western moves to isolate it economically.

Iran's deputy Navy Commander Mahmoud Mousavi told the official news agency IRNA. on Monday it had conducted a successful test of a long-range missile during its naval exercise in the Gulf.

"We have test fired a long-range shore-to-sea missile called Qader, which managed to successfully destroy predetermined targets in the Gulf," Mousavi said in the report

The Euroepan Union says it may follow the US's lead by imposing an import ban on Iranian crude oil.