Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday that Iran will not yield to the sanction pressures exerted by the West on the Islamic republic over its controversial nuclear program.

"The Western authorities have reiterated that their sanction pressures against Iran aim at making people desperate and tired and making the officials and the people reconsider their calculations," said Khamenei, adding that "but they (the West) make a mistake and they will not achieve their goals."

The determination of the Iranian nation to achieve their goals will not be slackened by the Western sanction pressures, said Khamenei in remarks broadcast from state TV.

He asked the Iranian people to actively participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for March 12, 2012, and said that the enemies of the country are trying to discourage people from taking part in the elections.

Following a report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear program in November, 2011, the United States, Britain and Canada announced new sanctions against Iran.

Certain Western countries have also said that they are considering sanctions against Iran's Central Bank and Iran's crude exports.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian and medical use only, but Western powers have accused it of harboring ambitions for nuclear weapons.