Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani promised today that the country would overcome Coronavirus outbreak just as it had faced down sweeping US sanctions. <br />''<br />''In messages marking the Persian New Year holiday, Nowruz, they acknowledged that the past year had been difficult.<br />'' <br />'' Mr Khamenei paid tribute to the sacrifices of the country's doctors and nurses in tackling the Coronavirus, which has infected 18,407 people in the country and killed 1,284.<br />''<br />'' He prayed that the coming 12 months would see great victories after a "turbulent" year that saw open hostilities between Tehran and its archfoe Washington.<br />'' <br />'' Khamenei insisted that the economy had begun to improve, despite the reimposition of US sanctions since 2018 when President Donald Trump quit a landmark nuclear agreement between major powers and Iran. In his message to Iranians, broadcast shortly after the supreme leader's, President Rouhani said, we have not been defeated and soon we will overcome the COVID-19 outbreak too.<br />''