The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said Friday that Iran benefits from the Western sanctions.

Khamenei made the remarks in Tehran when leading the Friday prayers that was broadcast live by the state TV.

In response to the Western sanctions on the country, including the recent U.S. and EU embargo on Iran's oil exports, Khamenei said that the sanctions have helped the potentials within the country bloom and prompted the country to grow domestically.

He said that in the face of the Western sanctions Iran has proved that it "turns to the internal potentials and grows domestically."

He referred to the military advancements and nuclear enrichment progress of the country and said that such achievements were made as the Islamic republic came under diverse sanction pressures from the Western countries.