FILE PHOTO: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks at a news conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 26, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid/File Photo

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said America was a terrorist and committed terrorist acts, in a speech broadcast live on state TV, pointing to economic sanctions.

Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States since top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with a missile attack against a U.S. base in Iraq days later.