US seeks to stab Turkey in the back: Turkey's president

ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out against the United States on Monday, criticizing that the NATO ally seeks to "stab Turkey in the back" by the use of sanctions.

In an address to Turkish ambassadors gathered for an annual meeting in Ankara, the Turkish leader said that "attacks on the economy are likely to continue for a while," but Turkey will take steps to respond.

Turkey's economy has been under punitive sanctions from the United States over the ongoing detention of a US pastor, Andrew Brunson. Turkey has held the cleric since 2016 and has alleged that he was involved in a failed coup attempt that year.

Erdogan also said the country is under an economic "siege" that has nothing to do with its economic indicators, insisting that Turkey will overcome the "attack" on its economy.

He said Turkey's economy remains strong and argued that the national currency, which has lost around 45 percent of its value since the start of this year, would soon settle "at the most reasonable level."

The Turkish leader's remarks came after authorities launched investigations into hundreds of social media accounts for false reports on the country's economy.

Spreading false news about Turkey's economy is "treason," said Erdogan.