Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in his Own Words
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He termed Zionists "the most detested people in all humanity" and called the extermination of six million Jews during World War II "a myth," claiming that Jews have played up Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust in a bid to extort sympathy for Israel from European governments.
January 3, 2012
"Zionists, who have no faith in religion or even God, now claim piety and intend to take away the Islamic identity of the Holy Quds. This ridiculous move is in fact the continuation of the colonialist polices of oppressors, which will not save the Zionist regime, but also take the regime closer to the endpoint of its existence."
(Speech to a delegation from the Turkish-Palestinian Parliamentary Friendship Group)
December 13, 2011
"[The US administration is under control of] Zionists whose survivals are tied to war and bloodshed and plundering the wealth of other nations. Foreigners are trying to promote their dominance over the region and save the Zionist regime. They intend to break down the resistance frontiers of the nations of the region against the Zionist regime. Therefore, through foreign pressure and increasing conflicts, they try not to let the Syrian government and Syrian nation cooperate in solving their problems … Those who accuse Iran of producing an atomic bomb are the same people who ruled the United States in the dark days of colonialism, and they exploited the indigenous Americans and are currently systematically plundering the wealth of other nations … The US and its allies do not believe in democracy and prefer their own benefit to human rights. The dominant powers want to block Iran's oil flow or take control of it, but they will never achieve this."
(Interview with Venezuelan TV)
October 2, 2011
"[If] the backers of the Zionist regime want to solve the issue [of the Palestinian refugees]... the solution is simple ... everyone should go home."
(At the International Conference on Palestine in Tehran)
September 22, 2011
"Who used the mysterious September 11 incident as a pretext to attack Afghanistan and Iraq, killing, injuring, and displacing millions in two countries with the ultimate goal of bringing into its domination the Middle East and its oil resources? ... If some European countries still use the Holocaust, after six decades, as the excuse to pay fine or ransom to the Zionists, should it not be an obligation upon the slave masters or colonial powers to pay reparations to the affected nations? ... By using their imperialistic media network which is under the influence of colonialism they threaten anyone who questions the Holocaust and the September 11 event with sanctions and military action … Last year, when the need to form a fact-finding team to undertake a thorough investigation concerning the hidden elements involved in September 11 incident was brought up; an idea also endorsed by all independent governments and nations as well as by the majority in the United States, my country and myself came under pressure and threat by the government of the United States. Instead of assigning a fact-finding team, they killed the main perpetrator and threw his body into the sea. Would it not have been reasonable to bring to justice and openly bring to trial the main perpetrator of the incident in order to identify the elements behind the safe space provided for the invading aircraft to attack the twin world trade towers? Why should it not have been allowed to bring him to trial to help recognize those who launched terrorist groups and brought wars and other miseries into the region? ... They view Zionism as a sacred notion and ideology. Any question concerning its very foundation and history is condemned by them as an unforgivable sin. However they endorse and allow sacrileges and insult against beliefs of other divine religions."
(Address to U.N. General Assembly)
September 13, 2011
"We should revive our traditional medicine which is in harmony with our culture and is naturally cheaper and more useful …The Zionist and western capital holders have changed all human and cultural concepts in the world so widely that treatment is completely considered as a business in the world today."
(At a meeting with the World Health Organization Regional Director Hassan Abdolrazzaq Jazzayeri)
August 26, 2011
"The Zionist regime's establishment was based on numerous deceptions and lies and one of the biggest lies was the Holocaust.
"On the one hand we have the Zionist regime as the global axis of thieves and murderers, and on the other hand we have the Quds Day which is the axis of those seeking freedom, justice and end of suppression."
(Address at Tehran University on Quds Day)
April 20, 2011
"They say they want to create a new and greater Middle East under the U.S. and the Zionist regime's (Israel) dominance. I am telling you that a new and greater Middle East will be established without the existence of the U.S. and the Zionist regime…. In recent years, regional nations have realized that the United States and the Zionist regime are their main enemies…. Arrogant powers try to deceive nations. They have put the Iranian nation under pressure to oblige it to retreat but the resistance of Iranians and their steadfastness has led to their (the West's) defeat...."
(Address to a large crowd in the Iranian city of Sanandaj)
April 17, 2010
"The era of Zionism and capitalism has passed away."
(Speech in honor of Iran's Army Day)
October 14, 2010
"You are the heroes that guard Lebanon's sovereignty…You have proven that there no force in the world can beat you. The resistance of the Lebanese nation, drawn from faith in God, can stand up to any Israeli force – planes, tanks and ships…The Zionists planned to destroy this village, but it stood strong against the occupiers…The world should know the Zionists are mortal ... today the Lebanese nation is alive and is a role model for the regional nations…The whole world should know that the Zionists will eventually disappear and Bint Jbeil will remain alive."
(At a rally in the Southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, which borders Israel)
October 13, 2010
We "oppose the occupation and aggression and the crimes committed by the Zionist enemy and those who support it."
(At a news conference with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman)
September 23, 2010
"First, the event of the II September 2001 which has affected the whole world for almost a decade. All of a sudden, the news of the attack on the Twin Towers was broadcast using numerous footages of the incident.
"Almost all governments and known figures strongly condemned this incident. But then a propaganda machine came into full force; it was implied that the whole world was exposed to a huge danger, namely terrorism, and that the only way to save the world would be to deploy forces into Afghanistan. Eventually Afghanistan, and shortly thereafter Iraq were occupied.
"Please take note:
"It was said that some three thousands people were killed on the II September for which we are all very saddened. Yet, up until now, in Afghanistan and Iraq hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions wounded and displaced and the conflict is still going on and expanding.
"In identifying those responsible for the attack, there were three viewpoints.
"1- That a very powerful and complex terrorist group, able to successfully cross all layers of the American intelligence and security, carried out the attack. This is the main viewpoint advocated by American statesmen.
"2- That some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order also to save the Zionist regime.
"The majority of the American people as well as other nations and politicians agree with this view.
"3- It was carried out by a terrorist group but the American government supported and took advantage of the situation. Apparently, this viewpoint has fewer proponents.
"The main evidence linking the incident was a few passports found in the huge volume of rubble and a video of an individual whose place of domicile was unknown but it was announced that he had been involved in oil deals with some American officials. It was also covered up and said that due to the explosion and fire no trace of the suicide attackers was found.
"There remain, however, a few questions to be answered:
"1- Would it not have been sensible that first a thorough investigation should have been conducted by independent groups to conclusively identify the elements involved in the attack and then map out a rational plan to take measures against them?
"2- Assuming the viewpoint of the American government, is it rational to launch a classic war through widespread deployment of troops that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people to counter a terrorist group?
"3- Was it not possible to act the way Iran countered the Riggi terrorist group who killed and wounded 400 innocent people in Iran. In the Iranian operation no innocent person was hurt.
"It is proposed that the United Nations set up an independent fact-finding group for the event of the II September so that in the future expressing views about it is not forbidden.
"I wish to announce here that next year the Islamic Republic of Iran will host a conference to study terrorism and the means to confront it. I invite officials, scholars, thinkers, researchers and research institutes of all countries to attend this conference."
(Address to United Nations General Assembly)
September 23, 2010
"This regime (Israel) which enjoys the absolute support of some western countries regularly threatens the countries in the region and continues publicly announced assassination of Palestinian figures and others, while Palestinian defenders and those opposing this regime are pressured, labeled as terrorists and anti Semites. All values, even the freedom of expression, in Europe and in the United States are being sacrificed at the altar of Zionism."
(Address to United Nations General Assembly)
September 21, 2010
"The question is, why don't we allow this subject (the Holocaust) to be examined further... It is incorrect to force only one view on the rest of the world.
"How come when it comes to the subject of the Holocaust there is so much sensitivity?"
(In a meeting with journalists in New York City)
September 16, 2010
In an interview, Ahmadinejad blamed "Zionists" for the contoversy over the proposed Islamic cultrual center near Ground Zero.
"We believe that there's a minority in the United States and they are Zionists . They have no religion. They believe in no religion."
(Interview with Andrea Mitchell, NBC News)
September 2, 2010
"The Zionists are groups of hypocrite racists who have been operating under the pretext of following Jewish religion principles."
(Address at a rally marking International Quds Day).
August 7, 2010
No "Zionists" were killed in the World Trade Center, because "one day earlier they were told not to go to their workplace."
"They announced that 3,000 people were killed in this incident, but there were no reports that reveal their names. Maybe you saw that, but I did not."
"What was the story of September 11? During five to six days, and with the aid of the media, they created and prepared public opinion so that everyone considered an attack on Afghanistan and Iraq as (their) right."
(At a televised conference in Tehran)
March 11, 2010
"See what has become of Israel. They [the West] gathered the most criminal people in the world and stationed them in our region with lies and fabricated scenarios. They waged wars, committed massive aggression… and made millions of people homeless…Today, it is clear that Israel is the most hated regime in the world… It is not useful for its masters [the West] anymore. They are in doubt now. They wonder whether to continue spending money on this regime or not…But whether they want it or not, with God's grace, this regime will be annihilated and Palestinians and other regional nations will be rid of its bad omen."
(In a speech in southern Iran).
February 25, 2010
"If the Zionist regime wants to repeat its past mistakes, this will constitute its demise and annihilation…With Allah's help the new Middle East will be a Middle East without Zionists and Imperialists."
(At a news conference in Damascus with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.)
October 10, 2009
"The Zionist regime wants to establish its base upon the ruins of the civilizations of the region...The uniform shout of the Iranian nation is forever 'Death to Israel.'..."
(As quoted by Fars News Agency)
September 18, 2009
"They (the Western powers) launched the myth of the Holocaust. They lied, they put on a show and then they support the Jews…. If as you claim the Holocaust is true, why can a study not be allowed? ... The pretext for establishing the Zionist regime is a lie... a lie which relies on an unreliable claim, a mythical claim, and the occupation of Palestine has nothing to do with the Holocaust…This claim is corrupt and the pretext is corrupt. This (the Israeli) regime's days are numbered and it is on its way to collapse. This regime is dying."
(at the annual Al Quds Day rally in Tehran)
May 3, 2009
"Removing present threats requires to put pressure on threat centers. Otherwise, enemies would continue threatening us… [you should] stand up to all threats and make efforts to put further pressure on threat centers in order to get rid of them."
(From address to Iran's academic and scientific community)
April 22, 2009
"Don't be afraid of those Zionists. They are on the verge of death. Their time has passed. Do not surrender your people to them…
"Don't you know the nature of the Zionists? Don't you know who the Zionists are? They came in order to take over our region in its entirety. At first, they said that they wanted [a country] from the Nile to the Euphrates. Once they got settled, they said that there had been a mistake, and that they wanted all the Islamic lands…
"Unless they are put in their place at the very beginning of their conspiracy and fitna, they will jeopardize the security of the whole world, they will jeopardize the security of the whole region… They want the entire world. At their very first step, you must crush their step, crush their leg, so that they do not dare to invade the Islamic lands"
(Speech, carried by Iranian News Channel, IRINN. Source: MEMRI)
April 20, 2009
"After the Second World War, by exploiting the holocaust and under the pretext of protecting the Jews they [the West] made a nation homeless with military expeditions and invasion…they established the most aggressive, racist country in another territory, i.e. Palestine.
"The global Zionism is the complete symbol of racism, which with unreal reliance on religion has tried to misuse the religious beliefs of some unaware people and hide its ugly face… we should try to put an end to the misuse of international means by the Zionists and their supporters."
(Remarks to the United Nations Durban Review Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, April 20, 2009). More
January 28, 2009
"A brief review of the events after World War II shows that the Holocaust issue - with the dimensions they define for it - is an excuse to continue dominance and expansion of influence of the victors, especially America and Britain in the international arena."
"The illegal Zionist regime… has demanded blood money of some victims...and have used some of this money to establish a Zionist regime in the land of Palestine, and have used this excuse to attack Palestine and by killing and displacing the people from their motherland they have occupied their mother land and established a Zionist regime, which is tasked with the job of denying an Islamic power emerging to counter the West.
"The Holocaust is knitted together with liberal democracy. It is the claimants of liberal democracy who support the Holocaust logic and have sanctified it to the degree that no one dares questioning its sanctity.
"Today the Zionists command many centers of power, wealth and the world media and unfortunately they have enthralled many politicians and political parties….
"Also, do not forget that the Zionist network which has created the Holocaust discourse must be made known to the nations..."
(Excerpts from a speech titled, "Holocaust, the Holy Lie of the West" at Sharif University in Tehran)
September 23, 2008
"The dignity, integrity and rights of the American and European people are being played with by a small but deceitful number of people called Zionists. Although they are a miniscule minority, they have been dominating an important portion of the financial and monetary centers as well as the political decision making centers of some European countries and the US in a deceitful, complex and furtive manner. It is deeply disastrous to witness that some presidential or premiere nominees in some big countries have to visit these people, take part in their gathers, swear their allegiance and commitment to their interests in order to attain financial or media support"
"Today, the Zionist regime is on a definite slope to collapse and there is no way for it to out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters….American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders. Today, the thought of hegemony quickly becomes a demerit."
September 18, 2008
"I have heard some say the idea of Greater Israel has expired….I say that the idea of lesser Israel has expired, too."
"We have no problems with these people (Israelis) but they should leave the occupied territories, leave them to their genuine owners and get back to their countries and homes where they originally came from."
"The Holocaust is a lie and the real Holocaust is happening to the Palestinians."
"The Zionist regime (Israel) is going towards its final collapse after 60 years of aggression. The final solution would be a referendum on Palestine's future fate with the participation of all Palestinians, regardless of whether Muslims, Jews or Christians."
"Our nation has no problem with other nations, but as far the Zionist regime is concerned, we do not believe in an Israeli government or an Israeli nation."
(Selected remarks at a press conference in Tehran, as quoted by news services)
August 23, 2008
"About 2,000 organised Zionists and 7,000 to 8,000 agents of Zionism have dragged the world into turmoil. … The powerful hand of the nations will clean these sources of corruption from the face of the earth."
(Speech at a rally in Arak)
"We will witness the dismantling of the corrupt regime (Israel) in the very near future."
(Speech marking "World Mosque Week in Tehran, as quoted by the official IRNA news agency)
May 13, 2008
"This terrorist and criminal state (Israel) is backed by foreign powers, but this regime would soon be swept away by the Palestinians."
(Remarks at press conference in Tehran, as quoted by dpa)
May 8, 2008
"Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken."
March 10, 2008
"Resistance is the only way to defeat the Zionists and their masters."
(as quoted by Iran's official IRNA news agency)
February 20, 2008
"The world powers established this filthy bacteria, the Zionist regime, which is lashing out at the nations in the region like a wild beast. … "[
January 30, 2008
"I warn you to abandon the filthy Zionist entity, which has reached the end of the line. It has lost its reason to be and will sooner or later fall. The ones who still support the criminal Zionists should know that the occupiers' days are numbered. … Accept that the life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end."
(As quoted by IRNA)
"We regret that some people fell victim to the cursed Zionist regime and they are mistaken if they thought this meeting was an achievement for them or helps reinforce the Zionists."
On Zionist control of the West:
"I would now like to ask Western governments to explain which one is right. Are they held captive [by the Zionists] or are they the puppet masters of the Zionists?"
"In both cases, they are accomplice to the crimes of the Zionist regime and they should know that they should be accountable for what they have done."
"They should know that if they are held captive by the Zionists and they do not dissociate themselves from them, they would soon be tried and punished in courts of justice by the powerful hands of nations."
On the Holocaust:
"After the Second World War, they created a scenario called 'pogrom against Jews.' All over
On resettling the Jews from
"...you cannot tolerate the presence of Zionists in
(Al-Quds Day speech)
September 24, 2007
On aliyah to
"...on the other hand, they gather a number of Jews from different parts of the world through false propaganda and with the promise of providing them with welfare, jobs and food, and settle them in the occupied territories, exposing them to the harshest restrictions, psychological pressures and constant threats.
They prevent these people from returning to their homelands and by coercion and propaganda induce them to malevolence toward the indigenous Palestinian people."
Call for "divine justice" in the international community:
"The era of darkness will end. Prisoners will return home. The occupied lands will be freed.
(Speech to UN General Assembly)
August 28, 2007
"Zionists are people without any religion. They are lying about being Jewish because religion means brotherhood, friendship and respecting other divine religions…
They are an organized minority who have infiltrated the world. They are not even a 10,000-strong organization."
(At a news conference in
June 3, 2007
"With God's help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of
(Speech, as quoted by the
March 21, 2007
"It is quite clear that a bunch of Zionist racists are the problem the modern world is facing today. They have access to global power and media centers and seek to use this access to keep the world in a state of hardship, poverty and grudge and strengthen their rule. The great nation of
(from a recorded New Year's message aired on Iranian television)
February 28, 2007
"The Zionists are the true manifestation of Satan . . . Many Western governments that claim to be pioneers of democracy and standard bearers of human rights close their eyes over crimes committed by the Zionists and by remaining silent support the Zionists due to their hedonistic and materialistic tendencies."
(to a meeting of Sudanese Islamic scholars in
December 12, 2006
"Thanks to people's wishes and God's will the trend for the existence of the Zionist regime is downwards and this is what God has promised and what all nations want…Just as the Soviet Union was wiped out and today does not exist, so will the Zionist regime soon be wiped out"
(Comments to Iran's Holocaust Conference)
November 29, 2006
"What have the Zionists done for the American people that the
(Letter from Ahmadinejad "to the American people")
"Israel is destined for destruction and will soon disappear"
Israel is "a contradiction to nature, we foresee its rapid disappearance and destruction."
"The Zionist regime is counterfeit and illegitimate and cannot survive"
(as quoted by Iranian state television)
August 6, 2006
"They (
(as quoted by Khorasan Provincial TV)
"A new
(as quoted by Malaysian news agency Bernama website)
"Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented."
(as quoted by Iranian TV)
"Are they human beings?... They (Zionists) are a group of blood-thirsty savages putting all other criminals to shame."
(as quoted by Iranian TV)
"The occupying regime of
(as quoted by Islamic Republic News Agency via the Associated Press)
"The Zionists think that they are victims of Hitler, but they act like Hitler and behave worse than Genghis Khan."
(as quoted by the Iranian News Agency)
"The Zionists and their protectors are the most detested people in all of humanity, and the hatred is increasing every day."
"The worse their crimes, the quicker they will fall."
"[Israel] has blackened the pages of history".
(as quoted by Iranian state television)
"I think we have sufficiently talked about this matter and these Holocaust events need to be further investigated by independent and impartial parties."
"An event that has influenced so many diplomatic and political equations of the world needs to investigated and researched by impartial and independent groups."
"If it is true, then the response to this question should not be solved in Palestine. The Palestinian question should be settled as soon as possible. If it is false, why should such measures be taken against the people of
(a news conference following a meeting with
"I believe the German people are prisoners of the Holocaust. More than 60 million were killed in World War II . . . The question is: Why is it that only the Jews are at the center of attention?"
"We say that if the Holocaust happened, then the Europeans must accept the consequences and the price should not be paid by
(in an interview with
May 11, 2006
Israel is "a regime based on evil that cannot continue and one day will vanish."
(to a student rally in Jakarta, Indonesia)
April 24, 2006
''We say that this fake regime (Israel) cannot not logically continue to live. Open the doors (of Europe) and let the Jews go back to their own countries."
(In a news conference held on April 24, 2006)
"If there is serious doubt over the Holocaust, there is no doubt over the catastrophe and holocaust being faced by the Palestinians. Holocaust has been continuing in
(In a speech at the opening of the "Support for the Palestinian Intifada" conference on April 14-16 hosted in
February 23, 2006
"These heinous acts are committed by a group of Zionists and occupiers that have failed. They have failed in the face of Islam's logic and justice . . . They invade the shrine and bomb there because they oppose God and justice . . . But be sure, you will not be saved from the wrath and power of the justice-seeking nations by resorting to such acts."
(In a speech broadcast on state television, where Ahmadinejad suggested that the bombing of a major Shiite shrine in Iraq by Sunni insurgents was plotted by Israel and the U.S. to divide Muslims.)
"Hopefully, the news that the criminal of Sabra and Chatilla has joined his ancestors is final."
(To a group of Muslim clerics in the Iranian city of
"[N]o Muslim nation would put up with this entity [i.e. Israel] in Islamic lands, not for one moment … If it's true that the [Europeans] committed a big crime in World War II, then they must take responsibility for it themselves, and not ask the Palestinian people to pay the price … Those countries that support this regime [Israel] were terrified at the suggestion that [Israel] should be relocated to their neighborhood. So why should the Palestinians and the countries in our region accept this entity?"
(In a speech before an audience in the Iranian city of
"[The creation of Israel after World War II] killed two birds with one stone [for Europe] … [The objectives achieved by Europe were] [s]weeping the Jews out of Europe and at the same time creating a European appendix with a Zionist and anti-Islamic nature in the heart of the Islamic world …Zionism is a Western ideology and a colonialist idea ... and right now it massacres Muslims with direct guidance and help from the United States and a part of Europe ... Zionism is basically a new [form of] fascism."
(In written answers to questions from the public reproduced in several Iranian newspapers)
December 14, 2005
"Today, they [Europeans] have created a myth in the name of Holocaust and consider it to be above God, religion and the prophets … This is our proposal: give a part of your own land in Europe, the
(Speaking to thousands of people in the Iranian city of
December 13, 2005
"If the killing of Jews in
(Comments published on Iranian state television's Web site)
December 8, 2005
"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces.... Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: Is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of
(While speaking to reporters at an Islamic summit in
November 27, 2005
"You [the
(During a nationally televised ceremony of the establishment of
October 29, 2005
"They [the
(Marching in a demonstration alongside a crowd of students in
October 28, 2005
"They [International Zionist and Expansionist Policies of the World Arrogance, i.e.
(Defending his earlier comments)
October 26, 2005
"
(In an address to 4,000 students at a program titled, 'The World Without Zionism')
June 19, 2005
"It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege."
(In an interview with state television shortly before his election)
June 8, 2005
The UN structure is one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam.
(In an interview on state television)
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