Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has suggested that Tehran will not launch any attack on Israel.

Speaking in Malaysia, he said "there is no need for any measures by the Iranian people" to bring about the end of the "Zionist regime" in Israel.

Mr Ahmadinejad was speaking after he was asked to clarify the statement that he wanted to "destroy" Israel.

His comments come amid reports of possible Israeli or US plans to strike Iran's nuclear facilities.

An aide to Iran's Supreme Leader Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier warned that Tehran would strike Israel and the US navy in the Gulf if it was attacked over its nuclear programme.

Tehran denies Western claims that it is seeking to build a nuclear weapon.

It has repeatedly rejected demands to halt enriching uranium, which can be used as fuel for power plants - and material for weapons if refined to a greater degree.

'Political suicide'

President Ahmadinejad was speaking through an interpreter at the end of a summit of the D8 Islamic developing nations in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Asked if he objected to the government of Israel or Jewish people, he said that "creating an objection against the Zionists doesn't mean that there are objections against the Jewish".

He added that Jews lived in Iran and were represented in the country's parliament.

President Ahmadinejad also said that people in America would not let President George W Bush authorise an attack on Iran because it would be "political suicide".

"The economic, political and military situation will not let Mr Bush do that," he said, adding that Iran was ready to defend itself.

(BBC)

<< Back