Iran president dismisses Sarkozy "bombing" comments

TEHRAN, Aug 28 (Reuters) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said today his French counterpart showed lack of experience in world affairs by suggesting Iran could be attacked if it did not stop sensitive atomic work.

He was speaking a day after French President Nicolas Sarkozy said a diplomatic push by the world's powers to rein in Tehran's nuclear programme was the only alternative to ''an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran''.

The Iranian president suggested Sarkozy's comments were mainly aimed at a domestic audience in France.

''He has come recently (to office) and wants to find a place for himself in the world and is not experienced much yet,'' Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Tehran.

''These remarks lack any political value for us.'' Sarkozy, who was elected in May, said a nuclear-armed Iran would be unacceptable and major powers should continue their policy of incrementally increasing sanctions against it while being open to talks if Tehran suspended nuclear activities.

Tehran, which has ruled out shelving its nuclear energy programme, says it only wants to generate electricity but has yet to convince the world's most powerful countries that it is not secretly pursuing atomic bombs.

REUTERS MS BST2329