Hillary Clinton dubs Ahmadinejad 'anti-Semitic'

Washington, Apr 30: The US-Iran tiff continues to intensify with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton dubbing Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 'anti-Semitic' besides launching a scathing attack on Tehran's hostile nuclear ambitions.

"Iran, with its anti-Semitic president and hostile nuclear ambitions, continues to threaten Israel, but it also threatens the region and it sponsors terrorism," Clinton said at the American Jewish Committee Annual Gala Dinner on Friday, Apr 30.

Clinton's remarks come ahead of NPT Review Conference, slated to be held in New York. The Iranian President is one among the many world leaders expected to attend the conference.

"At every turn, Iran has met our outstretched hand with a clenched fist. But our engagement has helped build a growing global consensus on the need to pressure Iran's leaders to change course," she said.

"We are now working with our partners at the United Nations to craft tough new sanctions," she said, adding that the US is committed to pursuing this diplomatic path.

"But we will not compromise our commitment to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons," she added.

Attacking Hamas and Hezbollah for making false claims that Palestine can be achieved through violence, Clinton said, "Transferring weapons to these terrorists - especially longer-range missiles - would pose a serious threat to the security of Israel. It would have a profoundly destabilising effect on the region. And it would absolutely violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which bans the unauthorised importation of any weapons into Lebanon.

Obama administration is working towards a two-state solution through peaceful negotiations, she said after stating that US recognises that Jerusalem is a deeply, profoundly, important issue for Israelis and Palestinians, for Jews, Muslims and Christians.

OneIndia News