Kuala Lumpur - Iran's president has blamed the West for artificially raising crude oil prices, and dismissed fears that Israel and the US could be preparing to attack his country as a "funny joke."
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on a visit to Malaysia, told a news conference on Tuesday that the global production of oil is much more than consumption, suggesting economics are not behind today's record-high prices.
"So it is very clear and obvious that the market does not have a role in raising prices. There are some others that are determining the oil price for the benefit of the few, very rich people of the world," he said.
Ahmadinejad criticised Iran's arch foe, the United States, in every answer. He blamed Washington for the world economic crisis and maintaining a nuclear weapons stockpile while opposing Tehran's "peaceful" nuclear program.
He also questioned the United States' permanent membership in the UN Security Council, its occupation of Iraq, and held it responsible for illegal drug production in Afghanistan.
Ahmadinejad said the high oil prices - which are hovering around $140 a barrel - are the result of a weak dollar and a deliberate decision by the United States and some European countries to profit from high fuel taxes. In some European countries, 70 percent of the fuel cost goes to governments as tax, he said.
"The meaning of this is that the revenue of these countries is much higher than countries that produce and export crude oil," said Ahmadinejad, whose country is the second biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
He claimed that the US can also use the "artificially high price of crude oil" as a justification to start politically-sensitive exploration in the North Pole.
Predictably, Ahmadinejad took potshots at US President George Bush, but expressed hope that the next administration will rebuild American's reputation in the eyes of the world.
"Today, the government of the United States is on the threshold of bankruptcy - from political to economic," he said, speaking through an interpreter.
Iran's animosity with the United States and Israel stems from its nuclear program. Tehran insists it is only for peaceful purposes, such as energy production. But the Bush administration believes it is for making nuclear weapons. Although Washington says it prefers a diplomatic resolution to the standoff, the US and Israel have not ruled out a military option.
Ahmadinejad said the two countries were "focusing on propaganda and psychological war."
"Before, it would be considered as a serious issue," he said. But Iranians are so used to the threats that they now treat it as a "very funny show...These type of wars are considered as a funny joke."
He added, "I assure you that there won't be any war in the future."
Asked to clarify his previous calls for the destruction of Israel, Ahmadinejad gave a long and convoluted reply, saying he has nothing against Jews, but only against the "Zionists" who rule Israel.
He predicted that Israel's "Zionist regime" would collapse without the need for any Iranian action. - Sapa-AP
