TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran hit back at the U.N. Security Council on Saturday after the world body condemned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's call for Israel to be destroyed.
The Security Council issued a statement Friday reminding Iran that, according to the U.N. charter, member states must refrain from threatening to use force against each other.
"The statement by the president of the U.N. Security Council was proposed by the Zionist regime to close the eyes to its crimes and to change the facts, therefore it is not acceptable," Iran's Foreign Ministry said.
"Iran is loyal to its commitments based on the U.N. charter and it has never used or threatened to use force against any country," the ministry added.
(AP) Iranians chant slogans during an anti-Israeli rally called on "Al-Quds Day" (Jerusalem Day) in... Full Image
On Wednesday, Ahmadinejad demanded the Jewish state be "wiped off the map" and defended the call Friday during nationwide protests. His comments drew international criticism from Russia to Chile.
The United States said Ahmadinejad's hostile remarks underscored Washington's concern over Iran's nuclear program, while Israel said the Persian state should be suspended from the United Nations. U.N. chief Kofi Annan expressed "dismay" in a rare rebuke of a U.N. member state.
Russia, a key ally of Iran, summoned the Iranian ambassador seeking an explanation for Ahmadinejad's remarks. Chile joined in the criticism Friday, saying "this kind of statements seriously damages efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the middle East."
The Foreign Ministry said the international community was treating Tehran unfairly, accusing it of failing to come to Iran's defense when it comes under attack from the United States or Israel over claims it is developing nuclear weapons or supporting Islamic militants.
"How many sessions were held by the Security Council over the U.S. and Israeli threats against Iran?" the Foreign Ministry statement read.
(AP) An Iranian holds an anti-Israel poster during an anti-Israel rally on Friday Oct. 28, 2005 in... Full Image
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's supreme national security council, said the West's intense opposition to Ahmadinejad's comments stems from the campaign against its nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad was elected in June and took office in August. He replaced Mohammad Khatami, a reformist who advocated international dialogue and tried to improve relations with the West.
Iran announced earlier this year that it had fully developed solid fuel technology for missiles, a major breakthrough that increases their accuracy. The Shahab-3, with a range of 810 miles to more than 1,200 miles, is capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to Israel and U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Hundreds of demonstrators, meanwhile, marched through Berlin on Saturday calling for freedom for the Palestinian territories as part of Iranian-inspired protests against Israel around the world.
The annual al-Quds - or Jerusalem - Day protest drew over 300 demonstrators, including many women and children, who marched peacefully through the German capital's Charlottenburg district.
Scores of city police escorted the marchers and shielded them from a group of noisy counter-protesters.
Authorities had banned the marchers from burning flags or carrying banners promoting violence in a bid to lower tensions after the Iranian president's call for Israel's destruction.
About 150 people answered a call from opposition politicians and Jewish community leaders to stage a counter protest.
Riot police stopped a small number of them from crossing barriers keeping them away from the route of the march. Others chanted "Long live Israel" as the marchers went by. Police said they made no arrests.
The protest, instigated by Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, has been held in Berlin every year since 1995. Some 800 people attended in 2004.
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