Iran has dismissed international criticism of remarks made about Israel by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, urging the West yesterday to show greater tolerance for differing points of view.
Last week, Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a "myth" and said if Europeans insist it did occur, then they should give some of their own land for a Jewish state, rather than the one in the Middle East. The comments came just two months after the hard-line president called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
The remarks sparked outrage in Israel and the United States, and European leaders warned on Saturday they would consider the imposition of sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said yesterday the international reaction was overblown.
"The West had a very emotional attitude about Ahmadinejad's comments. Westerners have to learn to tolerate other's opinion," Asefi said at a news conference.
He dismissed the European sanctions threat as "baseless and illogical" and said Ahmadinejad was simply articulating Iran's position toward Israel.
Ahmadinejad's remarks came as Iran and the Europeans prepare for a new round of negotiations Wednesday over Iran's nuclear program. The United States accuses Iran of aiming to produce nuclear weapons; Iran says its program is intended only to generate electricity.