Iran's president dismisses threat of war by US, Israel as a 'joke'

Iran's president said Tuesday that he does not see the possibility of a war with the United States or Israel, dismissing military threats by the two countries as a "funny joke."

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also called for confidence-building by the next U.S administration, saying it should make up for the "domineering hegemony" of President George W. Bush and rebuild America'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," Ahmadinejad said in his typical combative style as he defended Iran's right to have a nuclear program, which is at the heart of its dispute with the West.

He was addressing a news conference during a visit to Malaysia for a summit of developing Muslim nations.

Iran insists its nuclear program 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 U.S. and Israel have not ruled out a military option.

Israel's military sent warplanes over the eastern Mediterranean for a large military exercise in June that U.S. officials described as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.

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."

The comments serve to temper earlier reports from Iran that the elite Revolutionary Guards have begun a military exercise involving "missile squads" and have issued a warning that Israel and U.S. naval forces would be prime targets if Iran is attacked.

Ahmadinejad said Iran has the right to defend itself.

"Any hands, any finger that wants to pull the trigger to send the bullet toward us will be caught by the Iranian people," he said. His answers to questions at the press conference were peppered with mini-speeches criticizing Bush.

Ahmadinejad also hinted that the next U.S. administration could begin a new chapter in relations with Iran and the rest of the world by respecting justice, human rights and pulling out of Iraq. He said he is also willing to meet with presumed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

He said the current administration in Washington "has lost its fame and the fame of America in the eyes of the other people of the world" and the next government "would need at least 30 years in order to compensate, renovate and innovate the damages done by Mr. Bush."

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.

They "are a complex political group, but you should know this regime will be eventually destroyed and there is no need of any measure by Iranian people," he said.