Iranian leader blasts U.S.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also lashed out at NATO, Israel, and European allies of the U.S.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Iran’s president accused “a few bullying powers” of trying to thwart his country’s peaceful nuclear program and declared in a speech Tuesday before the U.N. General Assembly that “the American empire” is nearing collapse.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sharply attacked the United States and NATO, accusing them of acting as aggressors in Iraq and Afghanistan, and of starting those wars “in order to win votes in elections.”

“American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders,” Ahmadinejad said.

He reiterated Iran’s insistence that its nuclear program is purely peaceful, not aimed at producing nuclear weapons as the U.S. and some European countries allege.

“A few bullying powers have sought to put hurdles in the way of the peaceful nuclear activities of the Iranian nation by exerting political and economic pressures against Iran and also through threatening and pressuring the IAEA,” the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

The U.S. and its allies allege Iran wants to develop its uranium enrichment program to make nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists it is designed to produce electricity for civilian use.

Iran already is under three sets of sanctions by the U.N. Security Council for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment. Washington and its Western allies are pushing for quick passage of a fourth set of sanctions to underline the international community’s resolve.

On Tuesday, Ahmadinejad also lashed out at Israel, saying “the Zionist regime is on a definite slope to collapse, and there is no way for it to get out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters.”

The Iranian president is feared and reviled in Israel because of his repeated calls to wipe the Jewish state off the map, and his aggressive pursuit of nuclear technology has only fueled Israel’s fears.

He said that six years after Saddam Hussein’s regime was ousted in Iraq, “the occupiers are still there.”

“Millions have been killed or displaced, and the occupiers, without a sense of shame, are still seeking to solidify their position in the ... region and to dominate oil resources,” Ahmadinejad said.

In Afghanistan, terrorism is spreading quickly and the presence of NATO forces has contributed to a huge increase in the production of narcotics, Ahmadinejad said.