The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has highlighted Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s latest ferocious speech lambasting the West, the U.S. and Israel as evidence for the virulence of his hostility, not only to Israel by the Western world in general and the U.S. in particular. Addressing the 10th heads-of-state summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) yesterday, Ahmadinejad not only assailed Israel and Zionism as one of history’s worst ills, but also the U.S. and the West for causing virtually all the problems afflicting the world today.

In his address, Ahmadinejad is reported to have claimed “reminded that the participating nations in the SCO summit have never used atomic bombs, looted the wealth and the riches of the other nations, sparked the first and the second world wars or used their power to colonize other countries.” Ahmadinejad said, “Has any of our countries had a role in imposing the Zionists on the region which was followed by several wars, insecurity, terror and threat against the Palestinian and other regional nations? Has any of us created or supported the dictators who ruled Latin America or other parts of the world for decades? Which one of us has had a role in the 9/11 incident which was used as an excuse for invading Afghanistan and Iraq and the killing and wounding of over a million people? Has any one of us created or supported radicalism, terrorist groups and drug-trafficking in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and the entire region? Have the region and our nations been struck or benefited from terrorism, drug-trafficking and radicalism … I proudly declare that none of our nations and governments have had a role in these ugly incidents in the history. We have always wanted peace, tranquility and welfare in light of justice and friendship for all nations; human culture, kindness and affection are the common aspects dominating our nations’ attitude … Colonialists and aggressors have been the real cause of all the problems of the human society, and they have now changed their face and claim to be defending democracy and human rights to pressure our countries and nations.” Ahmadinejad called for the creation of a new anti-western, anti-U.S. alliance, asking, “Could we not immune [sic] our countries and nations to harms by expanding all-out ties among ourselves and using international opportunities and capacities [?].” Ahmadinejad was reported to have “reiterated that the Asian and Eurasian nations should try to use their unique possibilities, capacities and capabilities to change the wrong world order and system of management in the interest of the nations” (‘Ahmadinejad Blames Colonialist Powers for Problems throughout History,’ Fars News Agency, June 15, 2011).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “Ahmadinejad’s latest speech tells us something important that is not always apparent from his ferocious verbal assaults on Jews, Israel and Zionism – that in his worldview, it is the West, the democracies, especially the U.S., that is also maligned as the enemy of mankind, not only Israel.

“A perusal of his speech also shows the absurd lies, omissions and distortions used to arrive at this conclusion – President Truman’s hard but correct decision to use the atomic bomb to induce a Japanese surrender and thus spare the lives of at least hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and Japanese civilians is maligned; Iran’s current, prominent support for Latin American dictators is conveniently left out of the picture; Muslim terrorists, not Westerners, carried out 9/11; Iraq and the world is better off without Saddam Hussein; and Islamist terror groups today probably have no better supporter today than Ahmadinejad’s vile, fanatical regime; and so on.

“Ahmadinejad’s speech tells us plainly that a policy of ‘engagement,’ such as President

Obama has arduously pursued for two years with Tehran, has achieved nothing in moderating the conduct, behavior and – thus the danger posed – by this truly vile regime. It is past time for the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, which even the International Atomic Energy Agency has admitted to be imminent, to be confronted.”