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By JPOST.COM STAFF
06/25/2011 12:42

Iranian president says the US uses September 11 attacks for economic and political gain, draws connection to Holocaust.


Photo by: REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

The attacks of September 11, 2001 are questionable and the United States is benefiting from them as it did from the Holocaust, the semi-official ISNA news agency quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday.

Speaking at a two-day Tehran conference on combating terrorism, Ahmadinejad returned to his oft-used rhetoric of doubts about the veracity of the Holocaust and conspiracy theories concerning the US government's motives.


Ahmadinejad referred to the United States with the euphemisms of "Global Arrogance" and "Capitalism," and said the US sent troops to the Middle East following 9/11 "to save its economy and Zionist regime," he said. "It claimed lives of numerous people and refused to permit anyone to know about 9/11 incident as it did not allow inquiries into the Holocaust." Accusing the United States of profiting and profiteering after the attacks of September 11, 2001, Ahmadinejad drew a parallel between the US's reaction to the event and that of the Holocaust.

"In terms of reference and benefits, 9/11 is very similar to the Holocaust," he said.

According to Ahmadinejad, the United States manufactured both 9/11 and the Holocaust in order to spread panic, benefit economically and take down Muslims across the world. As such, he told the gathering, the only way to truly combat terrorism is to look at its roots -- roots which, he claimed, could be discovered by seeking the real source of the events.

On Friday, a day before the conference's kickoff, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast accused the West of a double standard when it came to dealing with terrorism.

“Wherever the interests of [big] powers are the issue, they step in under the pretext of fighting terrorism, and they start negotiations with terrorist groups if their interests are involved,” PressTV quoted him as saying. Mehmanparast said that major Western powers like the United States use terrorism as a shield to detract attention from their own issues, shortcomings and crimes.