Ahmadinejad blasts Israel, West over film and cartoons
Iran shows off new air defense system, Raad; Iranian president calls Muhammad movie a plot conceived by Zionists to cause discord among Muslims
TEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian president lashed out at the West on Friday over an anti-Islam film produced in the United States and the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad by a French satirical weekly.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking during a military parade in Tehran, said that “in return for (allowing) the ugliest insults to the divine messenger, they — the West — raise the slogan of respect for freedom of speech.
He asserted that this shows a double standard and “is clearly a deception.”
Ahmadinejad called the film a plot conceived by Zionists to cause discord among Muslims.
The parade, which marked the anniversary of the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war 32 years ago, involved thousands of soldiers, and showed off Iran’s new air defense system, Raad.
According to the semi-official Fars news agency, Raad, or Thunder, is more advanced than its Russian predecessor and is designed to confront fighter jets, cruise missiles, smart bombs, helicopters and drones.
The agency said Raad carries missiles with a range of 50 kilometers (30 miles), capable of hitting targets at 22,000 meters (75,000 feet).
Ahmadinejad’s remarks come after a week of protests and riots by Muslims angered by the film that depicts Islam’s prophet as a womanizer, religious fraud and child molester. The violence has left at least 30 people dead.