February 1, 2002	Friday	Ziqa’ad 17, 1422

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TEHRAN, Jan 31: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday called US President George W. Bush “bloodthirsty” in a speech broadcast in part on state radio.

“The (US President) speaks like a man thirsty for human blood,” Khamenei said at a gathering of journalists from various Muslim countries. “The world knows that the United States is the Great Satan.”

His comments followed earlier denunciations of Bush’s State of the Union address by other Iranian officials, including President Mohammad Khatami.

Bush had said on Tuesday that Iran, Iraq and North Korea were attempting to develop weapons of mass destruction and singled them out as an “axis of evil”.

He said the United States would not permit those countries to threaten it with such weapons.

US officials have been angered by what they view as Tehran’s increasing efforts to interfere in post-Taliban Afghanistan and by Iran’s alleged involvement in a recent shipment of weapons to Palestinians fighting Israel.

Khamenei said Iran would continue to support the Palestinian cause without concern for US threats.

“Iran is proud to be at the receiving end of the anger of the most-hated Satanic power of the world,” the radio quoted Khamenei as saying.—Reuters