Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday his country was under constant threat of military action from "uncivilized Zionists" and called for a new world order not dominated by Western powers in the service of "the devil." Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders for the eighth and final time, Ahmadinejad painted a gloomy picture of a world driven by greed rather than morality. "The current abysmal situation of the world and the bitter incidents of history are due mainly to the wrong management of the world and the self-proclaimed centers of power who have entrusted themselves to the devil," Ahmadinejad said. Ahmadinejad complained that nations were being forced to accept a new era of hegemony and added, in a clear reference to Israel: "Continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists to resort to military action against our great nation is a clear example of this bitter reality." Israel and the United States have both refused to rule out the possibility of an armed strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West suspects aim to produce atomic bombs but which Iran says are for solely peaceful purposes. U.N. diplomats and nuclear experts say Iran appears to be making headway in building a research reactor that could yield potential nuclear weapons material, adding to growing Western concerns about Iran's nuclear goals. Ahmadinejad's speech touched on issues he has raised in previous U.N. appearances, such as suggesting there should be an "independent fact-finding team" established to discover the "truth" behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and complaining about the "hegemonic policies and actions of world Zionism." Ahmadinejad addressed the U.N. on Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Representatives of the United States and Israel chose not to be present in the U.N. auditorium for the Iranian president's speech and the Canadian delegation walked out during the address. "Over the past couple of days, we've seen Mr. Ahmadinejad once again use his trip to the U.N. not to address the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people but to instead spout paranoid theories and repulsive slurs against Israel," Erin Pelton, spokeswoman of the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said before Ahmadinejad's speech. "It's particularly unfortunate that Mr. Ahmadinejad will have the platform of the U.N. General Assembly on Yom Kippur, which is why the United States has decided not to attend," Pelton added. U.S. President Barack Obama said in his address to the General Assembly on Tuesday that he would do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from getting nuclear arms, adding that there is not an unlimited amount of time to solve the matter via diplomacy. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the U.N. on Thursday. Ahmadinejad's trip to New York was criticized by at least one Iranian parliament member, who said that it was not appropriate for Ahmadinejad to travel overseas with a 140-member entourage at a time when Iran is in the midst of a deep economic crisis. Also back in Iran, Ahmadinejad's top press adviser Ali Akbar Javanfekr was taken into custody to begin serving a six-month jail sentence, just as Ahmadinejad began his speech at the U.N. Javanfekr was convicted last year for publishing materials contrary to Islamic norms. Iranian media reported this week that the country's navy test-fired four anti-ship missiles into the Persian Gulf during a military exercise. According to reports, the missiles were launched simultaneously and hit a large target that sank in 50 seconds. The Iranian military exercise came as the U.S. and its allies held a large-scale minesweeping drill in the Persian Gulf.
