Iran's Ahmadinejad challenges new US president to debate

May 25, 2009, 13:48 GMT

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday invited United States President Barack Obama to a debate at the United Nations in New York.

'I want a debate with the US president at the UN in New York so that the whole world could listen and make its own judgement,' Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran.

Two offers by Ahmadinejad to have a debate with former US

President George W Bush were rejected, while a letter by the Iranian president to his US counterpart was ignored.

'Not answering the letters was, itself, an answer,' said the Iranian president.

Ahmadinejad's main challenger in the June 12 presidential election, Mir-Hossein Moussavi, said that sending the two letters to Bush and the congratulation message to Obama and receiving no reply was a humiliation for the Iranian nation.

Iran and the United States have had no diplomatic ties for over three decades. Several efforts in the recent years to end the estrangement have failed.

While Washington has labeled Iran as a sponsor of terrorism and a member of the 'axis of evil,' Tehran brands the US as 'Great Satan' and enemy of Islam and Muslims worldwide.

Obama, however, appears ready to resume talks with Iran over issues such as Iran's nuclear programme or cooperation in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Iran says that it will remain patient until changes, such as a revised approach towards Iran and new policies in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region, are implemented by the Obama administration.