Ahmadinejad: There are gays in Iran

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad conceded this week there are "a few" homosexuals in his country.

In an interview with the New York Daily News, Ahmadinejad called homosexuality "an unlikable and foreign act" that "shakes the foundations of society."

Ahmadinejad was in New York for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly. Last year, in the city for the same event, he claimed during a forum at Columbia University that his country has no gays -- eliciting both laughter and boos.

Human rights groups say the country hanged two teenagers for homosexuality in 2005. Given a copy of a photo of the teens, Ahmadinejad said being gay is not a capital offense under Iranian law.

"Either they were drug traffickers or they killed someone else," he said.

Ahmadinejad said U.S. politicians who support gay rights have little to be proud of.

"Just because some people want to get votes, they are willing to overlook every morality," he said.