TEHRAN, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The Iranian president is standing by his widely condemned comments that Israel should be "wiped off the map."
In a move that will heighten international tensions, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his words were "right and just" -- and the United States and Israel were "cheeky humans."
"They are free to talk but their words do not have any validity," he told Sky News. "They are cheeky humans, and they think that the entire world should obey them."
Iran's embassy in Moscow published a statement saying the president had not intended to use such strong words.
Tens of thousands of Iranians have taken part in a rally in Tehran that Iran organizes every year on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
Shouting "Death to Israel, death to the Zionists", the protesters dragged Israeli flags along the ground and then set them on fire, the BBC said.
