Iran: A Fiery Remark and a Western Backlash

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stirred up the Western media with his declaration that Israel should be "wiped off the map." Though the young and inexperienced president may be running his mouth, anti-Zionist rhetoric has long been used by the clerical regime to stir up nationalist sentiment. Ahmadinejad's fiery remark generated a considerable amount of criticism from Western governments, which hope to undermine Tehran's confidence in back-channel talks with Washington over Iran's nuclear program.