Ahmadinejad: 'We Are Neither Obstinate nor Gullible'

The West doesn't often get the opportunity to read what the Iranian President has to say. Yes, he is often quoted in the media - usually with an inflammatory or outrageous statement - but how does this man see the world from the sphere he occupies.

Spiegel Online has secured an interview with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - which can be read, in full, here.

Meanwhile, a sample response to one of the questions posed to the Iranian President:

"Ahmadinejad: We have been under pressure for the past 30 years, unfairly and without fault on our part. We have done nothing…

SPIEGEL: …according to you. The Americans see things quite a bit differently. The 444-day hostage crisis during which 50 US citizens were held from late 1979 until early 1981 in the US Embassy in Tehran is still a collective American trauma today.

Ahmadinejad: But think of the things that were done to Iranians! We were attacked by Iraq. Eight years of war. America and some European countries supported this aggression. We were even attacked with chemical weapons and your country, among others, aided and abetted those attacks. We did not inflict an injustice on anyone. We did not attack anyone, nor did we occupy other countries. We have no military presence in Europe and America. But troops from Europe and America are stationed along our borders."

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