Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has sharply criticised the United States. In a speech broadcast live on Iranian TV, he accused American politicians of behaving like "masters of the world" and said US policies had done "the greatest harm" to Iran. Below are key quotes from the speech, which contrasted in tone with a recent American TV interview in which Khatami urged dialogue and understanding with the American people.

"We have had and still have major enemies, whether before the revolution or after the revolution - those who have harmed our interests, our independence, our freedom and our greatness," Khatami said.

"Above all, we have received the greatest harm from the unjust policies of America," he said.

"Whether before the revolution - as you know - or after the revolution and today too, American politicians behave like masters of the world.

"They impose sanctions on any place which does not conform to their interests and wish to impose their sanctions on the world by force, not only on us. It is this dominating attitude which has created problems in the world," Khatami said.

Iran was a country which had made many sacrifices, wished to have its own system, stand on its own two feet and build its own country based on its own beliefs and interests, Khatami said. "Just because of that it is guilty of stepping outside the scope of the American superpower."

The US had "given itself the right" to talk to Iran "in whatever form it likes and do whatever it wants", he said.

"It not only puts pressure on Iran, it puts pressure on Europe, Asia, Japan, saying, for example, if you want to invest in Iran more than such an amount, we will impose sanctions on you. That means that it wants to impose its domestic laws on the world. That is a dominating manner.

"The outcome of our revolution is that we have freed ourselves from the yoke of our masters and will never submit to any master."

"American politicians are behind the times," Khatami said. "The world no longer accepts an overlord."

Khatami said the restrictions imposed on Iran by its enemies had harmed the country but had also brought a benefit in the fact that Iran had become self-sufficient.

"Today we are building our country ourselves, if we have shortcomings, they belong to us and we can remove them," Khatami said.

"In this increasingly growing world, we have no need for America to stand alongside us and help us. As we have done, we will advance without America."

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
 

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