JURIST - Paper Chase: Iran leader says 'war criminal' Bush should be tried before international court

[JURIST] Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei [official website] said Friday that US President George W. Bush was a "war criminal" comparable to Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein and that he would eventually be brought before an international tribunal to answer for his actions. In a sermon at Tehran University marking the start of Ramadan, Khamenei accused the US of working to dominate the Middle East and to undermine the legitimate governments of various countries in the region. He also insisted that US efforts to impose sanctions on Iran for continuing its nuclear program [IAEA backgrounder] will not weaken the country. IRNA has more. Haaretz has additional coverage.

Relations between Iran and United States have recently been strained because of Iran's refusal to abandon its nuclear program. Last year, Iran announced strong opposition to the Iran Freedom Support Act [HR 6198 text, PDF], a bill later signed into law [JURIST report] by President Bush that authorizes US sanctions against foreign governments that provide support for Iran's nuclear program or contribute towards the country's armament.

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