By JPOST.COM STAFF
US President Barack Obama is a disappointment to the world, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday night in an interview with Channel 4 News.
Ahmadinejad mocked Obama's words in his Cairo speech in which he said he was extending his hand to Iran.
"Which hand did he extend? His right hand or left hand?" Ahmadinejad asked wryly. "He extended the sanctions against us."
"He has failed to meet the expectations of the people in the US and the people of the world," Ahmadinejad added.
he Iranian president continued to reject America's year-end deadline for Teheran to respond to US outreach.
"We have offered a proposal in order to provide opportunity for them, in order to have an opportunity for cooperation instead of confrontation," Ahmadinejad said. "But they are insisting that to have conditions for giving us the fuel."
"The story of these claim of US and its allies have turned into a TV series," he added.
Ahmadinejad dug in his heels this week - saying that the US and its allies can set "as many deadlines as they want, we don't care" and that he was not moved. But the US is stressing the upcoming deadline is serious and should be respected.
"Mr. Ahmadinejad may not recognize, for whatever reason, the deadline that looms, but that is a very real deadline for the international community. And I think all of those involved in the P5+1 would encourage Iran to take that deadline as seriously as it's being taken by us to live up to their responsibilities," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, referring to the negotiating group composed of the UN Security Council's permanent members (the US, Russia, China, France and England) and Germany.
Hilary Leila Kreiger contributed to this report.
