Iran leader plays down 'US war'

BBC

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran is not heading for armed conflict with the United States.

In an interview with US TV network CBS, he said Iran was not on a path of war with the US and that Iran had no need of nuclear weapons.

Protests have been held outside Columbia University in New York, where Mr Ahmadinejad is due to speak later.

The US is leading moves to impose further sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear development programme.

Many Americans think Mr Ahmadinejad should not have been invited to speak at Columbia - but tickets to the event were snatched up within an hour of becoming available.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the university on Sunday with placards saying: "Don't give a platform to hate," and calling Mr Ahmadinejad a "Hitler wannabe".

Mr Ahmadinejad has called in the past for an end to the Israeli state and described the Holocaust as a myth.

Columbia's president Lee Bollinger defended the decision to invite Mr Ahmadinejad, saying the university was "committed to confronting ideas", AFP news agency reported. ....