The Iranian regime’s ambassador in Italy absurdly claimed Ahmadinejad was the target of an “X-ray radiation plot” during his trip to Rome for the UN food summit earlier this month.

The state-run IRNA News Agency reported on Monday quoted Iran’s ambassador to Italy, Abolfazl Zohrehvand, as saying that the plot was to use extreme radiation in the place where Ahmadinejad was due to stay.

The diplomat spoke out after Ahmadinejad himself charged that he had been the target of an assassination plot during his landmark trip to Iraq in March and his aides spoke of a similar attempt in Rome.

According to Agence France Presse on June 30, some reformist newspapers openly ridiculed his suggestion, with one daily saying that if the Americans had wanted to kidnap him they would have done it during Ahmadinejad’s annual visit to the UN General Assembly in New York.