AFP, June 2, 2008 – The White House on Monday dismissed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad’s latest broadside against Israel and accused him of having “total disregard” for the Iranian people’s hopes and needs.

“Unfortunately they’re being led by a leader who has total disregard for their thoughts, their feelings, their desires, their freedom, their justice, their democracy,” said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

She spoke after Ahamdinejad foresaw an end to the “satanic power” of the United States and predicted that Israel is “about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene.”

“It’s that kind of rhetoric that just serves to further isolate the Iranian people,” Perino said. “We’ll let him go on and be bombastic if he wants, and ignore him.”

Since taking the presidency in August 2005, Ahamdinejad has repeatedly provoked international outrage — and expressions of anger from the United States — by predicting Israel is doomed to disappear.