The US State Department has condemned comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressing doubt about the Holocaust and suggesting Israel be moved to Europe.
"These latest remarks . . . are clearly appalling and reprehensible. They certainly don't inspire hope among any of us in the international community that the government of Iran is prepared to engage as a responsible member of that community," department spokesman Adam Ereli said.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Iran's official IRNA news agency quoted Mr Ahmadinejad as saying: "Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces . . . although we don't accept this claim.
"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe . . . to the Zionists, and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe," he said.
At the United Nations in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan expressed shock at the comments attributed to Mr Ahmadinejad.
Mr Annan noted the UN General Assembly last month passed a resolution rejecting "any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in part".
He last month cancelled a trip to Tehran because of Mr Ahmadinejad's call in October "to wipe Israel off the map".
Mr Ereli said the remarks appeared to be part of a "consistent pattern of rhetoric that is both hostile and out of touch with the values that the rest of the international community lives by".
The State Department spokesman said Iran had pledged to uphold international norms and must be held to those standards. but he declined to say what, if any, action the United States might be inclined to take in response.
Mr Ahmadinejad's comments were reported from a news conference he gave in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca.