Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments that a "cancer of Zionism" is eating away at the Muslim world are "profoundly shocking," the French Foreign Ministry said, Bloomberg reported.
Khamenei's comments about the "deadly cancer spreading through the invading hands of the occupiers and arrogant powers" was made during an Eid sermon yesterday in Tehran, Agence France-Presse reported. Khamenei also described Israel as a "counterfeit government." The comments followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week reiterating his view that the Nazi Holocaust is "a myth."
"These statements are profoundly shocking and we condemn them with the greatest firmness," French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Christine Fages said in an e-mailed response to questions. "They add sadly to the long list of hateful comments by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. These declarations reflect the intolerance of the current leaders of Iran. It's a sad day for the people of Iran, whom we know don't share this attitude."