Quoted at the UN: Ahmadinejad leaves fiery legacy

New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is seeking to change Iran's tone at the UN. 

Focus

Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, is promising to bring a dramatically different style than that of his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who had a talent for outlandish statements. Mr. Ahmadinejad's penchant for comparing the United States to Satan, his denial of the Holocaust, and his suggesting that the US organized the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks made an already tense relationship more difficult. A review of Ahmadinejad's most famous quotes makes it clear why the US is glad he's gone. Here are a few:

World leadership: "The current abysmal situation of the world and bitter incidents of history are due mainly to the wrong management of the world and the self-proclaimed centers of power who have entrusted themselves to the devil." (2012)

The source of the world's misery: "It is as lucid as daylight that the same slave masters and colonial power that once instigated the two world wars have caused widespread misery and disorder with far-reaching effects across the globe since then. Do these arrogant powers really have the competence and ability to run or govern the world?" (2011)

Who was behind 9/11? "Some segments within the US government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy and its grips on the Middle East in order also to save the Zionist regime. The majority of the American people as well as other nations and politicians agree with this view." (2010)

Capitalism: "The engine of unbridled capitalism with its unfair system of thought has reached the end of [the] road and is unable to move. The era of capitalist thinking and imposition of one's thoughts on the international community, intended to dominate the world in the name of globalization and the age of setting up empires, is over." (2009)

Israel: "Today, the Zionist regime is on a definite slope to collapse, and there is no way for it to get out of the cesspool created by itself and its supporters.... [The] American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road, and its next rulers must limit their interference to their own borders. Today, the thought of hegemony quickly becomes a demerit." (2008)

On faith: "Be aware that living with obedience to God and carrying out His orders, compassion for people, and striving for the fulfillment of justice is to your advantage, too. I invite you to return to the path of God, the prophets, and to the path of the people of the world and to truth and justice." (2008)

Women: "The precious existence of women as the manifestation of divine beauty and as the peak of kindness, affection, and purity has been the target of heavy exploitation in recent decades by the holders of power and the owners of media and wealth." (2007)