WASHINGTON (JTA) — Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called international sanctions against Iran a "childish" idea.
The Iranian president’s comments, reported in Iranian media, came one day after President Obama extended by a year U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, saying the Islamic regime continues "to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security" of the United States.
Ahmadinejad, who spoke at a ceremony launching the next phase of the development of a natural gas field, said the United States "thought that with childish and ugly behavior they could stop a great nation and its capable experts from moving toward accomplishment," according to CBS News.
Ahmadinejad claimed that the sanctions have motivated Iran to develop its energy sector.
