Iranian president sparks a walkout at UN meeting after saying 9/11 was a set up
Speaking at the UN assembly in New York, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad triggered a walkout after he suggested the U.S. government planned the 9/11 attacks to support Israel. U.S. diplomats called his comments “abhorrent” and “delusional,” according to The Guardian. It was a discouraging speech for politicians who hoped they could make headway with Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Instead, Ahmadinejad aggravated relations by saying “the U.S. government orchestrated the attack in order to save the Zionist regime in the Middle East.” During his speech to the UN’s 192 member countries, delegates from the U.S. and U.K. walked out. Canadian delegates chose to boycott the speech. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon called Ahmadinejad’s comments “unacceptable” and in violation of the spirit of the UN.