Ahmadinejad blames US, Israel for int'l problems

Iran's president blamed the United States and Israel for the world's problems yesterday in a lecture to Sudanese officials and intellectuals during his visit to Sudan.

President Ahmadinejad's comments came as Iran and Sudan face mounting Western criticism Iran over its nuclear activities and Sudan over the conflict in Darfur.

But the hardline president's comments came just after Iranian and Saudi media reported that he was slated to visit Saudi Arabia a staunch ally of the US.