Tony Blair tonight launched a fierce attack on Iran’s president who called for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

The British Prime Minister said he was revolted by the "completely unacceptable" remarks of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which risked persuading people Iran really was a threat to world security, he said.

Speaking at the end of the European Union summit at Hampton Court, Mr Blair said he would hold talks with allies on the matter in the next few days. He said Iran was making a "very big mistake" if it thought the world would ignore the comments because it was distracted by other events.

"These sentiments are completely and totally unacceptable," he said. "I have never come across a situation of the president of a country saying they want to wipe out - not that they have got a problem with or an issue with - but want to wipe out another country.

"This is unacceptable and their attitude towards Israel, their attitude towards terrorism, their attitude on the nuclear weapons issue isn’t acceptable.

"If they continue down this path then people are going to believe they are a real threat to our world security and stability."

Iran's president sparked international condemnation when he said: "There is no doubt that the new wave [of attacks] in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot [srael] from the face of the Islamic world. As the Imam [Khomeini] said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

Mr Blair said: "I felt a real sense of revulsion at those remarks. And to anybody in Europe, knowing our history, we hear statements like that made about Israel, it makes us feel very angry. It is just completely wrong. And it indicates and underlines I am afraid how much some of those places need reform themselves. Because how are we going to build a more secure world with that type of attitude? It is a disgrace I am afraid."

Other European leaders also condemned the remarks of President Ahmadinejad in "the strongest terms" issuing a joint statement at the summit.

"Calls for violence and for the destruction of any state are manifestly inconsistent with any claim to be a mature and responsible member of the international community, " the statement said.

Their response came hours after the Iranian charge d'affaires in London was summoned to the Foreign Office to explain Mr Ahmadinejad's comments, which were made yesterday at a conference in Tehran called "The World without Zionism."

Mr Ahmadinejad, who defends his country's "inalienable right" to nuclear power and has called for a global Islamic revolution, told an audience of thousands of students that Israel was "a fabricated entity" that Palestinians should wipe from the face of the earth.

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