Smash hit

Reverting to the vitriol of Ayatollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian revolution, Mr Ahmadinejad warned fellow Islamic leaders against softening their stance against the "Zionist regime". Last month, Bahrain announced that it would resume trade with Israel.

"Anybody who recognises Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation’s fury. Anybody who recognizes the Zionist regime is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world," said Mr Ahmadinejad.

Within hours of the speech a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in an Israeli market, killing five people in the deadliest attack in the country in three months.

Governments around the world have condemned the President's speech and expressed fears for Iran's nuclear ambitions. Earlier today, the Foreign Office called the speech "deeply disturbing and sickening".

"Saying Iran wants to wipe Israel from the map will only heighten concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions," said a spokesman, who explained that Hamid Arefi, the Iranian charge d'affaires, was called to the Foreign Office at 10.30am this morning to hear Britain's complaint over the remarks.

Canada, Spain and France are all expected to protest to Iranian representatives today and Israel said Iran should be suspended from the UN for Mr Ahmadinejad's comments.

"Since the United Nations was established in 1945, there has never been a head of state that is a UN member state that publicly called for the elimination of another UN member state," said Shimon Peres, the Israeli Deputy Prime Minister.

"There has never been such a scandal, it is impossible to ignore this and close your ears," said Mr Peres, who called for Iran's expulsion from the world body. "I don’t know if this has a chance, but this has to be said by us."

In America, the Bush Administration said that Mr Ahmadinejad's speech displayed Iran's true intentions. "I think it reconfirms what we have been saying about the regime in Iran. It underscores the concerns we have about Iran’s nuclear intentions," said Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary.

Israel has been the declared enemy of Iran since the revolution in 1979 and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's Supreme Leader, routinely calls Israel a "cancerous tumour" that must be excised from the Middle East.

Nonetheless, Mr Ahmadinejad's remarks demonstrate a marked shift from the more conciliatory tone of Mohammed Khatami, the reformist President he succeeded in August.

"The comments in themselves are not unusual," said Ramita Navai, Tehran correspondent for The Times, "what is unusual is that there are coming from the President. Especially given that former President Khatami was very cautious in his remarks about Israel."

"Khatami always suggested that he would be open to a two-state solution if the Palestinians wanted it. Ahmadinejad seems to be saying that there is no possibility of that."

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