Iranian Foreign Minister Manushaher Mottaki described the statements by US President Georges W. Bush on Iran as made “out of despair” in order to justify the presence of US Forces in Iraq and lose attention on the deteriorating popularity of his administration.

The first classical music orchestra from the West to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution received an enthusiastic welcome during its first of two guest performances in the capital Tehran on Wednesday night.

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki described the recent statements made by US President George W. Bush about Iran as irrational, and said the remarks indicated his lack of rationality and decision-making power as well as political paralysis.