The despot claimed that America and Europe no longer had any use for the Jewish state - which would leave the way clear for its destruction.

Speaking to supporters in southern Iran, Ahmadinejad said that Israel, a foreign presence and a "Western prodigy" in the region, had "reached the end of its road".

He stated that Israel was not as useful for "its masters" (America and Europe) as it was at its inception.

Calling Jews who emigrated to Israel before or after 1948 "the most criminal people in the world," he stated that it was now clear that there was no regime more hated than Israel.

"They think in their underdeveloped minds that if they launch another war against Lebanon or Syria it might help them survive a little longer," he said.

"I am telling them that you are in a situation now that more aggressions or wars will not save you."

Echoing a Wednesday speech in which he accused the US of creating the terrorist movement it now seeks to defeat in Afghanistan, Ahmadinejad said NATO forces were deploying troops to the region intending to "seize the oil in Iraq and the Persian Gulf".

He warned: "I must tell you that the young generation of the Middle East will cut your hands off from the oil reserves of the Persian Gulf."

He also claimed that the Palestinians and the nations of the Middle East will be rid of a "bad omen" once Israel is annihilated.