In Ahmadinejad's own words

Ahmadinejad escalates his rhetoric (source: MEMRI)
In a speech about Iran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad declared that Iran has become a global power, and that it would place its nuclear technology at the service of those determined to confront the U.S. and other Western countries...

In addition, Ahmadinejad declared that today, the world was at an historic turning point. The history of the West, he said, had reached its end, and the appearance of the Hidden Imam, heralding the era of Islamic Shi'ite rule, was nigh. Thus, he called on the nations of the world to rise up against the hegemony of the West, headed by the U.S., and predicted the imminent collapse of Israel, which he called "Satan's standard-bearer...

On several occasions, Ahmadinejad stressed that Iran would continue developing its nuclear program regardless of the sanctions. He noted that the sanctions were having no impact on progress in "the irreversible path of the nuclearization of the Iranian nation" and denied Western reports of a slowdown in Iran's nuclear enrichment... "I hereby officially announce that, as far as Iran is concerned, the nuclear issue is closed. Those who thought they could stop the Iranian nation through discriminatory political moves [i.e., the sanctions], and by abusing their [power] in the international decision-making bodies, now realize that the path they took was wrong..." In his speech at the annual conference on the doctrine of Mahdism, held in Tehran on August 25-26, Ahmadinejad stated that Western dominance has come to an end, and called upon the nations of the world to rebel "against the oppressive imperialist powers" in preparation for the coming of the Hidden Imam:

"The Hidden Imam is heir to everything that has been good and beautiful throughout history, and the call [to await his coming] is a call [to have faith] in the missions of the divine prophets, in monotheism and in justice... These days, humanity is pining for monotheism and justice. With God's grace, the [preparations] for a flood of compassion, truth and justice will soon be complete..."

"The message of Mahdism, which calls [to believe] in the savior [i.e., the Hidden Imam], brings hope and joy to people [throughout the world]. [It is] a message of steadfastness and patience and of resisting the oppressors [i.e., the West, headed by America]; it is a message of submission [to God] and the pursuit of justice and honor. The current situation in the world has led the nations to reject in disgust the rule of the oppressors. Now is the time to invite people to accept the rule of the righteous, and [especially that] of the most righteous of [rulers] – the Hidden Imam..."

"Today's imperialist forces give humanity nothing by forcing wars [upon it], plundering its resources, violating [human] rights, issuing threats, trampling human dignity and [spreading] corruption, vice and insecurity... The oppressors and tyrants are responsible for all the difficulties and problems currently faced by the nations, and the only way to establish justice is through popular uprising and determined resistance in the face of these oppressors..."

"[The day] of these aggressors... who are oppressing and controlling the nations, is now coming to an end. Those who [seek to] distract the people with a materialistic philosophy of one kind or another, and who pursue materialism, have brought humanity nothing but despair and deception... The time of the righteous rulers will come, and the most righteous [of rulers, [i.e., the Hidden Imam], will form a government and thereby instate the monotheism of Abraham [throughout the world]. That day is not far away..."

In his speech at the Ahl Al-Beit assembly, Ahmadinejad said: "You also saw the outcome of the 33-day war in Lebanon [in the summer of 2006], and how Hizbullah stood fast against the Zionist regime. Can such a regime [conceivably] last? A regime whose entire philosophy and existence are founded upon lies is bound to collapse... The extent of the world superpowers' defeat is reflected in the extent to which their ideology and reasoning have failed... [Israel] is the standard-bearer of aggression, occupation and discrimination in the world. Considering all that, [how] can this regime [possibly] last?"