Obama: Iran effort continues despite ‘appalling’ talk

President Obama called Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Monday rant against Israel “appalling and objectionable,” but said the U.S. will continue to pursue diplomatic outreach with the Islamic Republic.

Obama, meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah on Tuesday, commented on the speech Ahmadinejad made to the U.N. conference on racism in Geneva in which the Iranian leader said that the state of Israel had been founded “on the pretext of Jewishsuffering” during World War II. Ahmadinejad also called Israel the”most cruel and repressive racist regime,” prompting the walkout ofdozens of European Union diplomats.

{mosads}The U.S. boycotted theconference.

“This is the kind of rhetoric we’ve come to expect from President Ahmadinejad,” Obama said during a press availability with the king in the Oval Office.

“I found many of the statements directed at Israel to be appalling and objectionable,” the president added.

Obama said that despite the speech, the administration is “serious about engagement with Iran with no illusions.”

“We will continue to pursue the possibility of improved relations,” Obama said. “The kind of rhetoric we saw from President Ahmadinejad is not helpful, it’s harmful. … I think it actually hurts Iran’s position in the world.

“We are going to continue to take the approach that tough direct diplomacy has to be pursued without taking a whole host of other options off the table.”

Obama also said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would soon be visiting Washington.