Ahmadinejad: Iran has final say in Middle East

"The Middle-East is the crossroad of relations in the world and whoever has the last word in the Middle-East will have the final say in the world as well," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said during a conference in Tehran on Saturday.

According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, Ahmadinejad called the region the "center of energy and global wealth," and added, "Now, there are a number of developed countries which even own anti-satellite missiles, yet they are not effective and influential in the world because they do not have a role in the Middle-East."

In a speech during a conference marking 30 years to the Islamic Revolution, the Iranian president implied that Iran is the top power in the region. "Now the question is who has the last say in the Middle East? Well, of course, the answer is clear to every one," he said.

The Iranian president said the collapse of the global hegemonic system has entered its final stages because according to him it exacerbated the world's problems and reached a deadlock on financial and political issues.

"We are witnessing the end of the materialistic and authoritarian (global) regime," he said. "The (world powers) cannot make any decisions and are incapable of analyzing the situation correctly."

Fars reported that Ahmadinejad also praised Iran's scientific and technological developments, such as the production of satellites and different types of missiles.

The remarks by the Iranian president came after he announced earlier this month that Iran is due to unveil several hi-tech home-made satellites in February, adding that the new satellites can orbit the Earth at higher altitudes.