TEHRAN The Iranian government's spokesman, Abdullah Ramezanzadeh, condemned the remarks made by U.S. President Bush, saying he had been talking like a Roman warrior and in stark contrast to what was expected of a world leader in the 21st century.

At his weekly press conference, Ramezanzadeh called Bush's statement undemocratic, uncivilized, fundamentalist and presented a new ideology to the world. Referring to the worldwide condemnation of Bush, the spokesman said we should expect the U.S. president to revise his words.

We believe that president Bush has delusions of imaginary enemies, which originated from his fundamentalism, he added.

"What President Bush said was war-mongering, similar to that of Roman warriors," he said, and continued that such remarks would not be welcomed by a world moving toward peace.

He again confirmed that Iran was not developing weapons of mass destruction and said the Islamic Republic believed that international regulations should apply to all countries around the world.

"The September 11 attacks created an opportunity for a world determination to combat terrorism, but Bush's statement last week dealt a blow to that resolve," he said. He suggested that Bush was preparing a moral war with Iran, but had failed since no country, other than the Zionist entity, had backed him.

Ramezanzadeh vehemently denied Bush's accusation that Iran was sheltering members of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. "We toughened visa regulations in a bid to decrease any possibility of Al-Qaeda infiltration to Iran," he said, "and even if Iran arrests any of the members, it will try them as illegal aliens."

On Shahram Jazeyri's case of financial corruption, Ramezanzadeh admitted that the names of a number of government officials had been mentioned but that they were merely accusations and had not been proven. He also underlined that the government was in favor of full disclosure and wanted the media to be present in Jazayeri's court sessions.

The spokesman was asked about the Iranian aid to Afghanistan, and replied that the Islamic Republic would not offer the funds until Parliament approved the related bill.

Among the bills ratified by the cabinet ministers yesterday was the approval for two French and German companies to invest in Iran. Ramezanzadeh said that the government would welcome any move to facilitate the investment since the government revenue was currently insufficient. He added that opening the door to foreign investors could create job opportunities, improve welfare and even increase the rate of marriages in the country.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Morteza Haji was also present at the press conference. He spoke about the recent protests by teachers and the measures taken to improve their standards of living.

Haji said an amendment was being made to this year's budget, which would provide teachers with subsidized housing, and discussions with the Housing Ministry had expedited this process. He also said that the government would pay its debts to the Retirement Fund of the Education Ministry.