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Ahmadinejad Sorry For Traffic, Not 9/11 Comments

NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is standing behind his claims that the United States was behind the 9/11 attacks -- a statement President Barack Obama said is "hateful."

CBS 2's Marcia Kramer attended a 90-minute press conference held by the incendiary official on Friday.

There were bomb dogs and barricades and enough protection agents to fill a Broadway theater. And since this was street theater, the NYPD stopped traffic for the arrival of Ahmadinejad's motorcade.

But would he apologize for his traffic-stopping comments about 9/11? No way.

"I did not pass judgment, but don't you feel it is time to have a fact-finding committee," Ahmadinejad said.

The Iranian leader wants the fact-finding committee to investigate several of his of the Wall theories about why 9/11 happened, like the one he made at the UN General Assembly.

"Some segments within the U.S. government orchestrated the attacks to reverse the declining economy and its grips on the Middle East in order to save the Zionist regime," he said.

To which President Obama replied, "It was offensive. It was hateful and particularly for him to make the statement here in Manhattan, just a little north of ground zero, where families lost their loved, ones was inexcusable."

And get this: in trying to explain his 9/11 theories, Ahmadinejad said his real concern is for the poor American taxpayer, who after the terror attacks has been shelling out billions for the war on terror.

"We are trying to defend the rights of the American people here so their money is not used to kill people in Iraq and Afghanistan," Ahmadinejad said.

President Obama was so upset with the Iranian leader that he gave an interview to BBC Persian TV in an attempt to go around Ahmadinejad and reach his people directly. He also wanted to explain why the United States felt it had to impose sanctions on the country.

"Iran has not been able to convince the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful," Obama said.

While President Ahmadinejad refused to apologize for the 9/11 comments, he did want New Yorkers to know he is sorry for the traffic jams he's caused and he praised the NYPD for making it easier for him to get around.

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