Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Saturday the US leader would "suffer more" if new sanctions are imposed on Iran over its nuclear drive, as he sought Uganda's help to block UN action.

Ahmadinejad ridiculed President Barack Obama as a "mask" and blasted his efforts to take a hard line with Tehran, which Washington and other Western powers fear is covertly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

"We think by issuing resolutions against us, Mr. Obama will suffer more," the Iranian leader said at a press conference in Kampala.

"The philosophy of Mr Obama coming to power was to make a change to the tough behaviour of the United States.... The fact that he's going to take decisions against the Iranian people is an end to his stature."

He called Obama "nothing more than a mask" who "came to power in order to hide the real face and nature of the United States."

The Western powers are pushing for another round of tough sanctions against Iran by the United Nations Security Council. Uganda is currently one of the rotating members on the 15-nation body.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, standing next to Ahmadinejad, said his country was still weighing the issue, even after a lobbying phone call from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"On the question of the nuclear programme of Iran, we're just students. I was not following this matter until Mr Gordon Brown phoned me some weeks ago," Museveni told the press conference.

He said he has now been briefed on the matter by British envoys and also heard another version from the Iranians.

"It is clear that there are two versions.... For us, we are not an agent of anybody," Museveni said, adding that Uganda was representing Africa on the Security Council.

"We shall consult with our African brothers and see what position to take."

Tehran wants to open talks with all Security Council members in an effort to break the deadlock over its nuclear programme, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said last weekend.

Ahmadinejad was on a one-day visit in Uganda towards that end. Tehran has repeatedly stated that its uranium enrichment work is intended to produce nuclear energy, and has no military purpose.

Washington has been pressing for new tougher sanctions on Iran after it refused a nuclear fuel supply deal which would have sent its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France for conversion into high-grade uranium and later returned for its nuclear energy needs.

earlier related report
Iran accuses world powers of trying to destroy its economy
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (AFP) April 23, 2010 - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Friday accused world powers of seeking to destroy the economies of Zimbabwe and his own nation, under threat of more UN sanctions over its nuclear drive.

"Our nations have a bitter experience of intervention by those big powers. They want to seize the markets of the countries (Iran and Zimbabwe) and destroy their economies," Ahmadinejad said, opening an international trade fair in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo.

"Some of those oppressive and arrogant states don't obey these rules. They have very bad behaviour. And today, they are trying to possess world resources. They don't want the world to achieve peace and prosperity," he said.

"But the world of nations, including Iran and Zimbabwe, has decided to stand firm. We believe in common principles."

The trade fair was once a important showcase for investment in Zimbabwe, but has greatly diminished after a decade of economic freefall.

Ahmadinejad on Thursday visited two factories in the capital Harare where Iran wants to invest, one for car parts and one for carpets.

Both Ahmadinejad and Mugabe are known for their controversial policies and anti-Western rhetoric.

Both men have also clung to power through elections marred by violence and allegations of fraud -- Ahmadinejad after a bloody presidential election last year and Mugabe after sharply criticised polls in 2002 and 2008.

Mugabe backed Iran's nuclear programme and joined Ahmadinejad in denouncing the sanctions.

"Be also assured, comrade president, of Zimbabwe's continuous support of Iran's just cause on the nuclear issue," Mugabe told Ahmadinejad on Thursday.

Five years ago, Mugabe announced that he would seek to tap Zimbabwe's uranium deposits as an energy source, but no investor came forward with a plan and the topic was not the official agenda.

Ahmadinejad currently faces the threat of new United Nations sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme -- which the Western powers suspect is covertly aimed at building weapons -- while Mugabe is accused of not honouring a power-sharing agreement reached last year after the controversial elections.

For Mugabe, inviting Ahmadinejad was another chance to thumb his nose at the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), his partner in a strained unity government.

The MDC denounced the visit as a "colossal political scandal". Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the party's leader, was out of the country during Ahmadinejad's visit.

"Inviting the Iranian strongman to an investment forum is like inviting a mosquito to cure malaria," the party said in a statement.

After his speech, Ahmadinejad headed to Uganda where he will discuss Iran's nuclear programme, according to Iranian state television.

Uganda currently holds one of the rotating seats on the UN Security Council, which is considering tougher sanctions against Iran.

"There is no (sanctions) draft yet. For us, we have been trying to convince people to have a peaceful solution," said James Mugume, the permanent secretary of Uganda's foreign ministry.

Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Tehran plans to open talks with all 15 Security Council members in an effort to break a deadlock on a nuclear fuel supply deal that has put it at odds with Western powers.

Zimbabwe enjoys good relations with Iran as well as several east Asian countries after Mugabe launched a "Look East" policy in response to isolation by the West following Harare's controversial land reforms and disputed 2002 elections.