Ahmadinejad ¡ª who has repeatedly spoken out against Israel and declared in October that it should be "wiped off the map" ¡ª said the Middle Eastern nation was the only country Tehran was unwilling to speak with about the nuclear standoff.

He called it a "tyrannical regime that one day will be destroyed," and repeated allegations that European countries were driven by anti-Semitism when they decided after the Holocaust to establish a Jewish state in the midst of Muslim countries. They wanted the Jews out of their own backyard, he said, and paved the way for their ultimate destruction.

Israeli officials ¡ª who have described Iran's nuclear quest as the Jewish state's greatest threat ¡ª had no immediate comment on Ahmadinejad's latest remarks, said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev.

Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Monday that Iran could be threatened with destruction if it continues to vow to destroy Israel.

Ahmadinejad also criticized the United States and European nations over their response to the Palestinian elections.

"When the Palestinian people were holding their general election, (the United States and its European allies), which espouse liberalism and democracy, showed a bad attitude by not recognizing the Palestinian government," he said.

The students who crammed into auditoriums at the Islamic University and, earlier in the day at the University of Indonesia, applauded Ahmadinejad enthusiastically and listened intently throughout his 60- to 90-minute speeches.

They held signs saying "Iran in our Hearts," and "Nuclear for Peace," and some praised him for not wavering in the face of opposition from the United States.

"I loved him, he was very charismatic," said a first-year economics student who identified herself as Deslina. "If it comes to that, they should go to war. If I could, I would fight the United States."

Indonesia, which supports Iran's right to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful means, is considered by Washington to be a close ally in its war on terror and offered Wednesday to mediate in the crisis. Like Iran, it does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.