各国名人英文介绍-Mahmoud Ahmadinejad（在线收听）

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth president of Iran. He was elected to power in 2005. Prior to becoming president, he served as mayor of Teheran for two years and fought in the Iran-Iraq War. Ahmadinejad is rarely out of the news. He has locked horns with the West on numerous occasions over his domestic and foreign policy.

Ahmadinejad was born in 1956 and grew up in Iran's capital Teheran. He studied civil engineering at university and went on to do his PhD. He became a lecturer at the Iran University of Science and Technology. This was cut short by the Iran-Iraq War, in which he served in the intelligence unit of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution.

He has had mixed economic success as president of Iran. In 2006, vegetable prices tripled and housing prices doubled. Many called on him to use Iran's oil to help ordinary people survive. The Iranian parliament rejected his project to help young people find jobs, get married and buy their own house. Many say he has big ideas but is “weak on achievement”.

Ahmadinejad says Iran is now the strongest country in the world. He has strengthened relations with Russia, Venezuela and many Arab countries. He has caused concern around the world with his nuclear program, which he says is for peaceful purposes. He also caused a major controversy by calling for the destruction of Israel. In 2008, he became the first Iranian president ever to visit Iraq.