Iranian supreme leader Seyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday retorted US President George W. Bush's accusations against Iran in his State of the Union message, state television reported.

"In a tangible though not military way, the United States is attempting to destroy the Iranian nation and deprive its people of chances of progress," Khamenei said, stressing that "Bush will fail at last."

Khamenei asserted that the US hostility was motivated also by the Israeli government's lobbying.

"The brains directing it (Bush's administration) are Zionists and other capitalists who brought Bush to power," Khamenei said.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi also rejected Bush's claims, saying they were repetition of former baseless allegations.

In his State of the Union message on Wednesday, Bush called Iran the "world's primary state sponsor of terror," reiterating his accusations that the country was striving to develop nuclear weapons and depriving its people of freedom.

Iran rejects Bush's accusation

Iran on Thursday dismissed US President George W. Bush's accusation as "baseless", the official IRNA news agency reported.

In his State of the Union speech on Wednesday, Bush called Iran "the world's primary state sponsor of terror" and repeatedly accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons and depriving its people of freedom.

"The charges were repetition of former baseless allegations, and they lack any basis or foundation," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying.

Asefi attributed the US hostility to the fact that Iran's Islamic Revolution 26 years ago "put an end to the US hegemonic influence and presence" in the country.

"Mr. Bush has turned a blind eye to realities in the Islamic Republic, speaking of a number of things which have nothing to do with the dynamic society of Iran today," Asefi said.