Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad says U.S. suspicions about Iran's nuclear program stem from what he calls an "element of hatred against Muslims."
Malaysia's official news agency, Bernama reports that Mr. Mahathir said the United States is taking a much harder stance with Iran than it is with North Korea.
The former prime minister said Pyongyang will not be the target of a U.S. attack because "if it is non-Muslim, the U.S. will not attack." Mr. Mahathir was reported as saying he believes Washington will use Israel as a proxy to attack Tehran.
Shortly before stepping down in late 2003 after 22 years in office, Mr. Mahathir remarked that "Jews rule the world by proxy," setting off a storm of international criticism.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
