He dismissed as "meaningless" sanctions imposed on Iran, saying "We do take sanctions seriously, but taking it seriously is different from believing that they are effective. These are two different issues."
The Security Council adopted a resolution June 9 to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its suspected nuclear program. The United States and some of its allies have imposed their own new sanctions against Iran since.
"We consider this and have recorded it as a serious violation of international law, it was illegal, it was wrong," Ahmadinejad said. "It wronged the people of Iran by insulting them, and these sanctions will definitively mark a new level of progress in our economy. We have turned sanctions around and created opportunities out of this."