Iran's Ahmadinejad says nuclear summit "humiliating"

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned a nuclear security summit which opens in Washington on Monday as humiliating to humanity.

President Barack Obama is hosting the summit, which is focused on preventing nuclear terrorism but where world leaders are also set to discuss his push for new sanctions against Iran's atomic program.

"World summits being organized these days are intended to humiliate human beings," Ahmadinejad told delegates at a domestic tourism industry event, according to IRNA news agency.

Iran was not invited to the summit, which is being attended by leaders of China and Russia whose consent will be required to impose new sanctions which Obama wants agreed in the coming weeks.

Instead, Iran is holding its own nuclear disarmament conference in Tehran on April 16-17 and has said experts and officials from some 60 countries have been invited.

Ahmadinejad had harsh words for politicians who claimed to represent the international community: "These foolish people who are in charge are like stupid, retarded people who brandish their swords whenever they face shortcomings, without realizing that the time for this type of thing is over."

Iran has said it will complain to the United Nations about what it sees as Obama's implied threat to attack it with nuclear weapons. Addressing the United States, Ahmadinejad said: "Your gift to the world is a nuclear bomb while Iran presents ... humanity."

Iran says sanctions will not force it to stop its pursuit of nuclear technology which it says is entirely peaceful. The West fears it is seeking to gain nuclear weapons.

(Reporting by Ramin Mostafavi; writing by Robin Pomeroy; editing by Mark Trevelyan and Jon Hemming)