During the campaign Barack Obama's various allies have certainly proved the adage, "with friends like these, who needs enemies?" But now Obama, embroiled in a back and forth with John McCain over Obama's promise to meet in the first year of his presidency with the leaders of Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela without preconditions (a position he has since backtracked on), Obama can't catch a break from any of these folks either:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad predicted on Monday that Muslims would uproot "satanic powers" and repeated his controversial belief that Israel will soon disappear, the Mehr news agency reported.

"I must announce that the Zionist regime (Israel), with a 60-year record of genocide, plunder, invasion and betrayal is about to die and will soon be erased from the geographical scene," he said.

"Today, the time for the fall of the satanic power of the United States has come and the countdown to the annihilation of the emperor of power and wealth has started."

Since taking the presidency in August 2005, Ahmadinejad has repeatedly provoked international outrage by predicting Israel is doomed to disappear.

"I tell you that with the unity and awareness of all the Islamic countries all the satanic powers will soon be destroyed," he said to a group of foreign visitors ahead of the 19th anniversary of the death of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.