MOSCOW, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - Iran's president said on Monday he was proud he had managed to enrage the West in denying the Holocaust during his speech in Tehran on Jerusalem Day, Israeli media reported.

In an apparent reference to Israel and the West, Ahmadinejad was quoted by the official Iranian News Agency (IRNA) as saying that angering "professional man-slayers is a source of pride for us."

Speaking at a rally in Tehran to express solidarity with the Palestinians on Jerusalem Day, on Friday, Ahmadinejad again called the Holocaust a myth, and said Israel needs to be confronted because its existence "amounts to an eternal insecurity in the region."

Ahmadinejad's words were condemned around the world.

The speech comes days before Ahmadinejad is to travel to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, and two weeks before Iran starts dialogue with the West.

The Islamic Republic is locked in a dispute with the Western powers over a nuclear program it says is designed to generate electricity, while others fear it is aimed at building weapons.