Britain and the European Union have joined Israel in condemning the antisemitic comments made by a senior Iranian politician about drug addiction being a Zionist conspiracy.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the Iranian vice-president, claimed there were no Zionist drug addicts, which he said was proof that the Talmud was a tool used for "inciting global drug trade and addiction in a bid to annihilate non-Jewish communities".
In response, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, accused the leadership in Tehran of being "antisemitic fanatics".
Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy representative, described the remarks as "racist and antisemitic" and said she was deeply disturbed by them.
