Iran president says West nuclear concern a "big lie"

By Tomi Soetjipto and Muklis Ali

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Western nations on Wednesday of hypocrisy and said their expressions of concern over nuclear programmes were a "big lie".

The Iranian leader was speaking on a visit to fellow Muslim nation Indonesia, which said Tehran had been receptive to its offer to help mediate the Islamic republic's dispute with critics of its nuclear project.

"I'll tell you, they are not concerned with nuclear programmes ... They are themselves engaged in nuclear activities and they are expanding day by day. They test new brands of weapons of mass destruction every day," Ahmadinejad told a news conference after meeting Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Big powers pretend (they) are concerned, but it's a big lie," the Iranian leader said.