Obama rips Ahmadinejad, who defends 9/11 remarks

President Barack Obama and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had heated remarks Friday on the emotional subject of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and hopes for a quick resumption of talks on Iran's suspect nuclear program appeared to fade.

Obama accused Ahmadinejad of making "offensive" and "hateful" comments when he said most of the world thinks the United States was behind the attacks to benefit Israel. The Iranian president defended his remarks from Thursday and suggested that a fact-finding panel be created by the UN to look into who was behind the attacks.

"It was offensive," Obama said in an interview with the Persian service of the BBC. "It was hateful."

Obama added: "And particularly for him to make the statement here in Manhattan, just a little north of Ground Zero, where families lost their loved ones, people of all faiths, all ethnicities who see this as the seminal tragedy of this generation, for him to make a statement like that was inexcusable."

In a news conference at a Manhattan hotel, Ahmadinejad shot back, saying he had not made any judgments about who was responsible for 9/11. He also lashed out at the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as overreactions to the attacks. "I did not pass judgment, but don't you feel that the time has come to have a fact-finding committee?" he said of his General Assembly address from Thursday.

Meanwhile Friday, Ahmadinejad said Iran would consider ending higher-level uranium enrichment, if world powers provide nuclear fuel for a medical research reactor. He also said Iran was prepared to set a date to resume talks with six UN nations over Tehran's nuclear program.

Later Friday, Ahmadinejad met with Sarah Shourd, who was released this month after being imprisoned in Iran since 2009 with two other American hikers: Shourd's fiance, Shane Bauer, and their friend Josh Fattal.

Shourd, who requested the meeting, said the encounter was "a very gracious gesture," and said Ahmadinejad seemed friendly and that it was "a very human encounter, very personal." He asked her mother questions about her grandchildren and other family, she said, adding that the meeting left her feeling "very happy" and "hopeful that [Ahmadinejad] will try to advocate" for the two men.