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"Problems do not arise suddenly," President Ahmadinejad told The Los Angeles Times.

"The US government has made a series of mistakes in the past few decades. First, the imposition on the US economy of heavy military engagement and involvement around the world . . . the war in Iraq, for example. . . These are heavy costs," he added.

The US government has announced that it has so far spent more than $522 billion on the nearly five-year-old war, with another $70 billion already allocated for the year 2008.

However, Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz revealed in March that the true costs are at least $3 trillion and could surpass the cost of World War II, an estimated $5 trillion after adjusting for inflation.