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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad likes to describe his government as a popular and respected player in world affairs.

But recent polls indicate that Iran’s stature around the globe is not as high as its leader claims, even in parts of the Muslim world.

In an interview on Dec. 1, Ahmadinejad said that "world public opinion supports the Iranian nation and has turned against the West,” according to Alalam News.

While on the campaign trail during presidential elections in June, Ahmadinejad argued that Iran was one of “the most respected nations in the world.”

But a series of recent global polls don't entirely square up with the claims made by Ahmadinejad.

In fact, a new report based on polls issued by World Public Opinion -- a collaborative research project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland -- suggests that Iran is among the world’s most negatively viewed countries.

For example, a joint poll conducted in February by the BBC, the global polling firm GlobeScan and PIPA found that most people in 15 out of 21 countries polled perceived Iran as having mostly a negative influence in world affairs.

The only country in the poll that leaned toward a positive view of Iran's influence in the world was India, 24% positive compared with 17% negative.

Similar data emerged last ... >>>