"We must view the world as big and vast. Of course the Americans are in it and they are a strong power and so are the Europeans. They are megalomaniacs who demand more than they deserve. They could possibly be the worst people for cooperation."

Interviewer: "The Europeans?"

Larijani: "The Europeans and Westerners. Their megalomania is very bad. There is no reason for this megalomania – especially with regard to the Iranian people. If this was directed at other nations, it would still be unacceptable, but when we talk about Iran, the cradle of human civilization... A few cowboys came 300 years ago, and it's not clear who they were – maybe a bunch of thieves who went there – and now they are talking about an American culture – something that doesn't exist at all. There is no record of something call 'American culture.' I am not saying that we should cut our relations [with the West], or that we need, for example, to expel or ignore their ambassadors. We must see them for what they are."

Interviewer: "See them for their true size and nothing more..."

Larijani: "[We should] cooperate with them only as much as it serves our interests, because they are unreliable partners. They cannot be trusted with anything."