"I tell Bush ... that your era has ended and thank God you will not be able to damage even one centimetre of the holy land of Iran," Ahmadinejad said in a televised speech in the city of Shahr-e Kord.

"If the enemy thought they could break the Iranian nation with pressure they are wrong. The Iranian nation ... will wipe the smile off its face."

His comments came a day after Bush and European leaders warned Iran of new sanctions if Tehran refuses to halt its nuclear programme, which the West fears could be cover for a atomic weapons drive.