TEHRAN - Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday the United States was 'deeply hated' in the Middle East.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, speaking on the same day U.S. President Barack Obama was due to give a major speech to the Islamic world in Cairo, said the hatred felt toward America could not be changed with 'slogans' but that action was needed.

"The nations of this part of the world ... deeply hate America," Khamenei said.

"Even if they give sweet and beautiful (speeches) to the Muslim nation ... that will not create change," he said in the
televised speech.

"Action is needed."

His speech in Tehran marked the 20th anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the
founder of the Islamic Republic. He also called Israel, which Iran does not recognise, a 'cancerous tumor in the heart' of the Muslim world.

Obama's speech later on Thursday is aimed at more than 1 billion Muslims across the world but choosing Cairo underscores his focus on the Middle East, where he faces some of his biggest foreign policy challenges.

Obama wants to build a coalition of Muslim governments that will back his efforts to revive stalled Middle East peace talks and help the United States curb Iran's nuclear programme, which Tehran says is peaceful but the West says is to build bombs. -Reuters