Tehran  - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday invited the new United States president to a debate.

"I invited (last year) the (current) US president to a debate at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but he rejected," Ahmadinejad told reporters in Tehran.

"Now that his term is coming to an end, I am ready to have this debate with one the candidates (who wins the presidential race)," he said.

Ahmadinejad added that Iran has always said that except Israel, Iran would talk to any other country, including the US.

"But the condition is that the talks should be held at an equal level," he said without giving further details.

Two offers by Ahmadinejad to have a debate with Bush were rejected and also a letter by the Iranian president to his US counterpart was ignored.

Without officially admitting it, Iran clearly favours the Democratic Party and backs the candidacy of Barack Obama for the next US president rather than Hillary Clinton. (dpa)