Paris - The difficulties the French have in pronouncing the letter "h" landed the country's foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, in hot water.

Israeli media quoted the minister as saying Israel "will eat" Iran if the Islamic Republic gained possession of nuclear weapons, prompting Kouchner's office to issue a statement of clarification on Sunday.

Kouchner wanted to say in an interview given in English that Israel would "hit" Iran if it developed nuclear weapons. But journalists apparently mistook his pronunciation of "hit" for "eat," the statement said.

Kouchner, who is currently visiting the Mideast, profoundly regretted the misunderstanding, the foreign ministry said. (dpa)