Bin Laden death 8216;failure8217; for US: Iran

8220;The United States forced 10 years of war on three countries Iraq,Afghanistan and Pakistan,left a million people dead and spent more than USD 1,000 billion to kill one person.8221;

Vahidi spoke of 8220;ambiguities8221; over bin Laden8217;s death.

The Americans 8220;said they threw his body in the sea. Why did they not allowed an independent expert to examine the body to say if it was bin Laden or not?8221; the defence chief asked.

He also echoed what other Iranian officials have said since bin Laden8217;s death announced on Sunday night that there was 8220;no longer any excuse for the US to stay in the region.8221;

Shiite Iran has always considered al-Qaeda as a Sunni ultra-radical and anti-Shiite threat to its security.

But the Islamic republic has regularly criticised the presence of US-led Western forces in Afghanistan,saying it prevented any negotiated settlement of the Afghan conflict.

Tehran also regularly denounces the presence of US forces in Arab states of the Gulf,calling it a source of regional tension.