Iran’s president said his comments denying the Holocaust are part of a strategy aimed at winning young Muslim support.

“Some in Iran and abroad thought we were making these speeches without a specific plan and policy, but we have been pursuing a deliberate strategy in this regard,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a group of young Islamic activists Tuesday, the Iran Focus Web site said, citing a Persian-language site.

The comments, widely condemned by the international community, have helped wake up Muslim youth, Ahmadinejad claims.