"Iran is ruled by corrupt politicians and clerics," the Democrat said in an address to the Jeddah Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia.

He said the "corrupt leadership" combined with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's anti-Israeli outbursts should raise alarm bells all over the world, including the Arab world and the Gulf region.

"There should be more voices in the region saying this leadership is dangerous for the future of the world," said Gore, who was President George W. Bush's rival in the 2000 presidential election.

Gore's comments come after Bush said in his State of the Union address on January 31 that the Iranian people were being "held hostage by a small clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people."

Bush's Republican administration is a leading proponent of allegations that Iran, contrary to its assertions about the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme, intends to develop nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted on February 3 to report its concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions.

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