The head of Iran's Tobacco Company has rejected a report that the country has had direct cigarette imports from the United States.

"We import cigarettes through multinational firms, not directly from the US," Mahmoud Abtahi said on Saturday.

His remarks came in response to an Associated Press report on Tuesday which said the US has exported $158 million worth of cigarettes to Iran during George W. Bush's term as president.

US Republican presidential candidate John McCain recently joked in response to the report that the US could kill Iranians by sending them cigarettes. His remarks sparked criticism from the Islamic Republic.

"We condemn such jokes and believe them to be inappropriate for a US presidential candidate. It is most evident that jokes about genocide will not be tolerated by Iranians or Americans," said Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini.

Iran currently produces about 26 percent of the cigarettes it needs, Abtahi said, adding that the country aims to increase domestic cigarettes production to 75 percent of its total demand within the next two years.

AKM/GM