Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has praised Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and described the Shiite group and the Palestinian movement Hamas as pioneers of change.

Hizbullah and Hamas militants "are the pioneers of change in today's world," the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Larijani as saying on Wednesday.

"During the course of the 33-day war, the global arrogance attacked with all its might the oppressed Lebanese people assuming they could defeat" Hizbullah fighters, Larijani said about the July-August 2006 war between Israel and the Shiite party.

He accused U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of asking the March 14 majority during the war to create instability to get rid of Hizbullah.

"The U.S. Secretary of State had at the time directed the March 14 group to shake the internal situation and we will help you to wipe out Hizbullah," Larijani said, according to IRNA.

But he said the Bush administration made a "strategic mistake" because "the Lebanese people remained steadfast" against the U.S. and Israel.

Larijani also praised Nasrallah's stance on the latest developments in Lebanon.

Nasrallah's "wise stance exposed the world arrogance and forced it to seek assistance from a small country like Qatar. At the end, it (the world) expressed readiness to accept the presence of Hizbullah in Lebanon," the Iranian speaker said.

He was referring to a deal reached last month in Qatar between bickering Lebanese politicians to end the country's political crisis. The accord came after Hizbullah fighters and pro-government gunmen clashed in Beirut and other areas, driving the country to the brink of civil war.

The Doha accord led to the election of Gen. Michel Suleiman president and gave Hizbullah veto power in the future cabinet.

Larijani also warned Wednesday that the "Iranian people will change the status" of Americans in the region in case of U.S. "miscalculation."