Baghdad, Iraq ? President Saddam Hussein swore himself in for another seven years in power Thursday with a speech warning the United States and ordinary Iraqis that bloodshed could be at hand.

The Iraqi leader choked with tears as he took the oath of office, self-administered after a popular referendum Tuesday in which Iraq said Saddam won 100 percent turnout and 100 percent approval for his more than two-decade rule. The ceremony was broadcast live on Iraqi TV.

Referring to what he called “the American tyrant,” Saddam said Americans “found it easier to take the road of blood and violence.”