Tehran (AsiaNews) - Iran's new president, the moderate Hassan Rohani says that in order to obtain the desired response from his country, others will have to speak "the language of respect" and not of "sanctions". In a speech broadcast on state television yesterday, after taking the presidential oath, Rohani stressed that it is time to "build mutual trust, mutual respect and reduce hostility." He also promised that Iran will not create any war with any country, and that will seek to reduce the economic burden of sanctions.
"The people want to live better, to have dignity and to
enjoy a stable life. They want to regain their deserved position among
nations," said Rohani."
The
victory of the moderate Rohani on June 14th, approved by the supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is spreading hope for a new era of dialogue with the
U.S. and the international community among Iranians, which could lead to an
improvement in the economy.
For years, Iran has suffered
under UN sanctions and unilateral sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU on oil
and banking for its refusal to halt a uranium enrichment program that according
to the West could lead to the stockpiling of nuclear weapons. Iran
has always denied that this is the purpose of the program, but has also
rejected UN inspections of its sites.
The
consequences for the people of Iran have indeed been bitter: a block on bank
transactions, reduction in oil sales, inability to build extraction plants or
refineries, 40% inflation of the national currency.
Rohani's new
friendly tone is in stark contrast to that of his predecessor, Mahmud
Ahmadinejad, who always attacked the United States and vowed to destroy Israel.
A
sign of openness to the U.S. is also visible in the choice of some ministers. For
Foreign Affairs, Rohani has appointed former ambassador to the UN, Mohammad
Javad Zarif, 53, very fluent in English, with a doctorate from the University
of Denver. Government
Secretary goes to Mohammad Nahavandian, former head of the Chamber of Commerce,
Industry and Mines, a graduate in economics from George Washington University. Then
there are Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Minister of Petroleum and Mohammad Reza
Nematzadeh Minister of Industry, Mines and trade.
Observers
point out that all the personalities of the new government are technocrats,
known as moderate and with highly professional profiles.
Immediately
after Rohani's speech, the White House issued a statement claiming the United
States would be a "willing partner" if Tehran decides to "to engage substantively and
seriously" in honoring its international obligations and works toward a
peaceful solution to the nuclear issue.
Iran
invited several personalities of the international community to yesterday's
ceremony, except the United States and Israel. Among
them, Wael al-Halqi, Prime Minister Syria, and Javier Solana, the EU foreign
chief. Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir was unable to attend because Riyadh would not allow
his plane to fly over Saudi skies.
The
harshest criticism comes from Israel, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
declared that "The
president of Iran may have been changed but the aims of the regime there have
not," Netanyahu said. "Iran's intention is to develop a nuclear
capability and nuclear weapons, with the aim of destroying the state of Israel".