The United States on Monday expressed hopes that the newly- elected Iranian President would fulfill his campaign pledges to make every possible efforts to improve relations with Western nations and to ease sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
"He does not take office until August, so it's too early to say what his policies will be. We look forward to him and are hopeful that he will fulfill the campaign promises he made to the Iranian people, such as expanding personal freedoms, releasing political prisoners and improving Iran's relations with the international community. But time will tell," State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters.
Noting that the new Iranian President will take office only after a couple of months, She stressed that there "are a number of dynamics at play here, including the role of the Supreme Leader, and we'll see what happens moving forward."
When asked about the U.S. stand on engagement with Iran, Psaki stressed that Washington has been open for direct talks with Tehran for months as part of the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the so-called P5+1 nations, comprising of the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, on the Islamic Republic's controversial nuclear program.
"We've been open for months, even before the election, to continuing the discussions as a part of the P5+1 process if they were to respond with a balanced proposal, substantively with a balanced proposal to the proposal that was put forward. So we'll see if that is something that happens. They know what they need to do, the ball's in their court, and we're waiting for that," she said.
The U.S. reaction came after Hassan Rohani, a moderate Shia cleric, was elected as the new Iranian President in the June 14 elections in which over 72 percent of the country's eligible voters cast their votes. He will now succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ratifies the election outcome on August 3.
Rohani had stressed during his campaign that he would make every possible efforts to ease sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclear program. He also pledged greater engagement with Western powers if elected.
Notably, the President-elect said on Monday that his government would attempt to have the sanctions eased by showing "more transparency" on its nuclear program and trying to "build confidence" with the world.
Rohani, however, ruled out suspending Iran's uranium enrichment activities, but expressed willingness to open talks with the United States on condition that Washington recognizes its right to a nuclear program.
Iran's nuclear program has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Iran insists that its nuclear work is intended for peaceful civilian purposes, but the West suspects the claim to be a cover-up for the country's nuclear weapon ambitions. Iran is currently reeling under four rounds of U.N. sanctions as well as separate sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
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