The new president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, says that a new opportunity has been created for friendly relations with the world, but he also says that Iran is not giving up its nuclear program.
"I hope all countries will take advantage of this opportunity," Rouhani said at his first press conference after Friday's presidential election.
He also pointed out that Iran is ready to show more transparency with its nuclear program, but that it is not ready to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
"Our nuclear programs are completely transparent. But we are ready to show greater transparency and it is clear to the whole world that the steps taken by the Islamic Republic of Iran are completely within the international framework," he said.
Rouhani succeeded Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who could not run for two consecutive terms.
The fact that he won more than 50 percent of the votes as a moderate candidate is interpreted by the West as a sign of a slight change in foreign policy. Before the election, Rouhani promised to restore diplomatic ties with the USA, which were severed in 1979.
He was also Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in 2003, when the country agreed to halt controversial uranium enrichment.
Before running for office, Rouhani was head of the Center for Strategic Studies, Ayatollah Khamenei's top advisory body. Rohani holds a PhD in Law from the University of Glasgow and speaks English, German, French and Russian. He is married and has four children.
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