In what some analysts see as early signs of a possible thaw in relations with arch-foe United States, Iran’s new President Hassan Rouhani has declared that his country has never sought a nuclear bomb and will not do so in future.
“We have time and again said that under no circumstances would we seek any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, nor will we ever,” Rouhani said in an interview to NBC News.
In remarks just ahead of his visit to New York next week to attend the UN General Assembly session, Rouhani also spoke of a “positive and constructive” letter that he received from President Barack Obama upon his election in June, remarking: “It could be subtle and tiny steps for a very important future.”
Rouhani’s comments, seen in Washington as a far cry from the “bellicose” statements of his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad all through his eight years at the helm, have triggered speculation of an impromptu, if not a formal meeting with Obama on the sidelines of the UN session.
But the White House said there are no current plans for an Obama meeting with Rouhani. There has indeed no face-to-face meeting between a US and an Iranian leader since the 1979 Iranian revolution and the diplomatic crisis sparked by the holding of 52 Americans hostage in Tehran for 444 days till January 1981.
Obama, according to White House spokesman Jay Carney, believes “there is an opportunity for diplomacy when it comes to the issues that have presented challenges to the United States and our allies with regards to Iran, and we hope that the Iranian Government takes advantage of this opportunity”.
“We hope Iran can take that chance. We heard that Iranian President wants to increase ties between his country and international community. Obama believes that we should test that and we will,” Carney added.
During a recent interview, Obama indicated that he had exchanged letters with Rouhani, without going into details. Rouhani, when asked about it by NBC News, said he did receive a letter of congratulations upon his election in June. Obama also raised “some issues” to which he had responded, he added.
“From my point of view, the tone of the letter was positive and constructive,” the Iranian President said, adding: “It could be subtle and tiny steps for a very important future.”
Carney said Obama’s letter conveyed the need to act with a sense of urgency to address the nuclear issue. “As we have long said, the window of opportunity for resolving this diplomatically is open, but it will not remain open indefinitely,” the spokesman added.