President Hassan Rowhani said on Tuesday that Iran was ready for “serious” talks on its nuclear programme without delay and that US calls for tougher sanctions showed a lack of understanding.
At his first news conference since taking office, Rowhani said that he would not surrender Iran’s rights but that he wanted to allay Western concerns. "As the President, I am announcing that there is the political will to solve this issue and also take into consideration the concerns of the other sides. We are the people of interaction and talks, with seriousness and without wasting time, if the other sides are ready," he said.
Rowhani headed Iran's nuclear negotiating team under reformist president Mohammad Khatami in the early 2000s and Western leaders have expressed hope of a more constructive approach. The hardline policies of his firebrand predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, prompted crippling EU and US sanctions against Iran's oil and banking sectors that he has vowed to seek to relax.