In his first American television interview, President Hassan Rouhani signaled an interest in improving relations with the United States. Less than a week earlier, President Barack Obama revealed that he had privately communicated with Iran’s new president. Rouhani described the tone of Obama’s letter as “positive and constructive” in his interview with NBC.
On Iran’s controversial nuclear program, President Rouhani seemed to indicate that his government had Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s approval to cut a deal. “We have sufficient political latitude to solve this problem,” the president said. Khamenei recently acknowledged that “heroic flexibility” is sometimes necessary in diplomacy. Rouhani also pledged that Tehran would never seek nuclear weapons.
On domestic issues, Rouhani reiterated his support for freedom expression and opposition to extensive censorship. "People must have full access to all information worldwide," he said. Rouhani's interview came less than week before his debut at the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for September 24. The following are excerpts with a link to the full transcript at the end.
U.S.-Iran Relations
“From my point of view, the tone of the letter [from President Barack Obama] was positive and constructive. It could be subtle and tiny steps for a very important future. I believe the leaders in all countries could think in their national interest and they should not be under the influence of pressure groups. I hope to witness such an atmosphere in the future.
“Anything is possible in the world of politics. It depends on having the necessary conditions. If in the first steps we see goodwill and good intention, mutual confidence and trust, and if we see that the Americans are talking from respectful positions, a lot of things could be put in the agenda. But the issue of nuclear talks is the most important test in this regard. If we see goodwill from both sides and good intention from both sides and reach a mutual agreement, the way would be paved for further talks regarding various issues.”
Nuclear Program
“We have never pursued or sought a nuclear bomb and we are not going to do so. 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... We solely are looking for peaceful nuclear technology.
“In its nuclear program, this government enters with full power and has complete authority. We have sufficient political latitude to solve this problem.”
“If they [world powers] want to resolve and settle down the nuclear issues of the Islamic Republic of Iran we should say that when Iran accepted the NPT [Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty] and all its activities are under the supervision of the IAEA and in all enrichment facilities there are the cameras of the IAEA and there are constant inspection of the IAEA inspectors, so what kind of concerns are there? Point is that could there be any concern at all?
“All of those who are having enrichments are doing the same thing. They are under the supervision of the IAEA. Of course there are some countries, you know them well, that are not under the supervision of the IAEA. They are not member states of the NPT. But there is no concern regarding their activities. But there are concerns regarding a country which accepted all the rules and regulations. Therefore from our point of view, this is absolutely meaningless.”
Syria
“We are very worried about war in our region. We have the experience of a number of destructive wars in this region. The day we feel a new war is about to happen in our region, we consider its destructive consequences. In the past few weeks, my government made many efforts to ensure that the region does not witness a new war. In this context, the cooperation between Russia and Iran has been notable.
“We are not the government of Syria. We are one of the countries of this region which is asking for peace and stability and the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction in the entire region.”
“We consider war a weakness. Any government that decides on war, we consider a weakness. And any government that decides on peace, we look on it with respect for peace.”
Domestic Freedoms and Rights
“We want the people in their private life to be completely free. In today's world, having access to information and the right of free dialogue and the right to think freely is the right of all people, including the people of Iran.”
“The viewpoint of the government is that people must have full access to all information worldwide. Our opinion on this should be based on the protection of our national identity and on our morals.”
The Middle East
“What is important for us is that the countries of the region and the people grow closer to each other and that they are able to prevent aggression and injustice.”’
“What we wish for in this region is rule by the will of the people,” he said. “We believe in the ballot box. We do not seek war with any country. We seek peace and friendship among the nations of the region.”
Chemical Weapons
“We are ourselves the victims of chemical weapons. Therefore, we are very sensitive about this weapon. We are wishing for the removal of all chemical weapons around the world and especially in the sensitive region of the Middle East. In this regard, we will not stop doing whatever we could possibly do.”
Israel
Israel is an “occupier” nation that “does injustice to the people of the region and has brought instability to the region with its war-mongering policies… [Israel] shouldn't allow itself to give speeches about a democratically and freely elected government.”
