Iran’s New President Promises To Seek 'Better Life' for All Iranians
Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office on Aug. 4 as Iran’s 11th president and repeated pledges to try reduce Iran’s isolation and relieve its economic distress.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, addressed twin appeals on Aug. 4 to a suspicious international community and his own beleaguered people, promising to seek detente with the former and act on behalf of the latter, including those who did not vote for him or even vote at all.
Rouhani, a 64-year-old cleric partly educated in Scotland, took the oath of office before the Iranian parliament, then delivered a crisp address that sharply contrasted with the pseudo-philosophical meanderings of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The Iranian people “want to live a better life, be dignified … [and] reclaim their deserved status among the nations,” Rouhani told the audience, which included a sprinkling of presidents and prime ministers from neighboring nations and pariah states such as North Korea, but no senior serving Western officials.
“My government will endeavor to build effective and mutual confidence between Iran and other countries in the world,” he said.
