Iran state TV lauds new president's nuke stance

Iran's president-elect believes it's possible to strike a deal that would allow the country to keep enriching uranium while assuring the West it will not produce a nuclear weapon.

That's according to remarks by Hassan Rohani from an interview recorded four months ago and rerun on Iranian state TV on Friday.

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In the interview, Rohani said his government would look for a win-win deal to resolve the disputes with the United States.

He also suggested that under his presidency, Iran would seek to convince the US and its allies that

dialogue and not sanctions are the way forward.

The broadcast appears to be intended to underline Rohani's pledge to follow a "path of moderation" and pursue greater openness over Iran's nuclear program.

In Rohani's first press conference after his election win he also signaled his intentions to compromise with the West, but at the same time, hinted this compromise will not entail a departure from the policy and

strategy outlined by the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He is set to take office in August.

In a Washington Post interview, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to play down excitement over the election of

"The elections reflect a deep dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with its regime. Unfortunately, this result doesn’t have the power to change Iran’s nuclear ambitions. These are determined not by the elected president but by the so-called supreme leader, (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei," he said.

"He remains committed to pursuing the path of arming Iran with nuclear weapons, and I’m afraid the elections are not going to change that."

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