Rohani takes casual hike in Tehran hills
Iranian president trades in cleric's robe, turban for ski jacket, baseball cap. Surrounded by bodyguards, Rohani greets, chats with passersby
The photos, which appeared on the website Friday, came as the recently elected leader has sought to present a friendlier and more moderate image of the Islamic republic, which reached a landmark nuclear deal with the West last month.
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The pictures show Rohani, usually seen in the turban and robes favored by Iran's clerics, in a black baseball cap and matching ski jacket walking along a dirt road and using hiking poles.
He is seen mingling and chatting with other hikers, including a group of women, and posing for a picture with the sun setting over Tehran in the background.
The website said Rohani – who defeated a pool of conservatives in a June presidential election after vowing to engage with the West – goes hiking once or twice a week.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who must approve all major decisions and who is seen as more distrustful of the West, is also fond of hiking, and state media have published similar pictures of him in the past.
Iran and a group of major powers broke through a decade of gridlock last month to agree on an interim deal that would freeze parts of Iran's controversial nuclear program while easing some of the crippling international sanctions against it.
The West and Israel have long suspected Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program, a charge denied by Tehran.
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