Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani has called on Barack Obama to ignore "warmongering pressure groups" and seek better relations with Iran, saying he is ready to engage with the US over his nation's nuclear program.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Mr Rouhani said
Iran poses "absolutely no threat to the world."
In his first speech on the world stage, Mr Rouhani condemned international
sanctions against Iran and also criticised America's use of drones.
But he said if Mr Obama rejects "the short-sighted interest of
warmongering pressure groups, we can arrive at a framework to manage our
differences."
He said he was prepared to enter into talks over Iran's nuclear program "immediately",
saying his country's position that its nuclear drive is "exclusively
peaceful."
"Nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction have no place in
Iran's security and defense doctrine, and contradict our fundamental
religious and ethical convictions," he said.
