US welcomes Rohani's moderate approach

In reaction to Iranian President Hassan Rohani's interview with NBC News earlier Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry welcomed the new leader's statements on peace building and stability. "I think Rohani's comments have been very positive, but everything needs to be put to the test," said Kerry. "We'll see where we go. And at the right moment, I think the White House and the State Department will make clear where we're headed," he affirmed. Likewise, White House Spokesperson Jay Carney stressed that the U.S. is "interested in testing the seriousness of those assertions." Rohani's willingness to negotiate a nuclear weapons deal with the U.S. can be tackled in one way if Iran gives up its nuclear weapons, Carney pointed out. "What we believe is that the dramatic effects on the Iranian economy of the unprecedented sanctions regime has made it clear to leaders of that country that it would be in their best interests to deal with this problem," said Carney. "Whether they will deal with it remains to be seen. And President (Barack) Obama has made it his policy, from the time he ran for office and took office, that he is willing to meet with and the United States is willing to have bilateral negotiations with Iran, if Iran is serious about addressing the problem that the international community asserts that exists, which is that Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapon," he went on. "We obviously notice a significant change in language and tone from the new Iranian government when compared to its predecessor," he noted. "It's rather dramatic." Speaking on Iran's release of political prisoners in the past week, Carney said it is "a concrete action" and referred to Rohani's claims about opening up access to social media platforms in the country as "welcome rhetoric." "We are very interested in testing whether or not their claimed desire to improve relations with the international community will be backed up by action. And we hope it is. "We believe, as we've said all along, that there is still an opportunity to resolve this issue diplomatically," he added.