Iran's president calls for dialogue

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Iran's president calls for dialogue
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is
considered a moderate, made his case Thursday to
the American people and the world for "a
constructive approach" to contentious issues
including his nation's nuclear program, arguing
that failing to engage "leads to everyone's
loss. "We must work together to end the
unhealthy rivalries and interferences that fuel
violence and drive us apart," Rouhani wrote in an
op-ed published Thursday evening on the
Washington Post's website. Chief among those
issues, for Iran, is its nuclear program. Iranian
officials have insisted its aim is peaceful and
for energy purposes only, but skeptical U.S.,
Israeli and other officials accuse Tehran (the
capital and government center of Iran) of working
to develop nuclear weapons. Iran's lack of
openness on the issue and its lack of cooperation
with international nuclear authorities, have led
to increased tensions in the region. Secretary of
State John Kerry -- also speaking in Washington
-- characterized some of the new Iranian
president's remarks as "very positive. Yet he
offered his compliment with a caveat "Everything
needs to be put to the test, and we'll see where
we go."
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