German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has welcomed Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis overtures, expressing the readiness of world powers for nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.
"I welcome the new tone from Tehran," Westerwelle told Welt am Sonntag, the Sunday edition of the German weekday Die Welt.
It leaves possible new movement in negotiations between Iran and the West over Tehrans nuclear program, he said, adding, "We are ready for talks.
In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post on Thursday, Rouhani urged world leaders to "seize the opportunity" presented by his election to respond to his administrations efforts to engage in constructive dialogue with the world.
Also in an exclusive interview with the American TV channel, NBC, on Wednesday the Iranian president said that he has full authority to negotiate a deal with the West over the Islamic Republics nuclear energy program.
Rouhani reiterated that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons and has never pursued that path, adding Iran wants nothing beyond what is defined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to which it is a signatory.
He also pointed to nuclear negotiations between Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany and said the dispute over Tehrans nuclear energy program can be easily settled if the world powers involved in talks with the Islamic Republic have political resolve.
The United States, Israel and some of their allies falsely claim that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Tehran strongly rejects the claim against its nuclear energy program, maintaining that as a committed signatory to the NPT and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.