A survey being conducted by British daily The Guardian shows respondents believe that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is the most deserving candidate to receive this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.
The opinion poll officially closes on Wednesday. Over 70 percent of the online voters have picked Rouhani from the Guardian journalist nominees, more than four times the number of votes received by the Pakistani teenage social activist, Malala Yousafzai, who is in second place.

The poll does not reflect the Nobel committee’s actual opinions.

Rouhani is being lauded for his recent overture, calling for the establishment of ties with the West based on mutual respect and understanding.

In his address to the 68th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly, Rouhani said the Islamic Republic of Iran poses no threat to the world and Tehran is ready for talks on its nuclear energy program with complete transparency.

He stated that the Iranian nuclear energy program has always been a peaceful one, saying, "This has been, and will always be, the objective of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The Iranian president urged his US counterpart Barack Obama to reject "the short-sighted interest of warmongering pressure groups” if he wants "to manage differences" with Tehran.

In the first direct communication between an Iranian and a US president since Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979, Rouhani received a call from Obama on September 27 shortly before leaving New York, where he attended the 68th session of UN General Assembly.

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that the Iranian nuclear program has been diverted toward military objectives.

By Press TV

 

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