Iran's new President seeks talks with West in "language of respect" Iran's new President called on the West to abandon the "language of sanctions" in dealing with the Islamic Republic over its contentious nuclear program, hoping to ease the economic pressures now grinding its people. President Hassan Rowhani spoke on Sunday after being sworn in as President in an open session of parliament, capping a weekend that saw him endorsed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader. Mr. Rowhani, a moderate cleric who won a landslide victory in the June 14 presidential elections, continued his call for dialogue with the West while asking foreign powers to respect Iran in its negotiations. "If you seek a suitable answer, speak to Iran through the language of respect, not through the language of sanctions," the President said in a speech broadcast live by Iranian state television. He later added that any negotiations would require "bilateral trust building, mutual respect and the lessening of hostilities." Iran is under United Nations sanctions as well as unilateral Western oil and banking sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a technology that can be used to power reactors producing electricity or build nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful and geared to generating electricity and producing radioisotopes to treat cancer patients. Mr. Rowhani replaces Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who struck a hard-line approach when dealing with the West and its sanctions over the nuclear program. The sanctions have hit the country's vital oil exports and blocked transactions on international banking networks. Inflation is running at more than 35 per cent. Many Iranians and foreign diplomats hope that Mr. Rowhani, a former top nuclear negotiator, can strike a more conciliatory tone in negotiations. Those hopes could be seen by the attendance at his swearing-in, as the audience included leaders and other representatives from more than 50 countries. It was the first time since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution that foreign dignitaries attended the swearing-in ceremony of an Iranian president. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird on Sunday issued a statement calling for "concrete actions and meaningful change" from the government in Iran, a country with which Canada abruptly severed direct diplomatic ties in September, 2012. Mr. Baird said: "The regime's record has not improved since the elections in June. "The Iranian regime has a clear choice to make," Mr. Baird added. It can either march Iran down its current path toward continued isolation and economic disparity for the Iranian people, or it can let President Rowhani change the regime's nuclear policies, its wanton disregard for human rights, and its destructive meddling in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and the wider region. In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Mr. Rowhani's inauguration represented "an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community's deep concerns over Iran's nuclear program. "Should this new government choose to engage substantively and seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, it will find a willing partner in the United States," Mr. Carney said in a statement. During his speech, Mr. Rowhani said Iran opposes "any change in political systems through foreign intervention." Iran is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose country remains in the grips of a bloody two-year civil war. Syria's state-run news agency SANA reported Sunday that Mr. Rowhani told Syria's prime minister that no force in the world would shake the alliance between the two countries. Syria has been Tehran's strongest ally in the Arab world since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Mr. Rowhani also said that Iran is "not after changing borders and governments." He did not elaborate, but it appeared to be a reference to Israel, which other Iranian leaders have demanded be destroyed in the past. Meanwhile, Mr. Rowhani also presented a list of ministers he wants for his cabinet to parliament. The core of his team has figures whose academic pedigrees include institutions in California, Washington and London. Ayatollah Khamenei, however, has final say in all key matters, including Mr. Rowhani's key cabinet posts. On Saturday, Mr. Rowhani received a kiss on the forehead from Ayatollah Khamenei, a blessing from the supreme leader. With a report from staff