New regime makes overtures to West on nuclear talks Iran's new President Hasan Rouhani waves after his swearing in at the parliament in Tehran. Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, made an explicit pitch for a new understanding with the West in his inauguration address, describing his government as one of hope and moderation. Drawing a line under the bellicose rhetoric of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tenure, Mr Rouhani said Iranians had rejected extremism by electing him in the June election, and he appealed to the West to drop sanctions that are crippling the country. He said mutual respect, not Western sanctions, would lead his country to make nuclear concessions. "The only way to interaction with Iran is through dialogue on an equal footing, confidence-building, and mutual respect as well as a mutual reducing of antagonism and aggression," Mr Rouhani, 64, said. If you want the right response, it should not be through the language of sanctions; it should be through the language of respect. At the end of the speech, Mr Rouhani, a comparatively moderate cleric, immediately submitted his entire cabinet for parliamentary approval. In a further sign he may be seeking rapprochement with the West, his nominee for foreign minister is Mohammad Javad Zarif, a US-educated former ambassador to the United Nations and a diplomat known to high-level officials in US President Barack Obama's administration. Mr Rouhani earlier admitted that sanctions had put "great economic pressure" on the Iranian people but the support he had received in the election was a vote for moderation, not "extremism." The people voted for moderation. The people want to live better, to have dignity and to enjoy a stable life. They want to regain their deserved position among nations," he said. On Saturday, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he approved of Mr Rouhani's approach. "We need to take action wisely and prudently," he said. Mr Rouhani also appeared to send a signal aimed at easing tensions with Iran's sworn enemy Israel, by saying Iran did not wish to "change the demarcations and borders" of any country in the Middle East. Insisting that Iran "pursues peace in the region," he added: "The political structure of each country relies on the will of the people in that country. Iran has never wanted to fight anyone in the world. Our policies will be focused on bringing the warmongers under control. While his comments did not mention Israel by name, the omission of any direct criticism stood in stark contrast to Mr Ahmadinejad, who frequently attacked Israel. The US, which has had no formal ties with Iran since the 1979-81 Tehran hostage crisis, greeted Mr Rouhani's inauguration by saying it was ready to engage directly over the Iranian uranium enrichment programme and be a "willing partner" if Iran "engages seriously."