US President Barack Obama has said recent moves
by Iran should offer the basis for a "meaningful
agreement" on its nuclear programme.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly's annual meeting,
Mr Obama said words now had to be matched by
actions.
The US leader recently exchanged letters with his newly-
elected counterpart over the nuclear issue.
Later, President Hassan Rouhani insisted Iran posed
"absolutely no threat to the world or region".
He said nuclear weapons had "no place in Iran's
security and defence doctrine", and denounced
international sanctions as "violent, pure and simple".
Earlier, Mr Obama also called for a strong UN
resolution on Syria's chemical arms.
He said the purpose of such a resolution should be "to
verify that the [Bashar al-Assad's] regime is keeping its
commitments" to remove or destroy its chemical
weapons.
Mr Obama referred to Iranian suffering from chemical
weapons at the hands of Iraq when he said the ban on
chemical weapons was "strengthened by the searing
memories of soldiers suffocated in the trenches; Jews
slaughtered in gas chambers; and Iranians poisoned in
the many tens of thousands".
The deal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons by
mid-2014 was agreed earlier this month between the
US and Russia, averting a possible Western military
strike.
Differences have since emerged over whether the deal
should be enforced by a UN Security Council resolution
under Chapter VII of the organisation's charter, which
would authorise sanctions and the use of force if Syria
did not comply with its obligations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has demanded the
international community "bring to justice the
perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in Syria".
Peace 'within reach'
On Iran, Mr Obama said the US wanted to resolve the
nuclear issue peacefully, but was determined to
prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"We are not seeking regime change, and we respect the
right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear
energy," he insisted - an acknowledgment of the
assertion frequently made by Iranian authorities.
"Instead, we insist that the Iranian government meet its
responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and UN Security Council resolutions."
"The roadblocks may prove to be too great, but I firmly
believe the diplomatic path must be tested" he added
further into the speech, saying he had urged Secretary
of State John Kerry to pursue a deal.
Iran insists it is a peaceful programme, but Western
countries suspect it of seeking to develop a nuclear
weapon.
Mr Rouhani denounced "Iran-phobic discourses" and
told the Assembly that Iran sought "constructive
engagement", and did not "seek to increase tensions
with the United States".
"Our national interests make it imperative that we
remove any and all reasonable concerns about Iran's
peaceful nuclear programme."
"Let me say loud and clear that peace is within reach,"
Mr Rouhani said.
Earlier Mr Rouhani shook hands with French President
Francois Hollande, who said he expected "concrete
gestures" from Iran to show it was not developing
nuclear weapons.
But a much-touted informal encounter between Mr
Rouhani and Mr Obama failed to materialise, with a
senior US administration official saying such a gesture
had turned out to be "too complicated for [the
Iranians] to do that at this time given their own
dynamic back home" - a clear reference,
correspondents say, to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Khamenei.
Nonetheless, US-Iran contacts are on the rise. On
Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif will discuss its nuclear programme with Mr Kerry -
a rare instance of a formal encounter between the
counterparts, say correspondents.
The meeting will be attended by foreign ministers from
the other four permanent UN Security Council
members - the UK, China, France and Russia - and also
Germany, which make up the so-called P5+1.
Mr Rouhani has said he is ready to restart stalled
nuclear talks without preconditions - a pledge
rubbished by Iranian foe Israel.
"Iran thinks that soothing words and token actions will
enable it to continue on its path to the bomb," Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a
statement.
to improve relations with the West
Western ministers will want to see an Iranian willingness
to make concessions on its nuclear programme if there
is to be any lifting or lightening of UN and Western
sanctions, BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan
Marcus says.
Iran for its part will want a clear indication that the US
is willing to treat Iran with the respect it believes it
deserves as a significant regional player, he adds.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine
Ashton, met Mr Zarif on Monday and described their
discussion as "good and constructive." She said her
team would hold talks with Mr Zarif again in October in
Geneva to assess progress.
Last week, Mr Rouhani said that his country would
never "seek weapons of mass destruction, including
nuclear weapons", and that his goal was "constructive
engagement" with the international community.
by Iran should offer the basis for a "meaningful
agreement" on its nuclear programme.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly's annual meeting,
Mr Obama said words now had to be matched by
actions.
The US leader recently exchanged letters with his newly-
elected counterpart over the nuclear issue.
Later, President Hassan Rouhani insisted Iran posed
"absolutely no threat to the world or region".
He said nuclear weapons had "no place in Iran's
security and defence doctrine", and denounced
international sanctions as "violent, pure and simple".
Earlier, Mr Obama also called for a strong UN
resolution on Syria's chemical arms.
He said the purpose of such a resolution should be "to
verify that the [Bashar al-Assad's] regime is keeping its
commitments" to remove or destroy its chemical
weapons.
Mr Obama referred to Iranian suffering from chemical
weapons at the hands of Iraq when he said the ban on
chemical weapons was "strengthened by the searing
memories of soldiers suffocated in the trenches; Jews
slaughtered in gas chambers; and Iranians poisoned in
the many tens of thousands".
The deal for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons by
mid-2014 was agreed earlier this month between the
US and Russia, averting a possible Western military
strike.
Differences have since emerged over whether the deal
should be enforced by a UN Security Council resolution
under Chapter VII of the organisation's charter, which
would authorise sanctions and the use of force if Syria
did not comply with its obligations.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has demanded the
international community "bring to justice the
perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in Syria".
Peace 'within reach'
On Iran, Mr Obama said the US wanted to resolve the
nuclear issue peacefully, but was determined to
prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"We are not seeking regime change, and we respect the
right of the Iranian people to access peaceful nuclear
energy," he insisted - an acknowledgment of the
assertion frequently made by Iranian authorities.
"Instead, we insist that the Iranian government meet its
responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and UN Security Council resolutions."
"The roadblocks may prove to be too great, but I firmly
believe the diplomatic path must be tested" he added
further into the speech, saying he had urged Secretary
of State John Kerry to pursue a deal.
Iran insists it is a peaceful programme, but Western
countries suspect it of seeking to develop a nuclear
weapon.
Mr Rouhani denounced "Iran-phobic discourses" and
told the Assembly that Iran sought "constructive
engagement", and did not "seek to increase tensions
with the United States".
"Our national interests make it imperative that we
remove any and all reasonable concerns about Iran's
peaceful nuclear programme."
"Let me say loud and clear that peace is within reach,"
Mr Rouhani said.
Earlier Mr Rouhani shook hands with French President
Francois Hollande, who said he expected "concrete
gestures" from Iran to show it was not developing
nuclear weapons.
But a much-touted informal encounter between Mr
Rouhani and Mr Obama failed to materialise, with a
senior US administration official saying such a gesture
had turned out to be "too complicated for [the
Iranians] to do that at this time given their own
dynamic back home" - a clear reference,
correspondents say, to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Khamenei.
Nonetheless, US-Iran contacts are on the rise. On
Thursday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif will discuss its nuclear programme with Mr Kerry -
a rare instance of a formal encounter between the
counterparts, say correspondents.
The meeting will be attended by foreign ministers from
the other four permanent UN Security Council
members - the UK, China, France and Russia - and also
Germany, which make up the so-called P5+1.
Mr Rouhani has said he is ready to restart stalled
nuclear talks without preconditions - a pledge
rubbished by Iranian foe Israel.
"Iran thinks that soothing words and token actions will
enable it to continue on its path to the bomb," Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a
statement.
to improve relations with the West
Western ministers will want to see an Iranian willingness
to make concessions on its nuclear programme if there
is to be any lifting or lightening of UN and Western
sanctions, BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan
Marcus says.
Iran for its part will want a clear indication that the US
is willing to treat Iran with the respect it believes it
deserves as a significant regional player, he adds.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Baroness Catherine
Ashton, met Mr Zarif on Monday and described their
discussion as "good and constructive." She said her
team would hold talks with Mr Zarif again in October in
Geneva to assess progress.
Last week, Mr Rouhani said that his country would
never "seek weapons of mass destruction, including
nuclear weapons", and that his goal was "constructive
engagement" with the international community.
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