Iran’s FM hopes Kerry will change US policies

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi has expressed hope that new US Secretary of State John Kerry would contribute to softening Washington's policies towards Iran, Press TV reported.

"I hope that ... he (Kerry) would at least rectify part of the US government's anti-Iranian stance and policies," Salehi said on Friday.

The Iranian minister also called on Kerry to "reform oppressive, incorrect and costly approaches by the US government" in a bid to "contribute to reducing human and financial costs inflicted by the US foreign policy on the American and regional nations."

Salehi noted that Kerry is a veteran US politician with a good knowledge of the Middle East region.

"I wish he would understand the facts and realities [about Iran] in his new responsibility," the Iranian minister said.

On Tuesday, the US Senate approved John Kerry as the next secretary of state by a wide majority.

Kerry, who assumed office on Friday, had represented Massachusetts in the US Senate since 1985 after being elected to five terms.

Kerry, who is a Vietnam War veteran, has been a member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 28 years and chaired it for four years.

On January 25, he said diplomacy remained a viable option with the Islamic Republic.

He promised to give diplomacy every effort to settle the ongoing dispute over Iran's peaceful nuclear energy program.

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran rejects the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire 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 to nuclear weapons production.