Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office before parliament in Tehran on Sunday and is soon expected to name his cabinet which he says will be chosen from figures across the political spectrum.Rouhani, a relatively moderate cleric, pledged to uphold the constitution and protect the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a ceremony broadcast live on state television.
A day earlier he was formally endorsed and confirmed in his new role by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Rouhani is Iran's seventh president, succeeding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the country's highest elected official.
Rouhani, trained as a lawyer in addition to religious studies he began as a teenager, has held senior political posts in Iran for decades, including leading the nation's team of nuclear negotiators for over 15 years (1989-2005).
In his first speech as president, Rouhani vowed to work to lift Western sanctions on Iran. He said the goal of these penalties was to isolate Iran and push the country towards chaos.
The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions on Iran in an effort to pressure it to end its nuclear program. Several countries, including the United States, have imposed their own additional measures.
Rouhani also said Iran's "detractors" and "enemies" have been trying to keep the country in full isolation, to widen the gap between the government and the people. However, he said, strong public participation in the presidential election in June "foiled" this alleged plot.
The 64-year-old cleric will have to deal with huge challenges, including a sagging economy and the outside world's predominantly negative view of Iran's controversial nuclear policies.
The president is Iran's head of government. Iran's supreme leader is the chief of state and gives final approval for major policy decisions.
Even before Rouhani took over from President Ahmadinejad, controversy swirled Friday over disputed press accounts of remarks in which Rouhani referred to Israel.
The Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) and other Iranian news media quoted Rouhani as calling Israel a "wound ... on the body of the Muslim world" that needs to be "removed." International news agencies also carried the remarks, which were quickly condemned by Israel.
Iranian state television said later the initial accounts of what Rouhani said were distorted, and it aired video of him telling reporters that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories "is like an old wound on the body of Islamic society." He did not broadly refer to the existence of the state of Israel.
A day earlier he was formally endorsed and confirmed in his new role by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Rouhani is Iran's seventh president, succeeding Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the country's highest elected official.
Rouhani, trained as a lawyer in addition to religious studies he began as a teenager, has held senior political posts in Iran for decades, including leading the nation's team of nuclear negotiators for over 15 years (1989-2005).
In his first speech as president, Rouhani vowed to work to lift Western sanctions on Iran. He said the goal of these penalties was to isolate Iran and push the country towards chaos.
The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions on Iran in an effort to pressure it to end its nuclear program. Several countries, including the United States, have imposed their own additional measures.
Rouhani also said Iran's "detractors" and "enemies" have been trying to keep the country in full isolation, to widen the gap between the government and the people. However, he said, strong public participation in the presidential election in June "foiled" this alleged plot.
The 64-year-old cleric will have to deal with huge challenges, including a sagging economy and the outside world's predominantly negative view of Iran's controversial nuclear policies.
The president is Iran's head of government. Iran's supreme leader is the chief of state and gives final approval for major policy decisions.
Even before Rouhani took over from President Ahmadinejad, controversy swirled Friday over disputed press accounts of remarks in which Rouhani referred to Israel.
The Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) and other Iranian news media quoted Rouhani as calling Israel a "wound ... on the body of the Muslim world" that needs to be "removed." International news agencies also carried the remarks, which were quickly condemned by Israel.
Iranian state television said later the initial accounts of what Rouhani said were distorted, and it aired video of him telling reporters that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories "is like an old wound on the body of Islamic society." He did not broadly refer to the existence of the state of Israel.