Image by getty images

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a new television interview, said his country is not seeking war and that Iran wants the Middle East to have “rule by the will of the people.”

His comments came during the second part of an interview with NBC News that aired on Thursday, just days before he travels to New York for an appearance at the United Nations.

Rouhani, asked about Israel, said: “What we wish for in this region is rule by the will of the people. We believe in the ballot box. We do not seek war with any country. We seek peace and friendship among the nations of the region.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

In an earlier part of the interview that aired on Wednesday, Rouhani said Iran would never develop nuclear weapons and that he had “complete authority” to negotiate a nuclear deal with the United States and other Western powers.

The interview may signal Rouhani’s efforts to improve relations with the West after years of hostility. He also appeared to support the growing wave of pro-democracy uprisings sweeping across the region.

But some questions, especially about Iran’s stance toward Israel, remained unanswered.

Rouhani’s predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had infamously said the Holocaust was a myth.

Rouhani declined to say whether he also believed that. “What is important to Iran is that countries, people in the region grow closer and prevent aggression and injustice,” he told NBC’s Ann Curry.

He also appeared to support lifting Iran’s Internet censorship, saying: “We want the people, in their private lives, to be completely free.”

“In today’s world, having access to information and the right of free dialogue and the right to think freely is a right of all peoples, including Iranians,” he said. “The people must have full access to all information worldwide.”

As part of that effort, the government plans to set up a commission for citizen’s rights in the near future, he said.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount