Iran leader drops turban for baseball cap

Iran’s new president has swaped traditional clerical garb for sports clothes and a baseball cap, as part of his quest to soften his image. 

{mosads}Hassan Rouhani published photos on his website Friday of a recent hike through the mountains near Tehran. Instaad of his usual black turban, Rouhani is wearing a plain black baseball cap.

The website says that Rouhani hikes once or twice a week despite his new responsibilities, according to an informal translation. He is shown “birding” in the company of young people and women.

Rouhani recently inked a nuclear deal with President Obama that temporarily lifts some sanctions in exchange for tighter controls on Iran’s nuclear energy program. The U.S. and Iran hope the deal leads to a long-term nuclear accord that ends nearly four decades of bad relations between the countries.

Some members of Congress are skeptical of the deal and are tying to insert new sactions on Iran as part of a defense authorization deal coming to the House and Senate floors next week.