White House spokesman: US willing to work with new Iranian government

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Sunday said the Obama administration is willing to work with Iran if its new government engages “substantively and seriously” to address concerns over Tehran’s nuclear program. 

{mosads}Carney congratulated the Iranian people for “making their voices heard during Iran’s election.”

Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office in Tehran on Sunday, becoming the Islamic Republic’s seventh president. He is expected to name a cabinet later in the day.

“We note that President Rouhani recognized his election represented a call by the Iranian people for change, and we hope the new Iranian government will heed the will of the voters by making choices that will lead to a better life for the Iranian people,” Carney said in a statement.

“The inauguration of President Rouhani presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community’s deep concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. Should this new government choose to engage substantively and seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue, it will find a willing partner in the United States.”

Rouhani’s inauguration came just days after a report that more than three-quarters of the U.S. Senate signed a letter calling on President Obama to enact tougher sanctions on Iran, saying the time for diplomacy is quickly running out.

“Iran has used negotiations in the past to stall for time,” the senators wrote, according to The Jerusalem Post.

The U.S. “must toughen sanctions and reinforce the credibility of our option to use military force at the same time as we fully explore a diplomatic solution to our dispute with Iran,” the letter, spearheaded by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said.

Last week, the House voted to tighten sanctions against Iran in an effort to limit Iran’s nuclear program, despite calls from some Democrats to delay the vote until more is known about Rouhani.