(VOVworld) – Iran wants to rebuild and improve its relations with European and North American countries on a basis of mutual respect. Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper on Monday quoted Iranian president Hassan Rouhani as saying that Iran wants to avoid heightening tension with the US and to address existing disputes.

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani (Photo: Reuters)

Rouhani emphasized that Iran can’t forget what affected the relations between Tehran and Washington over the past 60 years but urged both sides to “concentrate on the present and orientate towards the future.” Regarding its controversial nuclear program, the president said Iran will not give up its right to profit from nuclear energy but it is exerting efforts to remove all doubts and answer all reasonable questions about its nuclear program.