Iran's President Calls Nuclear Deal An Important Step To Better Ties

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

We're taking time throughout the program to understand more about the framework deal reached yesterday to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Now we'll hear how the deal is going over in Iran.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

In an address to his country today, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the outline an important step towards engaging with the world.

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HASSAN ROUHANI: (Through interpreter) In today's world, development, progress and security in the region and in the world is not possible without cooperation and coronation.

CORNISH: Thomas Erdbrink of The New York Times is in Tehran. Welcome to the program.

THOMAS ERDBRINK: Thanks for having me, Audie.

CORNISH: We just heard this positive spin from President Rouhani there, and we've seen photos of people cheering the return of the foreign minister to Tehran from Switzerland. But tell us, is the public reaction as optimistic as it appears?

ERDBRINK: Yes and no. Of course people had been eagerly awaiting some sort of end of the beginning, if you will, to these sanctions. And when it came last night, a lot of people couldn't believe it. Suddenly they saw President Obama live on the Iranian state TV - the first time that an American president was live on television. Then some of them in this city of 12 million went out to cheer and to honk their cars, but of course not everybody. A lot of people were talking to each other inside their houses after having spent almost eight days following the news to try and figure out what does this all mean.

CORNISH: One person who's been quiet is Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. What does that tell you?

ERDBRINK: To me, it says that he is currently trying to figure out exactly what the Iranian negotiating team has agreed upon. But I'm pretty sure that Iran's supreme leader will come out in continuing support of these nuclear negotiations. Now, he will go out in public and he will say look, these Americans have a different version of our agreement. They are not trustworthy, but at the same time, he will encourage the negotiating team and the government of President Rouhani to try and see if this deal in three months will still be possible.

CORNISH: So what does that mean for those in opposition, the hardliners?

ERDBRINK: Well, the interesting thing is that Iran's hardliners have been very quiet over the past weeks. And many people with inside information have been saying that the hardliners actually have been told to be quiet because the supreme leader, who has the final say over the nuclear case, wants them to be quiet.

CORNISH: You actually attended some of the Friday prayers and you quote one cleric at Tehran University who said that Iran should make the effort to come to an agreement with the West. And he said we can even stop shouting death to America if it is needed.

ERDBRINK: And of course, they did shout death to America 'cause they've been doing that for the past 35 years. But such remarks show the pragmatism currently within Iran's establishment. I don't think that Iran will throw its anti-American ideology overboard. There are many points of contention. Iran has a lot of regional enemies - Saudi Arabia that is, of course, an ally of the United States, not to mention Israel, ally of the United States. But at the same time there is a sense that in order for Iran to move forward it has to mend ties with the West. And this was also said by Iran's president today that there is a deep wish in his government to reestablish ties even with countries Iran has been at odds with over the past decades.

CORNISH: Going forward, the parties here have until June to hammer out more details for a formal agreement. What are you going to be looking for and listening for?

ERDBRINK: I will listen very closely, of course, to what the supreme leader has to say. And, at the same time, not only me, but a lot of people here in Iran, at least, will be looking at the United States, at America's hardliners, if you will. What will the Republicans say about this deal? Will there be a lot of opposition? It seems that the Iranians, for now, have their act together. They are united, but they will be looking at what will happen in America and also what will happen in Israel.

CORNISH: That's New York Times correspondent Thomas Erdbrink. He spoke to us from Tehran. Thank you so much.

ERDBRINK: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.