Iran hopes to see practical changes in U.S. foreign policy

TEHRAN,Jan.9(MNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said that Iran hopes the United States will make practical changes to its foreign policy. Mehmanparast made the remarks during his regular press briefing in Tehran on Tuesday in reply to a question about the fact that U.S. President Barack Obama nominated former Republican senator Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary on Monday. Critics have said that Hagel is hostile toward Israel and soft on Iran, according to AP. Shortly after being nominated, Hagel stated that his record shows “unequivocal, total support for Israel,” insisting that critics have misrepresented his views on Israel, AP reported. In a recent interview with the Lincoln Journal Star, Hagel also dismissed claims that he was soft on Iran, according to AP. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said, “We hope that practical changes will be made to U.S. foreign policy and the attitude of U.S. officials will be (changed) in such a way that they would respect the rights of nations.” He added, “So far, many claims have been made, but they have never matched U.S. officials’ actions. We hope that U.S. officials will seek peace and recognize the rights of nations instead of interfering in the internal affairs of (other) countries. “And if such an attitude is adopted, hatred toward U.S. policies will definitely decrease, and this must be assessed in practice.”