The United States says the appointment of a new president in Iran offers new hope of engagement with the international community.

Newly elected president Hussain Rowhani has used his first speech to the Iranian parliament to call for dialogue after years of sanctions against the government of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"The only way for interaction with Iran is dialogue on an equal footing, confidence-building and mutual respect as well as reducing antagonism and aggression," Mr Rowhani told parliament after taking his oath of office.

"If you want the right response, don't speak with Iran in the language of sanctions, speak in the language of respect."

Iran's determination to pursue uranium enrichment has led to strong US and European sanctions that have crippled Iran's oil sector, cut its access to global banking, and contributed to soaring inflation and a shrinking economy.

Within hours of Mr Rowhani's statement, the United States said it was ready to work with his government if it were serious about engagement.

"The inauguration of President Rowhani presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community's deep concerns over Iran's nuclear programme," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.

"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."

The West is hoping Mr Rowhani will take a more constructive approach in long-running talks on Tehran's controversial nuclear drive, which despite Iranian denials is suspected by world powers of having military objectives.

Goal to improve lives of ordinary Iranians

Mr Rowhani said his goal was to improve the livelihood of ordinary Iranians whom he acknowledged were under "a lot of economic pressure" because of tough US and EU sanctions.

"The people want to live better, to have dignity and to enjoy a stable life. They want to regain their deserved position among nations," he said

He has promised above all else to stick to the path of moderation.

He said his government would take the path of detente, "creating mutual trust and constructive interaction".

"I say this frankly that Iran has never been bent on war with the world."

His remarks contrasted starkly with Mr Ahmadinejad, whose anti-Israel diatribes and provocative rhetoric sparked repeated global condemnation.

Signalling both his wish to get straight down to work and a likely willingness to engage with the United States, Mr Rowhani has presented a list of cabinet nominees to the parliament speaker that included Iran's former ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as foreign minister.

Parliament must approve the proposed ministers before they can take office and the speaker said the assembly would review the nominees in the next week.

New foreign minister a respected diplomat

Mr Zarif is a respected diplomat involved in negotiations with the United States since the 1980s and is well known to top US officials, including vice-president Joe Biden and defence secretary Chuck Hagel.

Western envoys familiar with Mr Zarif have said his appointment may be a sign of Mr Rowhani's interest in breaking the deadlock with the United States.

Ali Vaez, Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Mr Zarif had unique skills that "allow him to bridge the great gulf of misperceptions between Iran and the West".

"No-one else is better suited to take on the grim but grand task of ending Iran's isolation at this time of national peril," he told Reuters.

Any new overtures to the West would have to be approved by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has maintained a staunchly anti-Western stance since becoming Iran's supreme leader in 1989.

After eight years of Mr Ahmadinejad's confrontational government, under which the West tightened sanctions making daily life tougher for normal Iranians, Khamenei is likely to give Mr Rowhani a chance to resolve the issue, but has publicly expressed more scepticism of the chances of a solution.

Though less hard line than his predecessor, Mr Rowhani has held important military and security posts since the Islamic revolution of 1979. He was head of the Supreme National Security Council for 16 years and one of two personal representatives of Mr Khamenei on the same body for another eight years.

Mr Rowhani did not name a candidate to head the Supreme National Security Council.

The person occupying that position is usually also Iran's chief negotiator in its talks with world powers over its nuclear program.

Reuters/AFP/BBC