US Waiting to See What Happens Next After Iran's New President Took Office, White House Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration waiting to see what happens next with the Iran nuclear talks following President Ebrahim Raisi's inauguration, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Raisi was sworn in as the Islamic Republic’s president, succeeding Hassan Rouhani.

"The timeline is not endless... but right now we are open to returning to the seventh round of negotiations, the inauguration is today so we will see what happens from here," Psaki told reporters.

The Biden administration believes it is in the best interest of the United States to pursue a diplomatic path forward with Iran, even though there are issues with Tehran's actions in the global community, Psaki said.

Having visibility into their nuclear capabilities is in the national interest of the United States, Psaki added.

Raisi addressed the issue of sanctions imposed on Iran during his inauguration speech, saying he will support any diplomatic mechanism to lift sanctions on Iran. He also emphasized that building nuclear weapons is not in the country's defense strategy.

Raisi, 60, was born in Mashhad to a Persian clerical family of Sayyids, descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. At the age of 15, he enrolled in the Qom Seminary — the largest Shi'a seminary in Iran. For 40 years of his life, the newly-elected Iranian president worked in the judiciary. He was appointed as Tehran prosecutor in 1989, the head of the General Inspection Office in 1994, prosecutor-general of Iran in 2014, and chief justice in 2019.