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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/03/new-us-penalties-will-greet-iran-new-leader/ New US penalties will greet Iran's new leader Published August 03, 2013Associated Press FILE: July 26, 2013: Iranian worshippers during Friday prayers for the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, at the Tehran University campus in Tehran, Iran. (AP) As Iran's new president takes over, new U.S. penalties against the country appear a done deal. In a letter to President Barack Obama, 76 senators are demanding tougher punishment on Iran's economy until the Islamic republic scales back its nuclear program. It also urges Obama to consider military options while keeping the door open to diplomacy. The Senate letter, a copy of which was obtained Saturday by The Associated Press, comes just days after the House overwhelmingly passed new restrictions on Iran's oil sector and its mining and construction industries. Senators are expected to take up the same package in September. "Until we see a significant slowdown of Iran's nuclear activities, we believe our nation must toughen sanctions and reinforce the credibility of our option to use military force at the same time as we fully explore a diplomatic solution to our dispute with Iran," says the letter, which will be delivered Monday. The Obama administration is concerned Congress' effort could undercut Iran's relatively moderate President-elect Hasan Rouhani, who was formally endorsed by Iran's ayatollah on Saturday and takes the oath of office Sunday. Rouhani has pledged to follow a "path of moderation" and promised greater openness over Iran's nuclear program. Obama wants to give Rouhani a chance to prove his seriousness. The U.S. believes Iran has been working for years to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its program is for peaceful energy and research purposes. Rouhani's victory signaled Iran's clear dissatisfaction, the senators said. But they noted that all final decisions on nuclear matters rest with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said Iran must not be allowed to use any new nuclear negotiations with world powers to stall for time. "Iran today continues its large-scale installation of advanced centrifuges," their letter said. "This will soon put it in the position to be able to rapidly produce weapons-grade uranium, bringing Tehran to the brink of a nuclear weapons capability." "We need to understand quickly whether Tehran is at last ready to negotiate seriously," it added. "Iran needs to understand that the time for diplomacy is nearing its end." Obama prefers diplomacy. He has given Iran until sometime next spring to prove to the world that its program is peaceful. If Iran fails to do so, the stage may be set for military intervention from the U.S. or Israel, which sees Iranian nuclear weapons capacity as an existential threat and has warned of taking action according to its own timeline. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/03/new-us-penalties-will-greet-iran-new-leader/#ixzz2awO0vMLQ yet this is reported from Source: Al Jazeera Rouhani: A new era for Iran? We look at the challenges facing Iran's new president and ask whether he will usher in an era of moderation and reform. Last Modified: 03 Aug 2013 13:57 Iran's president is stepping down after eight years in power – and he leaves behind a complicated legacy. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s supporters say they love him for standing up to the West. Opponents say he has left the country isolated. By ratifying another set of sanctions against Iran just three days before the inauguration of President Rouhani the US government made it absolutely clear that they are not interested in resolving the disputes with Iran, including the nuclear dispute, through dialogue and diplomacy. Ghanbar Naderi, a journalist with Kayhan International On Friday, Ahmadinejad gave his last speech as President, addressing thousands of supporters in the capital. He told them he was grateful to have served them. Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, will be inaugurated in Tehran on Sunday. His election last month was met by a wave of optimism, but the challenges ahead are enormous. Among them is the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. Rouhani has struck a conciliatory tone saying "We are ready to show more transparency," and "increase trust between Iran and other countries." As a result of the standoff Iran has faced years of international sanctions. Rouhani has been candid about their effect on the economy, saying "inflation is the highest in the region, and perhaps in the entire world.” Iran is also deeply entrenched in the Syrian conflict. And Rouhani insists that he will continue to support the Syrian government. But he has offered to mediate between President Bashar al-Assad "and those in the opposition who strive for democracy". Will Iran's new president usher in the start of a new era? Or is he likely to bring more of the same? And what is Ahmadinejad's legacy? Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, is joined by guests: Meir Javedanfar, the co-author of The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran; and Ghanbar Naderi, a journalist with the Iranian state-run newspaper, Kayhan International. "Did sanctions lead to President Rouhani being elected? I think President Ahmadinejad's distractive policies plus the isolation that they produced, plus the massive economic damage that Ahmadinejad's mismanagement and sanctions produced put all together created such an economic problem for the Supreme Leader that he needed to allow Mr Rouhani to be eleceted. I don't think Rouhani was his candidate ... but I think unlike 2009 this time Ayatollah Khamenei allowed the candidate to actually win and Mr Rouhani was elected. His biggest task is going to be to sort out the economic problems of Iran which are very, very large, which are very challenging. I don't think anybody can expect him to solve them within a year or even two or three years - this is going to take a long time. And through that it will probably entail improving relations with the West because without that it's going to be extremely difficult to improve Iran's economic performance under the current regime of sanctions." - Meir Javedanfar, author Source: Al Jazeera link....sorry forgot http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/08/201383121138177674.html