White House says Tehran must 'heed will of people' on Rouhani victory

The White House on Saturday called on Tehran to "heed the will of the Iranian people", after the moderate cleric Hassan Rouhani was elected as the country's new president.

In a statement, the Obama administration congratulated Iran's voters on having the "courage in making their voices heard" in the face of censorship and intimidation. It added that Washington remained open to engagement to reach a diplomatic solution to concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme.

The White House's comments came shortly after it was announced that Rouhani – a moderate figure who has expressed a desire to re-establish relations with the west – had won the popular vote. A western-educated cleric and former nuclear negotiator, he secured more than 50% of the vote, it was announced by Iran's interior minister, Mostafa Mohammad Najjar – enough to avoid a run-off election. The election of a moderate could go some way towards a thawing of relations between Iran and the west.

In the White House's initial response, it seemingly held out an olive branch in terms of a negotiated settlement over the issue of sanctions and Iran's nuclear ambitions. In April, the last round of talks between the two sides broke down, with seemingly little progress made. The US secretary of state, John Kerry, hinted that negotiations could be heading towards a deadline, noting that the talks were not an "interminable process". The election of Rouhani will raise hopes that a solution can be found.

The White House statement said: "The United States remains ready to engage the Iranian government directly in order to reach a diplomatic solution that will fully address the international community's concerns about Iran's nuclear programme."