Iran wants to improve bilateral relations with the United States and other Western powers, president Hassan Rouhani said in an editorial published in a German newspaper, broaching an issue he has so far avoided since he took office.

Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off oil exports, if the West imposes sanctions on its oil shipments, a senior Iranian official has said.

Iran’s hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came under pressure today from a rival who promised to reverse his extremist policies.