among the United States , Iran and the international community , '' the president said in his message Friday . Obama said the United States seeks engagement with Iran that is `` honest and grounded in mutual respect . '' The president 's message is part of a dramatic shift in tone from that of the Bush administration , which branded Iran as part of an `` axis of evil '' along with North Korea and Iraq . It also echoes Obama 's inaugural speech in which he told the Muslim world , `` We seek a new way forward , based on mutual interest and mutual respect . '' Ahmadinejad said last month that Iran would welcome talks with the United States `` in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect . '' Khamenei also said world powers have come to realize they are not able to block Iran 's nuclear progress . He looked back on the February 25 testing of Iran 's first nuclear power plant , at Bushehr , as one of the `` joyful developments '' of the past year . Last month , the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security released a report saying
TEHRAN , Iran -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iran 's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday he sees no change in U.S. policy toward Iran despite the U.S. promise of a `` new beginning . '' Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran would change its policy when the U.S. did so as well . Khamenei said a change in rhetoric is not enough , and Washington must practice what it preaches , according to the English-language Press TV channel in Iran . He also promised that Iran will change its policy if the United States does so as well , Press TV reported . Khamenei 's comments , which he made in a televised address to mark the start of the Iranian New Year on Friday , come a day after U.S. President Barack Obama reached out to Iran in a videotaped message . A spokesman for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad condemned U.S. foreign policy Friday in response to the video . Obama 's message spoke of `` new beginnings '' with the promise of a new year . `` My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us , and to pursuing constructive ties