Israel has to be shaking its head in disbelief.

Tehran (AFP) – A senior Iranian official welcomed the “moderate and respectful tone” of US President Barack Obama’s speech to theUN General Assembly, as newspapers hailed a new path for the Islamic republic.

“It seems a new climate has been created with the rise to power of a new Iranian government, and all international parties are trying to react to this new climate,”said Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi.

“For example, Barack Obama has tried to use a more moderate and respectful tone,” he said, quoted by ISNA news agency.

“But no doubt what’s important in foreign policy are actions,” he said. If the world’s major powers “respect Iran’s nuclear rights under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, I think reaching a solution is imaginable.”

Meanwhile, the press welcomed Obama’s speech for having recognised Washington’s “past mistakes.”

In remarks before the General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, the US president pushed for a “diplomatic path” with the new Iranian government.

“I don’t believe this difficult history can be overcome overnight — the suspicion runs too deep,” Obama said.