Obama: time for Iran to build new ties with U.S.

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By JoAnne Allen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama used the 30th anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis to urge Tehran to make concessions over its nuclear program, saying it needs to turn the page on the past and forge a new relationship with the United States.

"It is time for the Iranian government to decide whether it will make the choices that will open the door to greater opportunity, prosperity and justice for its people," Obama said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Iran must choose," Obama said. "We have heard for thirty years what the Iranian government is against; the question, now, is what kind of future it is for."

Tehran and Washington have been at odds for years over Iran's nuclear program which Western powers fear is a covert effort to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies that and says it needs nuclear technology to generate electricity.

Iran said on Monday that it wants more talks on a U.N.-drafted nuclear deal and to import atomic fuel rather than send its own uranium abroad for processing, an Iranian diplomat said, terms world powers are likely to rebuff.

France, Germany, Britain and Russia have urged Iran to accept the draft deal.

Obama said the United States has recognized Iran's right to peaceful nuclear power and has taken steps, along with other Western powers to restore Tehran's confidence.