At the inauguration ceremony for Iran’s new administration, President Hassan Rohani announced that the executive will enlist the power of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities as well the country’s women and youth.

Iranian media report that the new president emphasized that all groups have equal rights in the eyes of the government and no official must discriminate against them.

He added that enlisting local and indigenous people will be a priority because it is the key “to fostering harmony among the people.”

He added that the government has an urgent environmental agenda, and at its first meeting it established a committee to address the problems facing Lake Oroumiyeh. Iran’s largest inland lake has been has been rapidly drying up in recent years.
(Radio Zamaneh)