Tehran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday the world was entering a “new era of dialogue” and his country would welcome talks based on mutual respect with the United States, its longtime adversary.

Ahmadinejad’s announcement comes a day after President Barack Obama said his administration was looking for opportunities to engage Iran and pledged to rethink United States’ relationship with Tehran.

“The Iranian nation is ready for talks (with the US) but in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect,” Ahmadinejad told hundreds of thousands of Iranians during a celebration marking the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution that toppled the US-backed shah and brought hard-line clerics to power.

The hard-line Iranian leader said terrorism, the elimination of nuclear weapons, restructuring the UN Security Council and fighting drug trafficking could be topics for the two sides to talk about.

“If you really want to fight terrorism, come and cooperate with the Iranian nation, which is the biggest victim of terrorism so that terrorism is eliminated. ... If you want to confront nuclear weapons ... you need to stand beside Iran so it can introduce a correct path to you,” he said.

Ahmadinejad said the world was at a “crossroads” because it had been proven that military power has not been successful a reference to the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The new U.S. government has announced that it wants to bring changes and follow the path of dialogue. It is very clear that changes have to be fundamental and not tactical. It is clear that the Iranian nation welcomes true changes,” Ahmadinejad told the crowds at the rally in Freedom Square.

Tehran and Washington severed relations nearly three decades ago after the 1979 Iranian revolution and the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran by hard-line Iranian students.

But relations deteriorated even further after the 11 September attacks when former President George W Bush declared Iran belonged to an “axis of evil.” Ahmadinejad widened that gap after he was elected in 2005 and defied the US and its allies by pursuing Iran’s controversial nuclear program.

The US believes Iran is secretly trying to pursue nuclear weapons, but Iran has denied this accusation, saying its program is solely for peaceful purposes such as electricity.

Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that the “world does not want to see the dark age of Bush repeated.”

Since his campaign for president, Obama has signaled a willingness for a dialogue with Iran. At his inauguration last month, Obama said his administration would reach out to Muslims, saying “we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.”

On Monday, Obama said his national security team was reviewing its existing Iran policy and “looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue.” He said he expected that his administration would be looking for “openings” where Washington and Tehran can sit face-to-face.

Iranian leaders have struck a moderate but cautious tone about Obama since his election in November. Ahmadinejad sent Obama a message of congratulations after he was elected the first time an Iranian leader offered such wishes to the winner of a US presidential race since the two countries broke off relations.