and i think that's what rouhani wanted.ecause that would have been disruptive. he wanted to remove from the parliament those elements going to object to the nuclear deal and further engagement. he wanted to empower the middle around the idea of supporting the nuclear deal and that's the result that he got and he's significant for that reason. >> thomas edward you say there's considerable confusion in iran what the results mean? >> well, that of course has to do, fareed, with iran's electoral system. here there's no such thing as parties. and the ministry of interior that gives out the official results of the elections has said that 220 seats out of 29 of 0-seat parliament had candidates winning the elections, the seats are taken, but they don't disclose the political affiliati affiliation, if you will, of the candidates. it makes it a guessing game for the media to see who has won what. but what is clear, as mr. nasr also explains this was a big win, least in tehran, for reformists, moderate, kren centrist camp, the label d

president rouhani, since he has been able to achieve this agreement, he has an advantage, but he has two major problems, the fall of the price of oil, as well as the global economy that is not doing well, so it remains to be seen how this is going to half. >> reporter: the grand bizarre disguises the damage that years of international sanctions along with economic mismanagement have brought here. 60% of the population is under 30, and one in four of those is without a job. the economy is where most people want to see change the most. that means reforming the laws on trade and foreign investment, the sort of things that along with international reengagement many ultra conservatives are inherently suspicious of, to say nothing of the sort of social changes the young here crave. which is why for so many voters loosening matters. >> our government is going to open the doors to the united -- the europe, and other asian countries to a new relationship with communications with them, and we need to change, and we have to change our parliament to protect our government. >> reporter: conservat

that is where the problem comes that whether rouhani, president rouhani can deliver on the economic side in the next two years. unfortunately, iranian politics is not all the way sustainable. they go all the way up and go down. this very reformist had in about ten years ago, he had -- >> he had the power. >> parliament and the executive branch. >> they weren't able to do much to sustain it. >> at the end of the day they gave up the power to ahmadinejad. they may end up with this situation again unless the economy really improves. >> the iranian american consul good to have you with us. thank you. >> thank you for having me. >> french riot police and bulldozer try to destroy the migrant camp known as the jungle. coming up the extent they go to. and a high ranking vatican official testifies in a case involving hundreds of children in australia. >> welcome back to al jazeera mairveg. i'm antonio mora. coming up in this half hour of international news an earthquake off indonesia sparks a tsunami warning. but first, the migrant camps protesters, known as the jungle, french officials wroak dow

so before the election it looked pretty bleak for rouhani.y managed to come up with a list of what they call the list of hope. and that list swept tehran, it did well in other urban areas. it didn't do as well in other provinces. but i think that this doesn't bring about a liberal reform on parliament but it's certainly t parliament. >> woodruff: that's my question. because as you said so many moderates were not even allowed to run so how much more moderate are these newly elected members? >> many of them are unknown, judy. i spoke to a friend of mine whose been involved in iranian politic for three decades and he said of the 30 candidates of tee run he was almost familiar with four or five names. among those 30 candké")]7ey some of them actually self iy yas th. so i think we should have sober expectations about the nature of these reformist parliamentwz parliamentarians. there's a great persian expression that when someone has experienced near death contends with a fever. i think the iranian population over the last decade has really experie

probably one of the biggest benefits is the endorsement of the reformist government of rouha rouhani.er or not westerners should trust the reformists as opposed to the hardlines, they're probably a better outcome than under the previous government. still lots of questions about that particular deal. it has manifested the deal in supporting the reformists and rouhani. >> and it has opened up for business. i would imagine business leaders would point to election results like this as a reason for wanting to engage. >> since the deal, there's been lots of other issues, and they haven't stuck to certain terms. still lots of trust issues. this is one of the issues to focus on. all right. we're approaching the top of the hour. that means the team is getting ready for "squawk box" in the city. joe kernen joins us with a look at what's coming up. great start to march. the u.s. data has continued to be pretty good. >> yeah, good start after january and february. was sara kidding? it's not really boy band thursday, is it? >> it is. what's your favorite boy band, joe? most important question of t

as such, the policies of hassan rouhani including the nuclear deal with world powers that led to the lifting of sanction he have passed that test. his moderate and reformist allies have made their biggest gains in the country's key institutions in over a decade. but analysts are quick to point out that neither pled nor lasting change -- immediate nor lasting change is inevitable. >> if the economy doesn't pick up then perhaps in four years from now you'll see the losers coming back to power. president rouhani since he has been able to achieve an agreement with the p-5 plus one, as well as the global economy that's not doing well, it remains to be seen how this is going to play out in the next year and a half. >> reporter: the vibrant bustle of the grand bazaar disguises the damage wrowt here. 60% of the population is under 30 and one of of four of those is without a job. the economy is where most people want to see change the most. that means reforming the laws on trade and foreign investment, the sort of things that along with international reengagement many ultraconservatives are i

moderates and reformers allied with president hassan rouhani claimed sweeping victories for parliamentassembly charged with choosing the top religious leader. the voting was seen as a referendum on the nuclear deal and virtually every prominent critic of the pact was defeated. >>> let's turn to stocks. the s&p posted three straight monthly declines since 2011. the dow had the first monthly gain since november. cnbc's julia chatterley joins us live from london for more. julia, it's a mixed bag. what are you hearing from investors? >> good morning, jonathan. you're right it's a mixed bag. some of the slight bounce-back that we saw in february for u.s. stocks fizzled yesterday. the dow and the nasdaq posting three straight months of losses but the dow managing to rise and i think a lot of investors now wondering whether or not february represents some kind of change in sentiment and actually it's time perhaps to go bargain hunting in u.s. stocks here. what's critical of course is the oil market and what we saw in february again was a price rise in oil overall. that's the first time since

environmental and budgetary concerns are fueling the protests ahead of rouhani's meeting in the city >>> in illinois, video showed a driver cruising down the road with a 15-foot tree stuck in the front of their car. they eventually pulled over and the driver was charged with dui. >>> on long island in new york, cameras captured a plane falling out of the sky. the pilot and his daughter were returning from a college visit in rhode island when the engine died. fortunately, they were able to pull the plane's parachute. the pilot suffered only a minor injury. >>> former wrestling star hulk hogan testified monday in his $100 million lawsuit against a website gawker. he says he's defending his first amendment rights. >>> let's get down to business with cnn's morgan dowdy. good morning, morgan. >> good morning. if you want to fulfill your dreams of becoming a pilot, the airline is taking applications for 24 spots. no aviation background is needed. the program costs about $125,000 and will take four years, but you could be flying a 100-seat passenger plane. >>> uber in a key market, new york

hassan rouhani and spokesman for the president. >> darea is one of syria's most devastated areas. its 250,000 population have mostly moved away. people who stayed behind have lived under this. and this. leaving behind the town in ruins and largely destroyed. >> civilians took a break, bombardment has stopped. the regime used everything on us, barrels, rockets, everything. >> many mosques were hit or damaged. at this catholic church there is no easter mass this year. the worshipers have gone. but around 8500 people remain in this rebel held town. they have been stuck here since 2012. now they are hungry and desperate. the world food program says people were forced to eat grass, families endured days without a meal, abu amaz is taking care of his plants. he may be forced to eat them. >> the bleeding has stopped. we didn't get any aid. my children are losing their childhood. >> this official says conditions in darea are disastrous. >> it's catastrophic, there is a shortage of everything. food, medicine, milk. the regime wants to end the revolution in areas surrounding damascus by for

he was you contacted of murdering hassan rouhani. the government previously denied parole saying he showed no remorse. today a suj said he should be freed. his widow condemned the ruling. >> aung san suy kyi will officially not be myanmar's next president. it may not stop him from getting the top post in the future. alan hay reports. >> this was an important step in myanmar's transition to democracy. the parliament gathered to hear nominations for the next president. >> i hope happy, because the hope for our country starts here, hope from the citizens starts today too. that's why i'm excited. >> but there was no sign of a woman who's campaigned for this moment for decades. aung san suy kyi led her national lead for democracy to a win in november's election. under the military drafted constitution, she is barred from becoming president. negotiations to change the rules failed. amid signs the political transition is not going smoothly. the next president will come from the n.l.d. it dominates both houses of parliament. the favourite is

the paper warns the west to temper expectations, saying hardliners hold powerful checks on hassan rouhani'ser. the european union's package so greece is the first time humanitarian aid funds have been used in the e.u., showing how severe the paper became. it says the e.u. must act quickly. >> new zealanders began to vote on whether to replace the flag they've been flying for more than a century, that features the british union jack. the alternative does not. carley flynn reports on the choice. >> brothers in arms. but divided by a flag. these current and previous soldiers are used to working together on the battlefield. >> that was horrible. >> but are miles water off it when it comes to deciding if the country is ready for a new flag. >> i think that the new flag represents a new multicultural new zealand, and so there's linked to the taste. celebrating the presence. >> i don't think it's worth making a save for a decision we may regret. >> more than 3 million voting papers were sent out in a second and final referendum. in a first vote in november. voters were arrived to choose between fi

look, rouhani will come to power. the expectations will be high. say ok, you are hominy, prove it. and he will not be able to do it. not economically or socially or politically and he will not be able to do it in terms of their relationship to the rest of the world and then you will see real instability. host: terry is calling from washington, d.c.. go ahead. caller: thank you for this discussion. what i like to ask is -- it is multifaceted. i'm trying to understand exactly what it is that you want. this is a very old kingdom. the united states, if you look at the other hand, 1776 -- 240 years. are a 1000 euros kingdom and they have a right to their way of life. the people went to the polls, so i asking what you want these people to do? they have their way of life. they have their language and their culture and some of them in joy it like that. in the same way that some of the people in america enjoy being democrats. others enjoy being republicans. there is some people there who enjoy that and you cannot dictate to them that they have .o change to

. >> the face of iran could be changing after mod rats close to president rouhani made major gains in the parliament elections. speaking about the hopes for the future, and the challenges they face. jonah hall reports. >> reporter: teheran's frand bazaar. one of the great experiences in a country with change. it's business as usual. like many iranians, they prefer not to give their sure names, they're shopping for traditional wedding jewelry. in a pop election where one out of four young people are out of work, getting married is a luxury many can't afford. >> people would be more inclined to get married and have families and it's a direct effect on their decisions. so many people are not getting married because it's just too expensive. >> when you go into the factions, but people are under less pressure. >> the lifting of international sanctions following a nuclear deal with world powers paved the way for big advances with reformists in last week's porl mentally election, and those who voted for it. >> the world bazaar is made up of commerce here for centuries, dating back, they say

president rouhani said that the removal of sanctions has paved the way for better economic conditions in the year ahead. >> the people of senegal are voting to scale back presidential powers. the president is campaigning for a yes vote, critics say that his support is half hearted at best. let's go live now to senegal's capital. how do people feel about what the president's tried to do with this referendum, nicholas? >> we're at a polling station here, a poplar neighborhood in the capital here. we've spoken to both people who have voted yes and no. people who voted no say this referendum is a waste of time and money, that the president has all the power in hand to make the changes necessary. we followed him on the campaign trail throughout the suburbs trying to convince people to vote yes for this referendum. >> a political campaign like no other, led by the president, calling on people to vote yes to a series of constitutional changes. yes to more power for the national assembly local government in opposition. >> these changes are going to give more power to democracy, more power to

. >>> president rouhani arrived on his first trip to pakistan. iran is expected to work on energy deals and urge pakistani leaders to restall work on a stalled pipeline project. >> pakistan has been facing an cute energy crisis that has brought the countries industrial output to a virtual stand still. therefore, pakistan needs to get energy from neighboring countries to turkmenistan, afghanistan and iran. work is still to be completed on the pakistani side of the pipeline. this is because of the fact that there are international pressures on pakistan not to build the iranian pipeline. at the same time, the europeans and americans have been trying to convince tehran to move its gas to turkey in a bid to end the russian monopoly of gas supplies to europe. the pakistanis will have to look into the fact that whether this pipeline is feasible, whether there is enough money to complete the pakistani end of the pipeline. also interesting to note that pakistan ma made a deal with qatar for the supply of energy for the next few years to the fun of $15 bil

so it is the conclusion of this senator that if the government of iran, namely the president rouhani as told to us by his foreign minister zarif do not know anything about it, well somebody in iran does. and maybe that tells us something about iranian society and the iranian government that there are these different power centers, and one being the revolutionary guard and the exclusive quds force, but there's one person that's over all of this in iran, and that's the supreme leader and he should know. and all the pleas that have been made on the basis of a humanitarian plea for a family of a wife and seven children, thus far they have been ignored. so this brings me to the next point. according to "the new york times", its investigative reporter barry meyer, a meeting took place in 2011 in paris in the iranian embassy with the iranian ambassador by a group of private american citizens who were doing what they could to facilitate the location of bob or any information about bob and the iranian ambassador told them that, yes, iran had bob levinson this is according to a story published

anything, the rouhani economic theme is stronger in part because they have been through this launchnce of tempting to an economic reform during the with mixediods results in both administrations. they are fairly sanguine about how this is, and even in a free environment with capital flow into iran with no sanctions whatever, no ambiguity in the sanctions regime, there would still be significant economic challenges that the government faces. and i think you see right now this real debate going on within the iranian leadership about exactly how to solve it. itill be interesting to watch it play out and see which action ends up on top. james schoff: on the list of iranian incentives or reasons to have nuclear weapons, i assume on top would be to maximize leverage between the united states. is on that list? other other regional security dynamics or things that could change in the region given the dynamism and volatility of the situation there that could with their calculations back into a nuclear direction independent of this deal with the united states? i am thinking whether it is saudi a

i would hope the state department would condemn this action by rouhani and the iranian government. couple questions, dealing with georgia and ukraine. the russians occupy a third of georgian territory. they occupy crimea and they occupy parts of ukraine's eastern property territory. is it the u.s. position or not -- tell me what the u.s. position is -- that the georgia occupation is unlawful, crimea occupation unlawful and the eastern ukraine possession unlawful or not? >> that's correct, they are. >> it's our possession russians are unlawfully holding territory belonging to somebody else in those specific instances? >> in one case, not holding but engaged in intrusions which are assisting in the holding. >> that would be in eastern ukraine? >> correct. >> also, your predecessor, if you have time this year, it would be great for our relationship if you could go to georgia. >> i'm hoping to. >> specifically, i'd like to talk about piece of legislation that has passed the house, unanimously. and that's the foreign aid transparency accountability act that i have authored along with mr

on january 28, signed an agreement, i believe signed by president rouhani himself to acquire 118 airbuss that presumably are going to be used for commerce and business. is there any evidence at all that this has benefited u.s. business in the last three months in anyway? >> well, i guess i would encourage you to check with the commerce department. the art whole range of regulations that prevent extensive business ties between the united states ever been. that's because of concerns about the way iran continues to support terrorism, the way iran frequently violates the basic human rights of the people. the way iran continues to develop ballistic missile program the way iran can choose different our closest ally in the middle east israel. and that's left iran pretty isolated. now, they've got some sanctions with because they follow through on their commitments as a part of the international agreement to prevent iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. we didn't trust. we verified they follow through it the significant limitations that remain in place on u.s. businesses doing business with ira

i would -- during rouhani's tenure, we've seen a lot more executions in iran, and i hope that you wouldrsonally issue a statement condemning iran's violation of human rights, particularly when they kill people for the so-called crime of waging war on god. you mention -- as to the missile sanctions, you indicate we sanctioned a few companies. we sanctioned a few individuals. those companies don't do business in the united states. those individuals do not want to visit disneyland. and i hope that you would sanction the iranian government for its violation with sanctions that actually affect the iranian economy. otherwise, to say certain individuals who have no intention of coming to the united states, will not be allowed in the united states, indicates an acceptance of iranian violations. and under the u.n. security council resolution 2231, russia can't sell fighter planes to iran unless the security council specifically approves that.

the fact is that under the newer administration, under president rouhani, the new oil minister, the numbers that have come out of the iranian oil ministry have been much more consistent internally. they certainly add up. and what we're seeing with some of the other estimates might also account for tanker traffic. might be some more kind of creative guesswork going on here. >> saudis have been critical of iran for a lot of reasons, matt. but as far as oil production goes in particular, suggesting basically that iran needs to cool it. i'm just sort of using colloquial language there. iran is, like, no, don't tell us to cool it. we need the cash here. do you think iran will pump as much as it can because it is that starved for hard currency? >> well, actually, the iranians are not starved for hard currency anymore. after the sanctions were lifted, in mid-january, the iranians regained access to old oil revenue. they had over 100 billion dollars, you know, in other jurisdictions, where they had traded oil before and in places like china and -- >> couple hundred billion dollars in three months.

have -- human rights abuses have skyrocketed under president rouhani.is not entirely responsible with that, but the fact is the rainy and regime in its entirety is a revolutionary regime dedicated to repression abroad and oppression at home. we have been inadequate in our support of the iranian people and continue to perpetuate this democraticran has a system. the elections are rigged. we have former ministers of intelligence, having one code elections, are bea characterized as moderates, despite the fact they are responsible for murdering dissidents. host: mark dubowitz, you teach courses on international negotiations at the university of toronto. a couple of comments and questions on twitter. this from steve, who says sanctions do not seem to work anywhere. iran threatens israel, but the real threat for the usa is north korea. it is a little off our topic, but there are rumblings about north korea. they are the ones doing the rumbling. what do we know. guest: north korea is exhibit a of where the iranian regime could be going. we signed a nuclear agre

i don't think he has any desire to be the president rouhani. if he did, he would run for it.ut sometimes you can be a figure of destiny. he was very much that the speaker's race. he didn't want to do it, but frankly, it became evident that he really was the only person that could have united the conference,.net through the end of last year, and gotten us off to decent start this year. he has already been vetted, he's been on a national ticket, millions of people have already voted for him in that regard. we know how he performs, don't think there's a person in politics or doesn't like or respect paul ryan. even people who disagree with him like him as a person. represent thees kind of vision and values as a republican you would want to put forward. if we develop a chaotic situation at a convention, there is a chance that he, or someone else could emerge. fan, ig paul ryan certainly would be happy to see something like that happened. for that to happen, it literally has to happen on its own. we did see that in the speaker's race. this is a much different, more complex process.