Hassan Rowhani is a key Iranian official, and when he speaks, we should prick up our ears.

Formerly Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, he is a member of the Assembly of Experts – an elite Islamic body – and a representative of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the National Security Council. Last week, Rowhani launched an important verbal broadside against the current president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declaring that his “coarse slogans” are not in Iran’s national interests. Two weeks ago, Ahmadinejad, who has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction, borrowed a phrase from the Nazi era in Germany and branded Israel as a “dirty microbe.” This was too much for even Rowhani, who warned that Ahmadinejad’s miserable rhetoric may bring Iran more trouble than it can handle. “We must act in such a way that the world understands that we are ready for more flexibility and more dialogue,” he said. These are wise words for Iran’s leadership to ponder.