President Bush has helped inaugurate a new U.S. radio service beamed toward Iran.
In a taped address Friday, the President said Radio Farda, which began broadcasts Thursday, will attempt to bring more news, information and music to the people of Iran, who, the president said, are presently cut off from a free flow of information.
Mr. Bush said the Iranian people deserve a free press to express themselves and to help build an open, democratic and free society.
The president said Radio Farda - which replaces the former Radio Azadi, or "Radio Freedom" - hopes with the help of music to reach more young Iranians, a group that now comprises 70 percent of the population.
President Bush said that if Iran respects its international obligations and embraces a future defined by greater freedom and greater tolerance, it will have no better friend than the United States.