( CNN ) -- It would be easy to dismiss Friday 's election of Hassan Rouhani as president of Iran as little more than a sham -- a rigged election that changes nothing . Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei still calls the shots in Tehran . The election wo n't stop Iran 's nuclear program or end Iran 's years of enmity with Israel or the United States . Nor will it reverse Iran 's support for Syria 's brutal regime . It would be easy to shrug off the election , like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has effectively done . But it would be wrong . While the election did not change Iran 's real power structure and was not an exercise in democracy -- the theocratic backroom bosses blocked more than 700 aspiring candidates from the ballots -- it has already changed the calculus of the Middle East in a number of important , if subtle , ways . It was not a political sea-change as much as a shift in tone and optics . But such a shift may have very significant consequences . Perhaps most importantly , the election has enabled Iran to shrug off President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . Ahmadinejad , who combined the hateful ignorance of being a Holocaust denier with the governing incompetence that has left his country in an economic shambles , will not be missed . Indeed , this week began with reports that the outgoing president is now facing criminal charges in his own country where his popularity , thanks largely to rampant inflation and high unemployment , is at rock bottom . Instead of Mahmoud the Mockable , Iran has in an instant bought itself greater credibility and a moment to demonstrate whether real change there is possible . While the election denied the people the real choice they deserved , voters sent an unmistakable message with the strong first-ballot victory they gave Dr. Rouhani , a former Iranian nuclear negotiator known for his pragmatic streak . They rejected six other more hard-line candidates , including those who were seen to be favored by Khamenei . The election has reminded the world that the Iranian people are not easily reduced to a simplistic identity as members of `` the axis of evil . '' The country has a diverse populous with a rich history of intense national debate , despite decades of autocratic rule . When the West propped up a corrupt and abusive Shah , an Islamic revolution was the result . More recently , as the Islamic leadership has caused great hardship in Iran , we have seen the stirrings of opposition that arose most dramatically in the Green Revolution that followed Ahmadinejad 's re-election in 2009 . The government is oppressively heavy-handed , the world 's leading state sponsor of terrorism , and actively trying to spread its influence throughout the Middle East , but , the election reminded us the people of Iran contain many views , some of which , despite the best efforts of the regime , remain very close to the surface . In his first press conference , Rouhani espoused views that suggested that he would seek to moderate Iran 's international stance . While strongly defending the country 's right to its nuclear program , he underscored a desire to `` enhance mutual trust '' with the rest of the world . He spoke of enhancing the `` transparency '' of the nuclear program and specifically of seeking better relations with neighbors in the Persian Gulf region . And , not surprisingly , he focused on doing what he could to fix the spluttering Iranian economy -- the issue that more than any other will determine how he fares when he assumes his role in August . Rouhani 's press conference offered other shreds of hope . He offered the possibility of improved relations with both the U.S. and the UK , saying of the former `` the issue of relations between Iran and America is a complicated and difficult issue . It is an old wound that needs to be healed . '' It would be naÃ¯ve to assume that this election or a more moderate tilt by a new president who will not actually be running the country signals a sea-change . But simply by virtue of his stance , he has effectively hit the pause button on the U.S.-Iran stand-off on nukes . A confrontation or attack in the near-term seems much less likely . At the same time , the international community will inevitably test his willingness to seek better relations . The U.S. should participate in that effort , identifying achievable near-term goals that might show progress toward stopping the Iranian nuclear program , or assistance in finding a solution in Syria , while underscoring to Rouhani that his actions will be the only meaningful metric by which he will be judged . Perhaps this election signifies only a superficial or temporary change . But given the stakes , it must also be seen as a cautiously encouraging one . One of the world 's most dangerous situations is not , at this moment , hurtling irreversibly toward conflict . There is , for all but the most cynical , a glimmer of hope for a slight opening . That not only resets the clock , it actually creates the opportunity for something like progress . More importantly , it reminds us that however repressive or dangerous Iran 's autocratic clerics may be , the people of the country should not reflexively be seen as the enemies of the West or of peace . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Rothkopf .
David Rothkopf : Some say election of Iran 's Rouhani wo n't change anything -- they 're wrong . Comment: He says it showed Iranians favored Rouhani , a former nuke negotiator , reject Ahmadinejad . Rothkopf : U.S. should seek reachable goals with Rouhani aimed at stopping Iran nuke program .