There was no surprise in Iran's president claiming victory over the United States after the latest intelligence report. Uncharacteristically, he waited a day to even respond. Iran politically seems keen to not overstate its sense of validation, but rather let it play out and ideally keep another round of sanctions at bay.

But traveling around Tehran, I found what you wouldn't expect. There wasn't a sense of joy. Even the hardliners didn't take to the streets railing against the West. Instead, there was a sense of vindication and subtle hope that maybe the rhetoric can tone down between President Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- and that some solution can come to resolve the crisis.

To be clear, there was plenty of anger about how Bush has not changed strategy despite the latest report from the National Intelligence, which said Iran had stopped nuclear weapons work in 2003 was vindication.

As 40-year-old shopkeeper Majid said: "It made me feel American politicians, who want to run the world, are betraying everyone."

And those we go to for analysis, university professors here, said that by Bush not changing strategy, Ahmadinejad only gains.

"George Bush could have been more conciliatory, which he wasn't, and now Ahmadinejad can turn to Iranian people, can turn to the Arab people, can turn to the Muslim people, can turn to the world and say this man has something against us," one professor said.

The vast majority of Iranians don't want a conflict with the United States. They want their lagging economy fixed, an end to what has seems like an endless string of crises and as Majid said, "People to people in each country, we have no problems with each other."

It seems rather a battle between duelling presidents at the moment with their citizens stuck in between.

I also heard something I didn't expect here, when I sat down with 65-year-old Mehdi. "We also have the right to not insist on some of our rights. And if Iranian politicians left enrichment alone, maybe the economic situation here would improve. The sanctions at least would end," he said.

It's unlikely that'll happen, and after this report, Mehdi's view is an even rarer voice, but vindication has given way to hope that the world will now see Iran, not through the eyes of George Bush, but through the eyes of the Iranian people.

-- From Aneesh Raman, CNN International Correspondent, in Tehran.

Posted by In The Field Online Producers: 1:56 PM

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