"We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the Bible, and the Koran." - Swami Vivekananda
London,
July 17: The United States will announce in the next month
that it plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran
for the first time in 30 years, a British newspaper said on
Thursday.
In
a front-page report, the Guardian said Washington would open
a US interests section in the Iranian capital, halfway towards
opening an embassy.
The
unsourced report by the newspaper's Washington correspondent
said: "The Guardian has learned that an announcement
will be made in the next month to establish a U.S. interests
section in Tehran, a halfway house to setting up a full embassy.
"The
move will see US diplomats stationed in the country."
Senior
US diplomat William Burns said in testimony to Congress last
week the United States was looking to opening up an interest
section in Tehran but had not made a decision yet.
The
Guardian said the development was "a remarkable turnaround
in policy by President George Bush who has pursued a hawkish
approach to Iran throughout his time in office."
Washington
said on Wednesday it was sending Burns to join atomic talks
with Iran this weekend to signal to Tehran and others that
Washington wanted a diplomatic solution to their nuclear impasse.
Iran
says its nuclear work is for peaceful power generation, and
not for the development of nuclear weapons as the West suspects,
and has rejected conditions it give up uranium enrichment.
On
Sunday, President Amhmoud Ahmadinejad suggested Iran would
consider any proposal by the United States for a U.S. interests
section in the Islamic Republic, should one be forthcoming.
US
media have reported that the State Department is considering
opening an interests section that could mean U.S. diplomats
returning to Tehran but operating under another country's
flag.
The
United States cut off diplomatic ties with Tehran during the
1979-1981 hostage crisis, in which a group of militant Iranian
students held 52 US diplomats hostage at the American embassy
for 444 days.
Iran
maintains an interests section at the embassy of Pakistan
in Washington. Mottaki said it serves the large Iranian community
in the United States.
Iran
‘studying plan’ for US presence in Tehran
"The
request of the United States has been made via the media in
a non-official fashion," said Iranian Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki at a news conference in the Syrian capital.
"The
opening of an American interests office is the object of a
study and an examination in Iran," the minister said
during a visit to the Syrian capital.
