The US government reportedly plans to establish a diplomatic presence in Tehran for the first time in 30 years. The British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ wrote that an announcement would be made in the next month to establish a US interests section – one step short of a full Embassy. The move would see US diplomats stationed in Iran for the first time since 1979, when the US closed its diplomatic presence in Tehran following the Islamic revolution of Ayatollah Khomenei. The special interests section would be similar to the one in Cuba. The US broke off relations with Cuba in 1961 after Castro's takeover, but US diplomats returned to Havana in 1977.
Last week, the senior US diplomat William Burns said in testimony to Congress that the Bush administration was looking to open up a special interests section in Tehran but had not made a decision yet. On Sunday, Iranian president Ahmadinejad said Iran would consider any proposal by the United States for a diplomatic presence in the Islamic Republic should one be forthcoming.
Meanwhile, the White House announced that Burns will travel to Switzerland on Saturday to hear Tehran's response to a European offer aimed at resolving the nuclear stand-off. The undersecretary of state will join a meeting in Geneva between EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Saeed Jalili, Iran's nuclear negotiator, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters. Burns will reiterate that Iran must suspend uranium enrichment and reprocessing before any formal talks could begin, she said. The move breaks with the Bush administration policy of refusing to participate in even preliminary discussions with Iran over its nuclear program until it suspends uranium enrichment.
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