Iran has been conducting secret negotiations with US officials with the aim of renewing the diplomatic relations between the two countries that were severed 35 years ago, "The Times" reports.
According to the report, the Iranians proposed the opening of a US trade mission in Teheran if agreement is reached between the Western powers and Iran by the end of this month.
If the proposal goes ahead, it will represent the first cooperative diplomatic move between Washington and Teheran since the closure of the US embassy in the Iranian capital during the Islamic revolution in 1979. Since November 4 of that year, there has been an almost complete diplomatic stand-off between the US and Iran, following the crisis of the 52 Americans who were held hostage in Teheran for 444 days.
Last week, the "Wall Street Journal" reported that US President Barack Obama had recently sent a letter to Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in which he stated that the two countries had a common interest in the fight against the Islamic State. According to the report, Obama sent the letter in mid-October, and in it linked the war against the Islamic State combatants in Iraq and Syria to the deal being formulated between the Western powers and Iran on the latter's nuclear program. It is further reported that US administration officials have not denied the existence of the letter when asked about it by foreign diplomats.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 10, 2014
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