Iran: U.S. attitude toward Tehran huring its Mideast interests
By The Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran said Sunday that America is damaging its Middle East interests by not dealing positively with Iran, a country Washington accuses of developing nuclear weapons but wields considerable influence in the Gulf region.
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Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters that the United States, "through its wrong approach, has denied itself the might and influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region."
"The United States should adopt a pragmatic and positive approach toward Iran and the region," Asefi said. "Under such circumstances, they will be able to solve their problems" in the region.
Asefi's comments come as the international community, led by the United States, pressures Iran to open up its nuclear facilities for unfettered inspections. Washington also accuses Iran of supporting anti-Israeli militant groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah.
America says Iran's nuclear program aims to produce atomic weapons. Tehran denies these claims, saying its intentions are to produce electricity, not nuclear bombs.
Asefi's remarks indicate an apparent softening of Iran's tone toward America, by suggesting the United States could benefit from Iran's regional importance if it dealt with the Persian state differently.
They may also be interpreted as an offering of Iranian support to America in its attempt to restore order in and reconstruct post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.
The United States is worried about an Iranian-style Shiite Muslim clerical government developing in neighboring Iraq, and skeptical of Iran's influence on Iraq - where a majority of people are Shiites - and its political landscape.
Asefi said Iran is considering an invite to a donors meeting in Spain later this month to discuss Iraq reconstruction policies.
Iran has also welcomed the formation of a new Iraqi leadership and praised America's decision to close the offices of an armed rebel Iranian group based in Iraq. The U.S. State Department also closed the offices of the Mujahedeen Khalq's political wing, the National Council of Resistance of Iran, in Washington.
The Mujahedeen Khalq, which wages an insurrection against the Iranian government, based its fighters in Iraq and received support from the government of Saddam Hussein. In a standoff after the overthrow of Saddam, the U.S. military briefly bombed the Mujahedeen camps until the group capitulated and agreed to disarm.
Iran and America have had no diplomatic ties since 1979 when Iranian militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took its occupants hostage. Moves toward better relations received a setback last year when President George W. Bush described Iran as part of an "axis of evil," provoking condemnation from Tehran
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