Washington, March 20: The US President has repeated his symbolic offer of dialogue with Tehran, without specifying what concessions Washington is actually prepared to make.
Barack Obama who has pledged to pursue aggressive sanctions to prevent Iran from implementation of what the US and its allies describe as a nuclear weapons program renewed promise of dialogue in a videotape marking Nowroz, the start of the new Iranian year.
“We are working with the international community to hold the Iranian government accountable because they refuse to live up to their international obligations.”
“But our offer of comprehensive diplomatic contacts and dialogue stands,” he added in the message that was released on Saturday.
Obama also claimed that Washington was committed to a “more hopeful” future for the Iranian people despite US differences with Iran’s government.
The US and its allies accuse Tehran of following a military agenda under its civilian nuclear program, although UN nuclear watchdog inspectors stationed in Iran have not been able to verify that claim.
During his first year in office, Obama marked Nowruz with a message that also offered a “new beginning” for Iran and the US.
But in the year that followed, he failed to take any tangible moves towards substantiating that offer, which Iranian officials consequently described as an insincere verbal gesture.
Obama’s allegations that the Tehran government is not meeting its “international obligations” comes as Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell acknowledged that Iran’s nuclear program is not aimed at making nuclear bombs.
In remarks made on Friday, the retired Army general said the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program should be resolved through diplomatic means and negotiations, reasoning that Tehran was “determined to have a nuclear program” not a “nuclear weapon.”
“Notice I did not say a nuclear weapon. But they are determined to have a nuclear program, notwithstanding the last six or seven years of efforts on our part to keep them from having a nuclear program.”
Although in Washington there is still talk of dialogue with Tehran, it remains to be seen how far US officials are prepared to go to gain Tehran’s confidence.
——–Agencies