United for Peace of Pierce County, WA - We nonviolently oppose the reliance on unilateral military actions rather than cooperative diplomacy.

A Washington Post columnist reported Monday that "Senior officials at the State Department and beyond are mulling a proposal to open an interest section in Tehran."[1] -- Fred Hiatt said "[t]he idea has been under discussion for close to two years and could be adopted within weeks." -- AP noted that if this occurs, it "would mark a dramatic official U.S. return to the country nearly 30 years after the American embassy was overrun and the two nations severed relations."[2] -- Matthew Lee and Anne Gearan said the idea of opening an interest section in Tehran was "championed by the former third-ranking diplomat, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns," and "[t]he renewed effort is now being led by Burns' successor, William Burns." -- The motive for such an action is, it is said, that Switzerland, which presently represents U.S. interests in Iran, irked Washington by signing a long-term natural gas contract with Tehran. -- But Delphine Minoui reported in Le Temps (Geneva) that "Several sources close to the issue confirmed to Le Temps that this decision 'has nothing to do with American displeasure over the Iranian-Swiss gas project.'"[3] -- Iran has not ruled out the idea, but the Borzou Daragahi of Los Angeles Times (Minoui's husband) said that "Initial Iranian reaction to the idea was frosty. 'We do not trust the Americans,' Musa Qorbani, a politician close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the Times. 'After a few days, we may figure out their motivations and what their intention is, then we will give our comment.'"[4] -- Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim noted that "Under the auspices of the Swiss Embassy, the U.S. currently operates an office off Africa Avenue, most commonly called Jordan Avenue, in north Tehran," and called the Iranian interest section in Washington, D.C., which operates under the auspices of the Pakistani Embassy, "something of a 'consulette' on the second floor of an office building on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington." -- NOTE: Although mainstream media generally report U.S.-Iran relations (or lack of them) as entirely hostile, the London Independent reported two months ago that the U.S. and Iran "have been engaged in secret 'back channel' discussions for the past five years on Iran's nuclear program and the broader relationship between the two sworn enemies," a report that was based on testimony from one of the most senior participants in the discussions, Thomas Pickering, undersecretary of state from 1997 to 2001 and co-author of recent proposals aimed at overcoming the deadlock between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear program....

A smart idea to shake up U.S. policy and reach out to the Iranian people is being debated in Washington, but the debate isn't taking place within or between the presidential campaigns. It's going on inside the Bush administration.

Senior officials at the State Department and beyond are mulling a proposal to open an interest section in Tehran, similar to the one the United States has operated in Havana since 1977. This would fall short of full diplomatic recognition, but it would open a channel to the Iranian people and, maybe, eventually, to the regime as well.

The idea has been under discussion for close to two years and could be adopted within weeks -- though officials continue to worry about how to package such a proposal without having it appear, one said, "as a sign of weakness." They worry about the effect of such a signal on Iran, on U.S. negotiating partners in Europe and on domestic politics, given the clash between Barack Obama and John McCain about the wisdom of negotiating with Iranian leaders.

Beneath the debate is an effort by the administration to bequeath to its successor a foreign policy on something of an even keel, and a belief that Iran may be the relationship furthest from achieving that.

Administration officials, not surprisingly, dispute the conventional wisdom that the next president will inherit a hopelessly losing hand in world affairs. Senior officials argue that they have managed well the most important relationships in Asia -- the U.S.-Japan-China triangle -- and that relations with Europe have improved since the first term, as President Bush's recent tour confirmed. Leaders in Mexico and Colombia value U.S. friendship, while Venezuela's anti-American president is on the defensive. The brightening outlook in Iraq has kindled a more optimistic outlook overall.

But no matter how charitably one views the record (and that global roundup leaves out Zimbabwe, Darfur, Russia, Burma, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, to name just a few challenges), Iran sticks out as an unsolved problem. Iranian proxies in Lebanon and Gaza are riding high, Iran's nuclear program is steaming ahead, and last fall's intelligence estimate -- which misleadingly gave the impression that Iran had abandoned its nuclear ambitions -- took the wind out of the administration's campaign against it.

So officials continue to explore the possibilities of new initiatives. They dispute the accepted view of Iran as "10 feet tall and on a roll," a senior official told me, given its recent setbacks in Iraq and its own internal divisions and economic troubles. "They are dangerous, and clever, and good at asymmetric warfare," this official said, "but I think they have a lot of vulnerabilities -- and I think we can exploit them."

It's in that context that the administration would propose opening an interest section, maybe paired with new sanctions or some other sign of resolve. Many Iranians feel well disposed toward Americans but have no direct contact with this country. At the same time, policymakers here feel hobbled by having no diplomats in Iran to report on the mood of the country. A kind of "listening post" in Dubai handles visa requests and tries to monitor political developments from afar, but that's no substitute for a mission on the ground.

The Iranians might say no, though with difficulty, given that they already operate an active interest section of their own on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park. (Based on my experience, they are not yet, despite their presence here, wildly outplaying the United States in the outreach department. "There's no one available at the time to answer your questions, all right?" I was told by someone who then wished me a fine day and hung up.) And if they did say no, administration officials argue, it would only enhance America's image and make the Iranians seem scared of contact.

That has been one Democratic argument in favor of seeking more engagement with the regime, of course, and administration officials worry that political opponents here, as well as the regime in Tehran, would portray a proposal to open an interest section as an easing of administration policy not to talk unless Iran suspends uranium enrichment.

"It's not a softening," one official said. "It does allow us to reach out to youth groups, to talk to dissidents. It's something the regime wouldn't like."

Let's hope that line can be sold inside the administration in time for useful action. President Bush would be doing his successor, whoever he is, a favor by putting this forward now and taking the political heat -- which would probably turn out to be lukewarm in any case.

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is considering setting up a diplomatic outpost in Iran in what would mark a dramatic official U.S. return to the country nearly 30 years after the American embassy was overrun and the two nations severed relations.

Even as it threatens the Iranian regime with sanctions and possible military action over its nuclear program, the administration is floating the idea of opening a U.S. interests section in Tehran similar to the one the State Department runs in Havana, diplomatic and political officials told the Associated Press on Monday.

Like the one in communist Cuba, an interest section, or de facto embassy, in the Iranian capital would give the United States a presence on the ground through which it can communicate directly with students, dissidents, and others without endorsing the government, one official said.

It would process visa applications and serve as a center for American cultural outreach to locals, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Now, the U.S. has no diplomatic presence in Iran and relies on the Swiss Embassy in Tehran to serve as its "protecting power." The Swiss now pass messages to the Iranian foreign ministry on Washington's behalf and handle the affairs U.S. citizens in the country.

The idea of a separate U.S. flag office was born in part out of concern about Switzerland's decision earlier this year to sign a long-term gas contract with Iran.

The United States now has a small office in the [Persian] Gulf state of Dubai that handles routine visa matters for Iranians but officials say it is not easily accessible and unable to do the work that an interests section could do.

The interests section concept is an old idea now being revisited by a very small group of diplomats and political officials at the State Department, with the blessing of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Rice declined to confirm or deny the idea, which was first reported in a Washington Post opinion column on Monday.

But, without being asked, she said the United States wanted more Iranians to come to the United States and hinted that the current arrangement in Dubai was not satisfactory.

"We know that it's difficult for Iranians sometimes to get to Dubai," she told reporters Monday aboard her plane en route to a conference in Germany. "We want more Iranians visiting the United States. . . . We are determined to reach out to the Iranian people."

Rice is intrigued by the idea and has asked for an analysis of its feasibility and implications, the officials said.

Iran has operated an interests section in Washington for years, processing visa applications and having eyes on the ground in the U.S. capital. But the United States has refused to have any diplomatic presence in Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and embassy hostage crisis.

The officials said Iran would be hard pressed to deny the United States permission for a reciprocal presence in Tehran.

The idea of an interests section has percolated at the State Department for several years, and was championed by the former third-ranking diplomat, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, several officials said. The renewed effort is now being led by Burns' successor, William Burns, officials said.

Asked about the possibility of opening the office, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said he was not aware of any such plans.

"I can't guarantee you that there aren't people somewhere in the U.S. government talking about it, but it's certainly not anything that's been decided nor is it anything that I would expect to see decisions on in, you know, the near future," Casey said.

In earlier incarnations, the idea was opposed by some White House officials, and at times by other officials at the State Department. Its fate in the waning days of the Bush administration is far from clear, although a variety of events in the past six months probably have given the idea greater currency.

A U.S. intelligence analysis last year concluded that Iran was not actively working to build a nuclear warhead, although it could resume such work. The conclusion took the air out of the notion that the United States might launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities before President Bush leaves office.

At the same time, U.S. diplomatic outreach to Iran has gone nowhere. Opening an interests section now would thus not put at risk fruitful talks.

William Burns, the officials said, is eager to demonstrate U.S. goodwill to the Iranian people even while tensions between the governments run high amid speculation that either the United States or Israel may use military force against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Burns and his backers see exchange programs and direct on-the-ground outreach to Iranians as the best way to overcome years of hostility, the officials said.

--Lee reported from Berlin, where he's traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

THE "GREAT SATAN" HEADED FOR AN UNPRECEDENTED RETURN TO IRAN
By Delphine Minoui

** The United States is considering opening an Interest Section in Tehran. That way, they would be able to get closer to Iranian society without reestablishing official contacts. **

TEHRAN -- The United States is considering opening a diplomatic outpost in Tehran, according to official sources quoted by the Washington Post and the Associated Press. The ostensible goal: to demonstrate U.S. displeasure over the planned new natural gas contract between Iran and Switzerland -- which presently represents Washington's interests in Iran -- just when there is a major power struggle going on over Iran's nuclear program. In fact, according to experts close to the issue, a concern to get closer to Iranian society without reestablishing official contacts -- broken off the last thirty years -- glimmers through this United States initiative.

Since the hostage-taking episode at the United States Embassy that followed the 1979 Islamic Revolution, diplomatic ties have been frozen between the two countries. Consequently, the United States depends on the Swiss Confederation Embassy in Tehran for transmitting American messages to the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also used that embassy as the channel for delivering the famous letter he addressed over a year ago to his American homologue, George Bush.

On their side, Iranian interests are represented in Washington by Pakistan's embassy. But unlike Tehran, where no American diplomat is present, the Iranian section has several Islamic Republic officials available who are authorized to issue visas to American tourists and journalists. They also renew the passports of the many diaspora Iranians who live in the United States.

The installation of an American section in Tehran would mark an unprecedented return of the American "Great Satan" to Iran. It would also symbolize the pursuit of the State Department's stated desire to develop an exchange with the Iranian population. In the course of the last few years, Washington has intensified its efforts to achieve a better understanding of the Iranian reality of today. American consulates in Istanbul and in Baku, Azerbaijan, already have specialized personnel available charged primarily with Iranian matters.

Two years ago, the State Department also opened an "Iran" section within its Dubai consulate. Comprising half a dozen Farsi-speaking experts, this new office's mission is to attempt to decode the Islamic Republic's complex structure and to encourage a wind of change on the other side of the Persian Gulf.

Asked about the new American section in Tehran while on a plane taking her to a Berlin conference on the Palestinians, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not deny this plan. "The United States has long sought means to reach out to Iranians. We have a site in Dubai where they can obtain a visa, but we know that it's difficult for Iranians sometimes to get to Dubai," she noted, and then added, "We want more Iranians visiting the United States. . . . We are determined to reach out to the Iranian people." Several sources close to the issue confirmed to Le Temps that this decision "has nothing to do with American displeasure over the Iranian-Swiss gas project."

For the moment, Tehran has not rejected outright the idea of opening an American Interest Section. "This kind of news is heavily mediatized and the motives for its diffusion are not clear. In principle, Iranian officials examine requests that are transmitted to them through official channels," declared an Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry official cited by the IRNA press agency. Nonetheless, this project risks setting off some sparks among the Iranian regime's hardliners. And Washington is aware of that. "It will allow us to reach young people, to speak to dissidents -- which the regime will not appreciate," acknowledged an official, quoted anonymously by the Washington Post on Monday.

In concrete terms, this new section could, in fact, operate according to the same principle as the one that presently exists in Cuba -- another country diplomatically estranged from Washington -- that is, to develop exchanges with students and opponents. Enough to discomfit certain Islamic Republic extremists who regularly accuse local intellectuals and journalists of being "spies in the pay of America." Last year, several Iranian-American researchers and academics were arrested and detained for the entire summer in the Evin Prison after the Iranian authorities accused them of wanting to organize a "velvet revolution."

IRAN: U.S. PONDERS DIPLOMATIC UPGRADE IN TEHRAN
By Borzou Daragahi (Beirut) and Ramin Mostaghim (Tehran)

Even as the Bush administration talks of tightening sanctions against Iran to increase its international isolation, it is also contemplating a move to bolster its own diplomatic presence in Tehran by expanding its puny office there into something more robust, according to news reports.

The Associated Press today cited anonymous U.S. diplomats and officials saying Americans were considering setting up a diplomatic office in Tehran that could process visas and conduct cultural outreach but still remain short of a full embassy.

A piece Monday in the Washington Post described a debate inside the administration about the wisdom of expanding the U.S. diplomatic footprint in Tehran. One official told the Post: "It's not a softening. It does allow us to reach out to youth groups, to talk to dissidents. It's something the regime wouldn't like."

Initial Iranian reaction to the idea was frosty. "We do not trust the Americans," Musa Qorbani, a politician close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the *Times*. "After a few days, we may figure out their motivations and what their intention is, then we will give our comment."

Under the auspices of the Swiss Embassy, the U.S. currently operates an office off Africa Avenue, most commonly called Jordan Avenue, in north Tehran. Inside a villa, Swiss and Iranian employees conduct minor consular services for Iranian Americans. It's well guarded, of course, given the fate of the last U.S. diplomatic mission in Iran, which in 1979 was overrun by radicals who took embassy officials hostage for 15 months.

Unnamed U.S. officials told news agencies that Americans were unhappy with the Swiss, especially after they signed a huge gas deal with Iran over the objections of Washington and wanted to chart their own course with Iran.

But the Swiss gas deal could just be a convenient excuse to correct a dramatic diplomatic imbalance between Washington and Tehran.

Basically, Iranians have far more eyes on the ground in the U.S. than America has in Iran. And Americans know it. Officials at the State Department, the Pentagon, and the White House are continually summoning the Tehran envoys of European allies to grill them for information about the political and social situation on the ground in Iran.

The current U.S. interests section in Tehran falls far short of the Iranian interests section in Washington. Under the auspices of the Pakistani Embassy, Iranians have established something of a "consulette" on the second floor of an office building on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington.

There, with portraits of Ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei looming, patrons can renew passports or apply for tourist visas. Iranian newspapers are piled up while a huge television is tuned to an Iranian satellite channel. At least three Iranian officials work in Washington.

Iranians also have a diplomatic presence at the United Nations, where Tehran's envoy to the world body pens opinion pieces for American newspapers and appears at think tank forums.

That's not even to mention the tens of thousands of Iranian dual nationals or U.S. residents who travel regularly back and forth. Very few Americans without Iranian heritage travel to Iran.

According to the Associated Press and the Washington Post, U.S. officials are envisioning something like the U.S. interests section in Havana, which processes visas for Cuban visitors to the U.S. and hosts dissidents during holiday fetes.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declined to confirm or deny the debate. But she told reporters traveling with her through Germany that she wanted more contacts between the U.S. and ordinary Iranians, who now must obtain visas at U.S. consulates in Turkey or in the United Arab Emirates city of Dubai.

"We know that it's difficult for Iranians sometimes to get to Dubai," she told reporters Monday, the AP reported. "We want more Iranians visiting the United States. . . . We are determined to reach out to the Iranian people."