Word: tehran
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
President Obama says he'll talk to Iran if Tehran "unclenches its fist"; President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran is open to negotiations but only on a basis of "fairness and mutual respect." Both men's coded conditionals are a reminder that after three decades of mutual hostility, talking won't be easy. TIME tapped a number of Iran experts for perspective on some of the key questions facing U.S.-Iran diplomacy...
...envoy to both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Ross takes a hawkish view of dealing with Iran, emphasizing the coercive diplomacy of sanctions. Ross himself was not available for interviews, but his position on Iran is well known. He has long argued for ramping up economic pressure on Tehran, telling TIME in 2007 that "if Iran thinks it is actually going to be cut off economically, which has not been the case in the sanctions so far, then you have a chance to change their behavior...
...Ross has also said the U.S. has just 18 months to avoid a scenario in which Israel attacks Iran to stop its nuclear program. Such views would make his appointment anathema to Tehran, not least because of Ross's own long-established connections to Israel. In Arab capitals, he was generally regarded as biased toward Israel throughout the Oslo peace process, and his central role in bodies such as the Jerusalem-based Jewish People Policy Planning Institute and the advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran will hardly endear him to the Iranians...
...Iran experts say their contacts in Tehran have conveyed alarm at the prospect of Ross's appointment. But if Obama appoints him, the Iranians will have no options. "The best we can hope is that Ross's negatives, in Iranian eyes, will be canceled by the fact that he is a power player," says one Iran expert. (Watch a video of Israel's rising conservative political star...
...Tehran Khatami Makes a Comeback Former two-term Iranian President Mohammed Khatami announced that he plans to run again, in upcoming elections scheduled for June. The liberal leader and respected cleric was criticized for his inability to follow through on his reformist agenda while in office. Khatami said he considers running against the incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a "duty," claiming that drastic political changes are needed to prevent further harm to Iran's economy and international image...