US Attempts to Defrost Ties With Tehran

Editorial, Der Spiegel | July 21, 2008

Thirty years after cutting off diplomatic ties, the US is planning the establishment of a modest diplomatic representation in Tehran for which it appears to have secured Iranian approval. ++ Though this shift from previous hard-line policies toward Tehran may essentially be an effort on Bush's behalf to "leave a ‘positive legacy' behind," he is thereby also hinting at US engagement to a negotiated solution. ++ Indeed, this move coincides with the first meeting of a US envoy with an EU and an Iranian representative in decades.