Hey at least it's a start I guess that war over oil and $$$ had some side affects, like convincing the rest of the idiots in the world that the US will not back down, regardless of our standing in the popularity contest.


Iran may allow official U.S. visit
By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Iran is considering admitting a U.S. congressional delegation in what would be the first official U.S. visit since Iran's 1979 revolution.
Guests at a bipartisan dinner in the U.S. Capitol building Wednesday for Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Javad Zarif, said firm dates were discussed for visits by congressional aides as early as Feb. 11, to be followed by members of Congress.

Zarif said in a telephone interview Thursday that no dates had been set, but added, "I hope to be able to see this happen." Iran rebuffed a proposed visit earlier this month by Sen. Elizabeth Dole, R-N.C., but allowed U.S. military planes to deliver aid after a devastating earthquake in the ancient city of Bam.

The two countries have lacked formal ties since 1980, when Iran was holding U.S. Embassy hostages. But there have been increasing contacts in recent years, motivated in part by both countries' desire to take advantage of Iran's influence in neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq, where U.S. forces have overturned anti-Iranian regimes.

Outwardly, relations have remained cool. President Bush labeled Iran a member of an "axis of evil" in a speech two years ago along with Iraq and North Korea, and the State Department lists Iran as the top state sponsor of terrorism. But behind the scenes, U.S. and Iranian diplomats held three rounds of talks in Geneva last year.

Both sides have much to gain from better relations. The Bush administration wants Iran to give up a suspected nuclear bomb program, to extradite al-Qaeda detainees, stop supporting anti-Israeli militants and assist Iraq's political transition. A majority Shiite Muslim nation, Iran has influence on Iraq's Shiite majority and could help — or disrupt — the transition from U.S. occupation to Iraqi rule.

Iran wants the United States to lift sanctions that prevent investment in Iran's oil industry and most trade with the United States.

Zarif's visit to Capitol Hill was the first by a high-level Iranian since 2001, when the Bush administration was seeking Iranian cooperation in the war in Afghanistan. Because the two countries lack formal ties, Zarif needed State Department permission to travel outside New York. His request for a visit in 2002 was denied because Zarif also planned to address a large public gathering, a State Department official said.

Among those who chatted with him Wednesday over Persian chicken in a room off the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., were Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and Reps. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, John Larson, D-Conn., Doug Bereuter, R-Neb., and Vic Snyder, D-Ariz.

"It was a good, healthy conversation," Ney said Thursday.

"The whole evening focused on the need for communication and the missteps on the part of both countries," Larson said. He said Ney, who taught English in Iran in 1978, was arranging for congressional staff to go to Tehran as a prelude to a visit by members of Congress.

The Bush administration would not have to approve such a trip, a congressional aide said.

Experts caution that Iranian approval is not guaranteed. Some Iranian officials fear an improvement in ties will further undermine the Islamic regime. A visit by members of Congress is unlikely until after Iranian parliamentary elections Feb. 20. Polls show that most Iranians want diplomatic relations restored with Washington. Conservatives allied with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, hope to win the elections and take credit for a breakthrough.

Haleh Esfandiari, an Iran scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Institute, a Washington think tank, says conservatives are gaining in part because of voter frustration with the failure of Iranian reformers. "People are sick and tired of internal politics. Their view is, let's see what (conservatives) can deliver."