A senior Iranian official has called on the United States to take more concrete steps towards Iran following its temporary suspension of some sanctions.
President George W. Bush last month eased some US sanctions on Iran for 90 days to speed up humanitarian assistance to victims of Iran's December 26 Bam earthquake, which killed more than 40,000 people.
That move, combined with the first direct US aid to Iran since the two countries severed relations 24 years ago, signalled a faint thaw in their frosty relationship.
Mohammad Hossein Adeli, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, suggested Bush could follow up by allowing US companies led by oil and gas firms do business with Iran.
"They (the United States) don't have to do anything for Iran, they can do it for American companies that are so enthusiastic about tapping the Iranian market," Adeli said in an interview today.
He said Tehran was still unsure how to interpret US humanitarian aid for Bam.
"We are not sure if it is a signal or not, it depends on whether it is going to be supported by other practical measures," Adeli said.
Washington bars U.S. firms from dealing with Iran, a country it branded as part of an "axis of evil" two years ago along with Saddam Hussein's Iraq and North Korea.