A senior Iranian official has said that Washington's decision to ease some sanctions on Tehran to speed humanitarian relief to the Bam earthquake victims was a goodwill gesture to which Iran would respond in kind.
"In parliament we are evaluating the American government's positive behaviour and I'm sure that good will will be answered with good will," said Mohammad Reza Khatami, deputy parliament speaker and brother of President Mohammad Khatami.
Washington announced a 90-day measure to let US citizens and non-profit groups donate money directly to non-governmental organisations working in Iran on relief for victims of the December 26th earthquake which killed about 30,000 people.
Mr Khatami's comments were in stark contrast to those of his brother, the president, who said on Tuesday that Washington's aid for Bam would not alter ties between the countries.
Iran's influential former president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, also hinted at a possible chink in the decades-old wall of mutual mistrust. "The Americans have shown positive signals in recent months," he told reporters during a visit to Bam yesterday. Asked if recent developments could affect ties between Washington and Tehran, he said: "I'm not sure, but the signs indicate that."
The Foreign Minister, Kamal Kharrazi, said a permanent halt to US sanctions on Iran would "create a new atmosphere in the two countries' relations". US-Iran relations have been frosty since Washington severed diplomatic ties after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. - (Reuters)