Iran opens door to talks with Obama
Iran said today it would welcome talks with its long-time enemy the United States provided they were "based on mutual respect".
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's announcement came a day after President Barack Obama said he was looking for opportunities to engage Iran.
"The Iranian nation is ready for talks (with the US) but in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect," Ahmadinejad told hundreds of thousands of Iranians during a celebration marking the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution that toppled the shah and brought hard-line clerics to power.
The Iranian leader said terrorism, the elimination of nuclear weapons, restructuring the UN Security Council and fighting drug trafficking could be topics for the two sides to talk about.
"If you really want to fight terrorism, come and cooperate with the Iranian nation, which is the biggest victim of terrorism so that terrorism is eliminated. ... If you want to confront nuclear weapons ... you need to stand beside Iran so it can introduce a correct path to you," he said.
Ahmadinejad said the world was at a "crossroads" because it had been proven that military power has not been successful - a reference to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But now, he said, "the world is entering an era of dialogue and intellect."
"The new US government has announced that it wants to bring changes and follow the path of dialogue. It is very clear that changes have to be fundamental and not tactical. It is clear that the Iranian nation welcomes true changes," Ahmadinejad said.
The countries ended relations after the 1979 Iranian revolution and the takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran by students.
But relations deteriorated even further after the September 11 attacks when President George Bush declared Iran belonged to an "axis of evil".
Ahmadinejad widened that gap after he was elected in 2005 and defied the West by pursuing Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
The US believes Iran is secretly trying to create nuclear weapons, but Iran claims it is only for peaceful purposes such as electricity production.
Ahmadinejad said today that the "world does not want to see the dark age of Bush repeated".
"The fate that befell Bush - and it was a very bad fate - can be viewed as a lesson for most of the people that ... want to impose their will on the world," he said.
Since his campaign for president, Mr Obama has signalled a willingness for a dialogue with Iran. At his inauguration last month he said his administration would reach out to rival states, saying "we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist".
Yesterday Mr Obama said his national security team was reviewing its existing Iran policy and "looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue".
He said he expected that his administration would be looking for "openings" where Washington and Tehran can sit face-to-face.
Ahmadinejad declared that Iran was a "superpower" and said threats against it had disappeared.
"Today, I officially announce that the Iranian nation is a true and real superpower ... I need to declare with a loud voice that ... the shadow of threat has been removed forever from over the Iranian nation's head," he said.
Ahmadinejad also praised Iranian achievements over the past three decades including the recent launch of the first domestically made satellite into orbit.
"Despite the will of evil-wishers ... who tried not to allow us to gain technologies, the satellite launch station is the product of scientists of the Iranian nation," he said.
