The text of her remarks was carried by the official Islamic Republic News Agency but there was no immediate response from the government. Some Trade Still Restricted Trade in oil, oil equipment and other major economic areas will remain prohibited for Americans, said a U.S. official. U.S. hostility to the Islamic fundamentalists who run the country has its roots in the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by revolutionaries in 1979 and the holding of Americans seized there hostage in defiance of traditional diplomatic practice. Iran remains on the State Department's list as a sponsor of terrorism, one of seven countries so branded. Currently, a major U.S. complaint against Iran is that it provides Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon with the weapons with which they have attacked and killed Israeli soldiers based in a buffer zone inside southern Lebanon.
Delivery is facilitated by Syria, which controls much of Lebanon.
Conciliatory statements by Iranian President Khatami and then the election last month to parliament of candidates considered moderate by some American analysts have accelerated moves within the administration to open talks with Iran. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Madeleine Albright Keep up on the latest breaking developments on this story and the rest of the world by clicking here to our Raw News page. Click here for Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Internet Safety Information applicable to this site.