Posted on 04/18/2006 10:35:16 AM PDT by n-tres-ted
LONDON, April 18 (IranMania) - The US State Department confirmed a senior official from arch-US nemesis Iran was in Washington but would not say how he got into the country or what he was doing here, AFP reported.
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Mohammad Nahavandian was in town but added, "He's not here for meetings with US government officials to my knowledge; certainly not with members of the State Department."
McCormack said Nahavandian had not been issued a visa but was in the United States legally. He did not elaborate but said only, "There are a variety of other ways for an individual to arrive in the country."
The Washington foray by Nahavandian, described as an economic aide to Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, was first reported 10 days ago by Britain's Financial Times newspaper.
The rare sighting of a senior Iranian official in Washington comes at a moment when Iran's showdown with the West over its suspected nuclear weapons activities was nearing a climax.
Iran has announced plans to speed its research into uranium enrichment while the United States and its allies are pushing for UN sanctions against Iran.
The Financial Times quoted an Iranian adviser as saying Nahavandian had come here to discuss the possibility of wide-ranging direct talks between the two countries, which have not had diplomatic relations for a quarter-century.
The United States has authorized its ambassador in Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, to hold direct discussions with the Iranians about Iraq but nothing else.
Has anyone noticed that the Generals and ALL the big critics of Bush are ALL anti-Israel types.....actually ALL on the left are anti-Israel types, even the Jews. PITIFUL.
Maybe Bush invited him to let Iran know how the cow eats the cabbage.
Don't be thick.....the anti-Israel types are critical of Bush when he's conservative. Geesh, use your noggin.
Wonder if the white house has a wood shed.
probably here to talk to Exxon on getting a chunk of that 400 million dollar retirement package since his country is helping to drive oil prices through the roof.
'There are a variety of other ways to arrive'...laughing out loud at the image of this Iranian 'diplomat' wading across the Rio Grande on the most recent moonless night; no doubt with his Spanish interpreter.
I can visualize the stream of propaganda that Iran would feed to our Treason Media, all in an attempt to make Bush the issue rather than Iran's diabolical nuclear program: a steady stream of slick propaganda statements such as "we only want the peaceful use of nuclear energy which America wants to take from us", and "Bush and America are the agressors here who want to invade and occupy Iran just like Iraq", etc., etc. The Treason Media would of course just love all this BS and would then spew out this stream of Iranian propaganda as if it has the same high credibility as statements by the Bush Administration about Iran.
The administration is on the right track today and should stay on that track: reject all direct talks with Iran and just say that we're on the same page with the EU and direct negotations with the US would produce exactly the same results as negotations by Europe. Then add that the lack of negotiated results is entirely because Iran refuses to halt its uranium enrichment program, which is the key step towards the grave threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.
In case you have views on this. Thanks.
Maybe he's meeting with Jay Rockefeller to find out what our plans are for Iran.
I would think that JRock and the other dimwit left-wing senators have not been informed about our real plans for dealing with Iran.
The president says he wants a negotiated deal with Iran, if possible, meaning they agree to an inspected back-off from their nuclear weapons aspirations. I believe the president in that regard. At the same time, the Iranian dealings with the Europeans have been nothing but stalling and propaganda. Question in my mind is whether Iran's leadership may decide to back off for the time being, hoping for Dems or a weaker Republican in the White House a few years down the line.
This from the 'Financial Times (of London)'
Iran has prepared a high-level delegation to hold wide-ranging talks with the US, but the Bush administration is resisting the agenda suggested by Tehran despite pressure from European allies to engage the Islamic republic, Iranian politicians have told the Financial Times.
A senior Iranian official, Mohammad Nahavandian, has flown to Washington to “lobby” over the issue, aaccording to a top Iranian adviser outside the US. However, the Iranian mission to the United Nations insisted he was in Washington on private business.
Iran’s willingness to engage the US on Iraq, regional security and the nuclear issue, is believed to have the approval of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It represents the most serious attempt by the Islamic republic to reach out to the US since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
But the White House insisted on Thursday that its own offer of talks with Iran, extended several months ago by Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Baghdad, was limited to the subject of Iraq.
“There are none and none are scheduled,” Stephen Hadley, national security adviser, was quoted by a spokesman as saying about the prospect of talks with the Iranian delegation in Baghdad next week.
A senior Iranian adviser said the Iranian delegation was headed by Ali Hossein-Tash, the main deputy to Ali Larijani who is secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the chief official dealing with the nuclear issue. Three other negotiators, all attached to the Council, include a deputy intelligence minister who was previously based in Baghdad, a former Revolutionary Guards member and Kurdish expert, and a political specialist.
Mr Nahavandian, a deputy for economic affairs to Mr Larijani, is in Washington, several Iranian sources told the FT, revealing the rare presence of a senior Iranian in the US capital. White House and State Department officials denied all knowledge of his presence.
The Bush administration is resisting pressure from its European allies to engage Iran directly over its alleged nuclear weapons programme rather than leave negotiations to the EU3 of France, Germany and the UK. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German foreign minister, raised this issue with Mr Hadley this week, and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, is understood to have spoken about it with President George W. Bush.
That strategy of backing off and waiting is quite possible. But US Presidents can't stay in office beyond 8 years, so in any event future presidents will be responsible for preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to irresponsible nations like Iran. If Iran backs down and goes into stealth nuclear reserach mode, then Iran will be a major issue in the 2008 presidential race. We'll have to bring up this issue at FR as much as possible if Iran is still trying to get nukes in 2008.
Maybe he's one of those foreign leaders that Kerry's always talking to.
Them Japanese Boys was in DC as their bombs fell on Pearl Harbor.
Iranians aren't Arab, and most Arab countries are just as scared of Iran having the bomb as anyone else.
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