Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared at today’s Tehran rally marking the 30th anniversary of the Iranian revolution that the Iranian government is “ready” to talk to the United States “in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect.”

The United States and Iran have had an antagonistic relationship since the 1979 revolution, but an increasing number of Iranian officials have expressed hope that new President Barack Obama would be open to improving ties between the two nations. So far, however, the Obama Administration has dismissed rumors that he may significantly improve ties, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has continued the long-time US policy of offering hostile rhetoric and vague demands.

Hostility towards Iran has been one of the most enduring aspects of American foreign policy in the past 30 years, and there are concerns that any rapprochement could complicate the nation’s other relations, particularly with Israel which has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran and has assumed American support for such an endeavor.

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