A new US bid to contain Iran

"From the Iranian side, there was the letter from Ahmadinejad, which - however it was interpreted by the Americans ... - was a kind of 'come on,' no matter how subtle," says Bozorgmehr. "Though [Ahmadinejad] was critical of the American system and policies, the fact that he wrote the letter means he has taken one step forward. And I assume that this is the American way of stepping forward in reaction."

It is unlikely the Bush administration would take the step it did Wednesday without some assurances from certain countries, which in the past have shied away from any concrete reference to sanctions against Tehran, that the US can count on support for the two-tier plan of carrots and sticks. At the same time, Rice no doubt wished to arrive in Vienna Thursday with a strong hand to show at a meeting of foreign ministers from the five permanent Security Council nations plus Germany.

Rice acknowledged Wednesday that not all details of the package of incentives and sanctions had been agreed upon. She also cautioned that the US decision does not constitute the "grand bargain" that some analysts have said an American opening to Iran would constitute. The US has not had formal diplomatic ties with Iran since 1979.

"Many issues we have with Iran are not related to the nuclear issue," Rice said. She listed Iran's support for international terrorism, its role in Lebanon, and its "support of violence" in Iraq as three of the many hurdles that make any talk of "full diplomatic relations" between the two countries premature.

Rice was careful to suggest that even though the US offer was to sit down with Iranian officials, the overture is really designed to reach the Iranian people. The US wants "positive relations with the Iranian people," she said.

That position squares with the Bush administration's plans to step up US contact with the Iranian people - in particular pro-democracy and opposition forces in the country - through additional broadcasts of Radio-Free-Europe-type programming, work with labor unions, and student exchanges.

At the same time, however, the US refusal at this stage to include the possibility of eventual relations with Iran may make Tehran wary of the offer to the point of dismissing it, some analysts say.

"Rice's reticence about offering the possibility of normalized relations, and the unwillingness to offer security guarantees if Iran comes into compliance [with Security Council demands of ending uranium enrichment], may make it very difficult for Iran to accept," says Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington.

Some observers see parallels between the US offer to join multilateral talks with Iran and similar, though stalled, talks with North Korea. Mr. Kimball notes that the US did not insist that North Korea first cease its plutonium operations - and did hold out the enticement of eventual security guarantees if Pyonyang agreed to give up nuclear arms.

• Staff writer Scott Peterson contributed to this report.

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