US lies must stop, Ahmadinejad says
Tuesday, 15 Jul 2008 00:30
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says "US lies" trying to turn neighbours against Tehran
Iran In Focus
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Iran's president has hit out at what he describes as "US lies" about Tehran.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran's position regarding its Gulf neighbours was one of "leniency and mutual respect."
Ahmadinejad accused Washington of trying to poison the relationship between Tehran and other countries in the region.
His harsh rhetoric to a group of Iranian envoys to Gulf states were in sharp contrast to his comments regarding the possibility of Washington setting up a US interests section in Tehran.
The US has had no official diplomatic presence in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and US affairs are usually handled by a special office set up inside the Swiss embassy in Tehran.
Mr Ahmadinejad said he was open to the establishment of a small diplomatic mission, and hoped it would lead to extensive relations between Iranian and US citizens.
"Iran welcomes any proposal to improve ties, even from the leaders in the White House," he said after a regularly-scheduled cabinet session.
The president was responding to reports in the western media that Washington was considering the possibility of opening an interests section, the first step to diplomatic relations after an almost 30-year hiatus.
However, Ahmadinejad said no "official" request has yet been made by Washington through intermediaries at the Swiss embassy.