US President Barack Obama delivered a message to Iran by videotape last week on Nowruz, the traditional Iranian new year, offering a "new beginning" with Tehran.

That demonstration by the new US president to "extend an olive branch" to the Islamic Republic has sparked controversy.

Bargainning maybe underway?

Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, a Washington-based think tank, told Xinhua that Obama's latest appeal to Iran "represents a significant shift in US policy."

"It recognizes Iran's significant power in that part of the world. His statement included a very important comment about mutual respect. In other words, the United States is no longer committed to overthrowing the Iranian government. That's a very important point," Carpenter said.

Referring to Tehran's demand for "real changes" from the United States, Carpenter said Iran was not rejecting Obama's gesture.

"What Tehran seems to be doing now is adopting a cautious response. I think it's the initial stage of bargaining.

"What they (Iranians) want to find out is whether there is a true change in the substance of US policy, and not just the tone," Carpenter said.

He said Tehran was almost inviting the United States to provide more details as to what kind of change will take place.

"I think bargaining maybe underway now," Carpenter said.

Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Iranian President Mahoud Ahmadinejad's press advisor, said: "If Obama takes concrete actions and makes fundamental changes in US foreign policy toward other nations, including Iran, the Iranian government and people won't turn their backs on him."

Implicit concession

Carpenter believes the Obama administration is offering a sort of concession to pave the way for dialogue with Iran. "We have already seen implicit concession ... that is that we do recognize the legitimacy of the Iranian government. And it is no longer our policy to seek the overthrow of that government," he said.

Another change underway is that Washington has brought Iran into international talks about policy on Afghanistan.

"Obama may also offer to lift some economic sanctions against Iran if there is progress in the nuclear talks," Carpenter said.

He agreed with the opinion that it will be extremely difficult to bargain with Iran on its nuclear program. However, an important change could be lifting the demand that Iran stop uranium enrichment before talks can get underway on the substance of the nuclear program.

"Obama at least needs to make negotiations more open ended ... That would a very key issue," Carpenter said.

He attributed Obama's decision to continue sanctions against Iran for another year to strong opposition within the United States for lifting the embargo.

"There are powerful constituencies, particularly pro-Israel constituencies in the Democratic Party. They would be very angry at him if he lifted sanctions, particularly without any meaningful concessions from Iran," Carpenter said.

Change not easy

Carpenter, who is cautiously optimistic about possible progress in US-Iran dialogue in the future, noted that it is difficult for the United States and Iran to have talks without anything being changed beforehand.

"But I think the US as a stronger power, probably will have to initiate concessions. I hope the Obama administration understands that point, otherwise the talks will not likely go very far."

On the significance of Obama's suggestion to have dialogue with Iran, Carpenter said that was part of the efforts "to improve America's image in the entire region, to at least, greatly reduce the impression that the United States is the enemy of Muslim populations."

That is not going to be all that easy, Carpenter said, but "Obama is at least trying to take steps in that direction."

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2009)