Speaking at a news conference as one of the two reformist presidential candidates, Mir Hossein Mousavi said that relations between Iran and the U.S. will improve if Washington removes its economic sanctions against the Tehran.  In another part of his speech, while reiterating his support for the continuation of nuclear talks between Iran and the permanent members of the Security Council and Germany, Mousavi said that a pragmatic path towards the normalization of relations between the two nations would involve taking small steps to resolve the multitude of problems separating the two nations.

Noting that he has no problems with negotiating with the U.S., Mousavi said that preparations must be made and certain issues must be resolved to begin talks.  However, he emphasized that, prior to any such talks, the U.S. must demonstrate positive signs of changing its approach towards Iran.

Meeting Obama in the Summer

From the Principalist camp, however, former Revolutionary Guards chief and another presidential candidate competing against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mohsen Rezaei, announced that, if elected, he would meet with the U.S. president Barack Obama.  Rezaei, who had previously claimed that the continuation of Ahmadinejad's presidency would take Iran towards a cliff, echoed Mousavi's remarks that such a meeting would be conditional on a change in the U.S. approach towards Iran.

The secretary-general of the Expediency Council described his plan as follows: "We will propose a package to the United States, which will outline what steps the United States must take and what we will do in return."

Mohsen Rezaei, who is promising to establish a coalition government - or national unity government - also remarked last month that, if elected, he "will not sit around for the United States to make proposals," instead taking the initiative to present proposals to the United States.

Rezaei, who was speaking to students at the Ahwaz Azad University, also referred to the issue of U.S.-Iran relations as one requiring "extended discussions," adding, "It was the United States who severed its ties with Iran out of pride.  But now serious shifts have taken place in the United States and it seeks relations with Iran out of necessity."