The US has refused to deny reports that it will establish a US diplomatic presence in Iran in the next month.
The UK’s Guardian newspaper reports the US plans to open an interests section in Tehran, its first diplomatic presence in the country for 30 years.
The state department said its policy towards Iran was unchanged, but that it wanted to reach out to Iranians.
It comes as the US announced that a top diplomat would attend talks in Geneva with the Iranians on Saturday.
The talks will be the first time in 30 years that such a high-ranking US diplomat – the third-most senior in the US – has met Iranian officials.
Change of tone
US officials said recently that the idea of a diplomatic presence in Iran was being discussed, but that it was not being actively worked on.
The unsourced Guardian report said that the interests section – a step towards setting up an embassy – would be similar to the one in Cuba.
BBC News
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