Article #9:US- Iran: Dialogue of the deaf?

President Barack Obama offered to "extend a hand" of diplomacy if the Islamic Republic's leaders would "unclench their fist".

All previous presidents in the last 30 years have failed when trying to open dialogue with Iran. Tehran and Washington D.C. have barely been on speaking terms for 30 years. Iranian mistrust goes back to 1953, when US and British forces returned the Shah to power, after he was deposed. When president carter announced that Shah had terminally cancer after the 1979 revolution people in Iran were already worried.

In 1979, after Carter's announcement, a group of students seized the US Embassy in Tehran. The student's action was backed by the new leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini. US Iran relations fell to an all time low because 50 people were held hostage for 444 days.

Distrust arose when US backed Saddam Hussein in the 80's as a counter to Iran's influence in the Middle East. During this war Iraq used chemical weapons, which goes against the Geneva Convention. The US refused to stop backing Saddam.

President Bush Senior's words in his 1989 inaugural address, "Goodwill begets Goodwill" were addressed to Iran as the US was desperate to secure the release of American hostages - this time held in Lebanon by Hezbollah - and knew Iran could fix it. Iran's the president, President Rafsanjani had the hostages released. A HUGE risk for him politically. The US never reciprocated goodwill. American thinking at the time was that Iran had destroyed the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. And Iran's Supreme Leader ordered Muslims around the world to kill Salman Rushdie.

Next came a "people to people" attempt were a US wrestling team was going to visit Iran( Us was under Clinton). That fell through because the then Iran President's predecessor had allegedly sanctioned a bombing that killed 19 Americans. The current president could not punish those responsible, because he didn't have the authority.

After 9/11 the two countries came together under the common enemy of the Taliban. But Iran and the US had very diffrent ideas on how to deal with Iraq.

Mr Obama says he is prepared to open talks with Iran without preconditions, declaring in his inauguration speech: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."