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unhappycamper

(60,364 posts)
Sat Jan 11, 2014, 07:36 AM Jan 2014

Former British foreign secretary: U.S. has been a ‘malign force’ in Iran in the past

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/01/10/former-british-foreign-secretary-u-s-has-been-a-malign-force-in-iran-in-the-past/



Former British foreign secretary: U.S. has been a ‘malign force’ in Iran in the past
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, January 10, 2014 9:43 EST

Former foreign secretary Jack Straw said Friday that Britain and the United States had been a “malign force” in Iran in the past, after a relationship-building visit to Tehran.

Straw and three other British members of parliament visited Iran this week amid a thawing of relations between Britain and the Islamic Republic, after ties were severed in 2011 when hardline Islamists ransacked the British embassy compound in Tehran.

In an interview with BBC radio, Straw said his group had been well received by the government of President Hassan Rouhani and reported “considerable optimism there” about a rapprochement with the West.

“There is a very, very long history to this, to poor relations between Iran on the one hand and US and UK on the other,” Straw said.
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