WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made a rare visit to Washington to inspect Iran’s unofficial diplomatic office but there were no plans for him to meet U.S. officials, the State Department said on Wednesday.
One day before Iran meets in Geneva with the United States and other powers worried about its nuclear program, the State Department granted Mottaki’s request to visit the Iranian interests section at Pakistan’s embassy, which represents Tehran in Washington in the absence of diplomatic ties.
U.S.-based analysts and diplomats said it was the first such visit in years, possibly since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979.
“I wouldn’t read too much into this … It was a straightforward request and we granted it,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told a news briefing, saying there were no plans for Mottaki to meet U.S. officials or anyone acting on behalf of the U.S. government.
“As to what interactions he has here, I don’t know. I refer you to the Iranians.”
