The United States, in a major policy shift toward Iran, offered on Wednesday to join European nations in talks with Tehran if it suspends a uranium enrichment program that Washington says will lead to a nuclear bomb. The U.S. overture to its longtime foe could be turned down by Tehran, which has rejected such conditions before. But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iran must show it wants to negotiate "in good faith" or face the consequences. "It's time to know whether Iran is serious about negotiation or not," she told a news conference.Any direct talks with Tehran on such a substantive issue would mark a big change in U.S. relations with Iran. Washington has not had formal diplomatic ties with Tehran since after the 1979 Islamic revolution when fundamentalist students held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
Rice said the offer of talks was part of a package of incentives and sanctions to try to get Iran to curb its nuclear program. She said the "essential elements" of the package have been agreed with Britain, France and Germany and will be discussed further on Thursday when ministers meet in Vienna. The Iranian government had no immediate comment on the American offer but the foreign policy spokesman for its parliament reportedly was dismissive of the U.S. precondition.