Washington, Oct 29: The United States is "always prepared" to change its policies toward Iran if Iran ceases its support for terrorism and abandons its weapons of mass destruction programmes, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said. He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee here yesterday that the United States intends to pursue a "flexible, dynamic and multifaceted" policy toward Iran in order to encourage the Iranian people's desire for greater freedom while countering negative policies of their government, such as pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and support for terrorism.
"Iran is a country in the midst of a tremendous transformation. I believe American policy can affect the direction Iran will take," he said. In his prepared remarks, Armitage said the Iranian people were now "engaged in a very rich and lively debate about the kind of society they want for themselves and for their children," including the desire for substantial economic and democratic reforms.
With most of the population under the age of 30, Armitage said the Iranian people are "far more concerned about Iran's chronic unemployment than they are about Iran's past." "The Iranian people should know of our support for their aspirations, but also that the full rewards of that support will only be realized once their government ends its destructive external and internal policies. We look forward to the day when the will of the people of Iran prevails," he said. Bureau Report