By Liang Youchang

A vague sign of possible thaw in the relations between arch foes Iran and the United States emerged recently as US President Barack Obama sent an unexpected video message on the Iranian new year's day, calling for a "new beginning" of engagement with the Islamic Republic.

It was Obama's latest overture to Iran since he took office in January with a slogan of "change" in the ties with the Islamic Republic with which the United States has had no diplomatic ties for nearly 30 years.

However, Tehran once again showed its misgivings about Washington's real intentions and urged for "real changes".

"How could they (US officials) congratulate Iranians on the new year and accuse the country of supporting terrorism and seeking nuclear weapons in the same message?" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last Saturday.

"They put forward the slogan of change, but in fact we did not see any change," Khamenei said, "change only in words is not enough and it must be real change."

Animosity runs deep between Iran and the United States as piled-up grievances and arduous practical problems are prevalent in the bilateral ties.

No concrete measures by the United States to ease its strained relations with Iran have been seen so far even though the Obama administration has vowed to engage in "direct diplomacy" with Iran and offered several "olive branches" to it.

Instead, some moves by the United States would be seen by Iran as Washington's continuing hostility towards the Islamic Republic and amount to conflicting signals about the Obama administration's intentions.

One of these moves was Obama's announcement earlier this month of extending US sanctions against Iran for at least another year, saying Tehran's policy and moves "pose a serious threat to the US national security and interests."

Moreover, the Iranians still remember that Iran's role in helping the United States to topple Afghanistan's Taliban regime only earned it a place on the "axis of evil" list. So Tehran would not rush to cooperate with Washington until rewards are clear and evident.

Nevertheless, the response from Khamenei, Iran's top leader who has the final say on all major policies, could not be oversimplified as a total rejection to Obama's latest overture.

Khamenei's remark that "if you change your attitude, we will change ours" clearly indicates that the Iranian supreme leader still left the door open to better ties with the United States.

Obama's tone towards Iran, which differed sharply from the belligerent rhetoric of his predecessor George W. Bush, has been met with basically positive comments around the world.

However, as nearly three decades of mistrust and rivalry would not disappear overnight, more goodwill moves, either high-profile measures or behind-the-scenes interactions, will be required to thaw the icy relations between the two countries.

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2009)