U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ruled out on Wednesday the possibility of sending diplomats to Iran, saying the issue would be left to the next administration to deal with.
The Bush administration has considered setting up a diplomatic office in Tehran, similar to one in Cuba's Havana, but some international affairs made it impractical to do so, the secretary told reporters at a press conference.
"We have continued to pursue how that might go forward, but, frankly, the point at which we most likely would have done it, we were right in the middle of the Georgia-Russia conflict and then a number of other international events I think just made it difficult to do.
"At this late moment, I think it is probably better that this decision be left to the next administration," Rice said.
The two countries severed diplomatic ties in 1979 when the Islamic revolution took place in Iran and some 50 U.S. diplomats were held hostage by Iranian students, who occupied the U.S. embassy in Tehran.