Various signs point to the fact that secret talks with Tehran are taking place behind the scenes in Washington. It is not yet clear whether these talks will open new doors. When the Iranians are asked whether they are against the kind of terror carried out in the United States in September, they say yes. But if the implication is that they support America, as Washington is demanding, the answer is no.

From talks with Iranians, it appears that their outlook on certain issues that used to be cut and dried, such as the mobilisation of American troops, has changed. In the past, Tehran argued that for the sake of stability, U.S. troops should withdraw from the Persian Gulf. Now they are saying that as long as American forces are deployed in the Persian Gulf, Saddam Hussein will be afraid of launching a new war.

They also say that an American presence in Pakistan will protect the country from Talebanisation. Tehran sees the Taleban as a dangerous rival, which is why it is not averse to the idea of America's bringing about the group's collapse. The Iranians say that Saddam has brokered ties between the anti-Iranian underground and the Taleban so that the underground can also attack Iran from across the border.

Iran was not shocked by the American-British recognition of Pakistan as a legitimate nuclear power. Tehran is surrounded by a large nuclear community. Aside from Pakistan, there is India, and also Turkey, which is a member of NATO. Iran is not worried so much about Israel but rather the possibility that Iraq will resume its nuclear development program. Israel is already perceived by the world as a nuclear power. It is believed to be building up its capacity to send nuclear warheads as far as the Persian Gulf. Now there is an organisation rather than a country (Ben Laden) that is trying to get its hands on weapons of mass destruction. This has strengthened the position of those who support Iran's nuclear ambitions.

On the other hand, Iranian leaders, even those considered pragmatic such as President Mohammad Khatami, support the continuation of the ground-to-ground missile program, although they feel that a shorter range (enough to reach Israel) is sufficient. Europe was reassured by Iran that it would not continue to develop the longer-range Shihab-4 missile that could cover most of Europe.

The bottom line, at this point, is that any change in Iran in the wake of the massive attacks in America will affect its relations with the West and the United States, not with Israel. Arab public opinion is very important to Tehran. It is not about to reverse its position on the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflicts. Nothing has been said to indicate that the situation will change in the near future.