Tehran - President Muhammad Khatami breaks new ground this week when he becomes the first Iranian leader since the 1979 Islamic revolution to launch a dialogue with the American people through television, Iranian analysts said. But they said the relatively moderate Shia Muslim cleric was not expected to make any bold moves in an interview with CNN, which was sure to deal a blow to a taboo about contacts with Iran's archenemy.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is ranked above the president and has the final say on foreign policy, has rejected a thaw. He said last week Tehran was not making any moves towards rapprochement with Washington.