As I said earlier, I'm not totally sure what it means that America is opening up an "interests section" in Iran. So I asked Derek Chollet, formerly John Edwards' foreign poicy adviser and currently a fellow at CNAS, what he thought:
Opening an American interests section in Tehran is a significant step. At a practical level, by placing American diplomats in Tehran for the first time since the hostages left in January 1981, this will enhance Washington's perspective about what's happening inside the Iranian government (although one should not overstate the potential for figuring them out, given that European governments who have full diplomatic representation there – meaning Ambassadors staffed by full embassies – still puzzle over the jostling among Iran's fractured leadership). The small diplomatic staff in Tehran would also provide consular services, handling passport and visa issues as well as dealing with immigration issues. In this sense, the diplomats would handle the nuts-and-bolts of relations and be a valuable set of eyes and ears, but they would not have a lot of juice to shape policy. And while the mere fact that we have an interests section does not mean that full diplomatic ties are imminent – after all, this is the kind of presence we've had in Havana since 1977 and had in Baghdad from 1991-2003 –it is an important symbolic move at an important time, especially when considered in conjunction with Bill Burns's inclusion in the EU talks.
