US Shelves Iran Diplomatic Outpost

World | Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 10:41:50 am PDT

Last weekend the Bush administration quietly abandoned plans to send diplomats to Iran.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration has shelved plans to set up a diplomatic outpost in Iran, in part over fears it could affect the U.S. presidential race or be interpreted as political meddling, The Associated Press has learned.

The proposal to send U.S. diplomats to Tehran for the first time in three decades attracted great attention when it was first floated seriously over the summer but has now been placed on indefinite hold as November’s election nears and Iran continues to defy demands to halt suspect nuclear activities, officials told the AP.