Commenting on the decision, APN President and CEO Debra DeLee stated, "We applaud President Obama for embracing this opportunity, rather than rejecting it out-of-hand, as some would have him do.   Skepticism about Iran's seriousness is warranted, and this is precisely why it is so important that President Obama and the international community are seizing this opportunity to test the credibility of Iran's proposal and to assess Iran's willingness to resolve the various issues of contention, including the future of its nuclear program, through dialogue."

She continued, "Last week, when many were focused on demanding new sanctions and short-fuse deadlines for ending US engagement efforts, we spoke out suggesting that this was the wrong course.  We said then, even before the Iranian proposal had been made public, that the US should be pursuing a policy of smart engagement, characterized by realistic goals and expectations and a readiness to adapt as the engagement process proceeds.    We argued that this was the responsible, effective approach to address the very real threats posed by Iran's nuclear program, its regional meddling, and its other destabilizing behavior.  We urged the Obama Administration to continue to look for all available channels for engagement with Iranian officials and the Iranian people.   We are gratified that at this first opportunity, the Obama Administration is doing precisely that."

APN has long advocated serious, sustained, direct US engagement with Iran to address the full range of issues on the US-Iran agenda, including: the urgent need to curb any Iranian effort to develop nuclear weapons; the critical goal of ending Iranian support for extremist organizations in the Middle East; serious and longstanding US concerns about freedoms and human rights in Iran - concerns that are even more pressing today; and the US interest in Iranian cooperation and coordination in efforts to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan.   
 
Given the urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat, as well as the other interests laid out above, we believe that today, even with the current turmoil on the Iranian domestic political scene, the correct policy for the Obama Administration is to continue efforts to engage Iran on the full range of issues on the agenda.  By their nature, these issues do not permit the US to stand aside and put engagement efforts on hold until the Iranian domestic situation has clarified.  

The text of APN's September 9, 2009 Iran policy statement and related documents are available here.

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