Iran May Come Off Drug List

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, in a move aimed at improving ties with Tehran, has recommended that President Clinton remove Iran from the U.S. list of major illicit drug-producing countries, a senior U.S. official said Monday.

A new U.S. survey has concluded that Iran has eradicated much of its illicit poppy cultivation and thus it “no longer meets the statutory justification” for inclusion on the list, the official said. Being on the list means Iran is “decertified” from receiving U.S. aid and support for multilateral development bank lending.

It was hoped that Iran would see the decision as evidence that the United States makes judgments on the basis of facts, and “they are not based on some preordained desire to isolate Iran,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In recent years, Iran’s government has reported success in halting illicit cultivation.