U.S. Allows Iran Official to Visit Harvard, UCLA

In another gesture to Iran, the Clinton administration has approved visits to two American colleges by Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, the highest-ranking official from Tehran permitted to travel widely in the U.S.

Kharrazi visited the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on Monday to arrange for exchanges of scholars. He spoke to students and faculty members. Today he is due at UCLA to speak to students and to Iranian Americans in the area.

There may be other college visits, each of which needs U.S. approval. Kharrazi, who was given a visa to attend U.N. meetings in New York, had not made further requests.

Mohammad Khatami’s election as Iran’s president three years ago, and a perception that he was a force for moderation, prompted the Clinton administration to pursue a dialogue.

Still, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Wednesday that Iranian support for terrorism has not declined, nor has U.S. concern with Iran’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.