Iran Says It Will Help in Rescuing U.S. Military

Iran has assured the United States through Swiss intermediaries that it would try to rescue any American military personnel it found in distress on its territory, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

The two countries, at odds for more than two decades, offered assurances that they respected each other’s territorial integrity, the official said.

They have not had diplomatic relations since Islamic militants overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held the Americans it took hostage for 444 days.

In recent years, some American diplomats have been looking for signs of change beneath the strict Islamic rule in Iran. After the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, the U.S, sought Iran’s support against the al-Qaida network in Afghanistan.