Obama says wants U.S., Iran move beyond ‘suspicion, mistrust’

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he wants the U.S. and Iran to move beyond ""suspicion, mistrust and confrontation.""

The remarks by Obama came one day before Iran marked the 30th anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979 in which fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

The crisis ""deeply affected the lives of courageous Americans who were unjustly held hostage, and we owe these Americans and their families our gratitude for their extraordinary service and sacrifice,"" Obama said in a statement.

""This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion, mistrust and confrontation,"" AP quoted Obama as saying.

""I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past, and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect,” he said in a statement.

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