Special Report: Tension escalates in Iraq

    TEHRAN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashavi called on the U.S. to drop "carrot and stick" policy, the official IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

    Qashavi recommended the new U.S. administration to abandon its "carrot and stick" policy and avoid threatening others, according to the report.

    "If by the sticks they (the U.S. and its allies) mean the sanctions, then it should be noticed that those are useless," he said, adding that "figures showed that the volumes of Iran's trade have increased under difficult conditions."

    Iran and the United States recently have both sent out signals to improve bilateral relations.

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran was ready for "fair talks" with the United States.

    "The Iranian nation is ready to hold talks but talks in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect," Ahmadinejad told a rally in Tehran's Azadi (liberty) Square to mark the 30th anniversary of the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

    "The United States must give up threats and sanctions," he said, adding that Iran has now become "a real and true superpower."

    Meanwhile, new U.S. President Barak Obama said on Monday that his administration is "looking for openings" to start face-to-face talks with Iran.

    There is a possibility of mutual respect between the United States and Iran, Obama told a press conference, the first of its kind since his inauguration on Jan. 20.

    Washington has been trying to beef up the UN-passed as well as its own sanctions against Tehran for being involved in anti-U.S. coalition forces activities, and for allegedly developing nuclear weapons secretly.

    Iran has denied the charges and insisted that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.