Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (Photo credit: Tehran Times)

Two weeks ago, I highlighted Piers Morgan’s interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the United Nations General Assembly. The interview was a flop: Morgan’s quips seemed out of place, and Ahmadinejad refused to answer even the most straightforward questions.

Earlier this week, however, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi sat down with Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine. The interview was far more substantive. Salehi gave interesting responses to a wide variety of questions, particularly on the Iranian nuclear program and Syria.

Interestingly, Salehi suggested that Tehran could be ready to make a deal: “If our right to enrichment is recognized, we are prepared to offer an exchange. We would voluntarily limit the extent of our enrichment program, but in return we would need a guaranteed supply of the relevant fuels from abroad.” This is certainly not the first time an Iranian leader has suggested a deal in the making, but Salehi’s conciliatory tone comes amidst news that Iran could be delaying progress on a nuclear weapons program by using more enriched uranium for medical purposes.