That is the big question. Nobody outside Iran knows if that's the case or not. Khameni has the real power, and can veto anything that the President (Khatami or Ahmedinutjob) tries to do. I've read in the Washington Post that some Iranian officials have talked to reporters, and they are genuinely embarassed at the latter's comments, knowing the hole it digs for Iran, and it gets deeper every time he opens his mouth. If Khatami did have Khamanei's support, then an opportunity was lost. If he didn't.....The main obstacle for any kind of detente between Iran and the U.S. isn't the nuclear issue, it's the legacy of 4 Nov 1979 and afterwards. It is not politically feasable for this, or any other U.S. President, to open up to Iran without getting some kind of statement regretting the embassy takeover and kidnapping of the staff. Two U.S. Secretaries of State, Albright and Rice, have stated that backing the coup in '53 was a mistake, and we've been waiting for Iran to admit that holding diplomats hostage for 444 days was a mistake and a criminal act, and until that happens, forget about any kind of detente with Iran having any political support in Congress. Especially if any treaty has to come before the Senate (you need 2/3s to ratify, and the Democraps don't have that).