Iranian President Mohammad Khatami said in a rare interview that Iran and the United States should create a "crack in the wall of mistrust" by exchanging writers, scholars, artists and thinkers.

"I believe all doors should now be open for such dialogue and understanding and the possibility for contact between Iranian and American citizens," Khatami told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

Streaming Video: Part 1 / Part 2
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Khatami Profile

IRAN'S TWO LEADERS One is the political leader of Iran, the other is the country's spiritual leader. Who has the last word?

Khamenei Profile

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Friends and Foes: A timeline of U.S.-Iranian relations
	Army officer Reza Khan leads a coup that topples Iran's government. In 1925, he declares himself as the Shah, or undisputed leader of Iran.
	During World War II, Reza Khan, who by now has taken the name Reza Shah Pahlavi, is forced by Britain and Russia to abdicate his throne in favor of his son, Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, because the elder Pahlavi is seen as too pro-German.
	Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi is forced to flee as Nationalist premier Muhammed Mossadegh comes to power with plans to nationalize Iran's lucrative oil industry, much of which is owned by Western companies. In 1953, the Shah, with the backing of Western oil interests and governments, overthrows Mussadegh and returns to power.
	The Shah embarks on a campaign to modernize and Westernize his country, using oil money to pay for his ambitious campaign. He also fosters a close relationship with the United States. But his increasingly autocratic rule, and his secular approach to governing, foment the rise of political opponents, particularly among orthodox Shiite Muslims.
	As the political situation deteriorates, the Shah is forced to flee Iran. A Shiite Muslim spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, takes power and declares an Islamic Republic while Islamic militants take dozens of Americans hostage inside the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
	The Shah dies in exile in Egypt, but the hostage standoff with the United States continues until January 1981, when the militants finally release the last of the hostages after 444 days in captivity.
	The U.S. Navy, in the Persian Gulf to protect shipping during the Iran-Iraq War, launches an attack that destroys two Iranian oil platforms. The United States accuses Iran of mining gulf waters and damaging a Navy ship.
	The U.S. Navy mistakenly shoots down an Iranian passenger jet in the Persian Gulf, killing 290 people aboard.
	Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini dies. He is succeeded as Iran's spiritual leader by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
	A moderate cleric, Mohammad Khatami, is overwhelmingly elected president of Iran, besting hard-line candidates backed by the conservative Shiite clergy, including Ayatollah Khamenei. After nearly 20 years of official hostility between Tehran and Washington, Khatami calls for a "thoughtful dialogue with the American people."

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