Iranian official: Obama's Mideast policy probably same as Bush's

        Iran doubts that United States President Barack Obama's Middle East policy is any different from the Bush administration's, state's parliament speaker said Sunday, according to an Iranian television report. Speaker Ali Larijani said Obama's stance on Israel's 22-day offensive in Gaza, and the U.S.'s support for Israel have created many doubts about the 'change' theory. Obama has struck themes familiar with Bush over the Gaza crisis including supporting Israel's right to defend itself, criticizing rocket attacks by Hamas militants, lamenting civilian deaths in Gaza and favoring an international effort to develop a durable cease-fire. Ali Larijani cautioned that Obama's actions on Iran's disputed nuclear program would be another test for the 'change' word used by the new president during his election campaign. During the Bush administration, the U.S. and Iran had an increasingly tense relationship. Tehran and Washington have been deeply at odds over Iran's nuclear program and what the U.S. says is Iranian support for Shiite Muslim militiamen in neighboring Iraq - a charge Iran denies. Following Obama's inauguration Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki struck a moderate tone saying on Wednesday that "We are ready for new approaches by the United States." But Larijani's more skeptical words come after Obama made his first comments on the recent Gaza conflict since taking office on Tuesday. One Iranian newspaper, Jomhuri Eslami, criticized Obama in its editorial on Sunday. "Obama took a negative and disappointing stance on Palestine," the editorial said in response to Obama's comments on Gaza. The U.S. has not had any diplomatic mission in Iran since the seizure of the American Embassy and hostage crisis during Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. Obama has said he would seek dialogue with Iran to defuse the years long confrontation over Tehran's nuclear ambitions and support of militant groups around the Middle East. But the new president has not been specific on what incentives Washington might offer to end the deadlock between the two countries. Mottaki said Tehran was waiting for practical policies from the Obama administration before making any specific judgments. Iran's two most powerful figures - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - have been unusually silent on Obama in the past months. The Iranian leaders have been silent since they are waiting for practical steps by new U.S administration. They are waiting for the U.S to take the first step, said Saeed Laylaz, a political analyst in Tehran. (18,18)