In early June, President Obama offered an invitation to Iranian officials to celebrate the Fourth of July at foreign U.S. embassies.

Now, even with violent protests in Iran causing friction, Obama has left the invitation open, but said at his press conference yesterday, according to Fox News, that it will be up to them to attend:

I think that we have said that if Iran chooses a path that abides by international norms and principles, then we are interested in healing some of the wounds of 30 years in terms of U.S.-Iranian relations. But that is a choice that the Iranians are going to have to make.

Here is a link of the full press conference on June 23 from the New York Times’ web site.

As reported by Fox News, when the invitations were first sent out, the Obama administration had announced that it would be a full participant with Iranian officials in six-nation talks aimed at getting Iran to address concerns about its suspect nuclear program. But considering the recent events, it seems there will probably be even more to talk about during the Fourth of July events, which generally feature speeches about American values, fireworks, hot dogs and hamburgers, according to Fox News.

In what is now being called Hot Dog diplomacy, what do you hope will be discussed during the Fourth of July meeting between U.S. and Iranian officials? Do you think Iranian officials will even show up? Are Obama’s friendly gestures one sided? Should we even be extending a hand? Are Iranians too unwilling to unclench their fist?

How could this invite be good or bad for U.S. foreign relations?