The American state department says it will continue to encourage contacts between United States citizens and Iranians, in spite of an attack on Saturday in Teheran on a bus carrying American visitors.

Islamic militants wielding clubs smashed the windows of the bus after reports were carried in some Iranian newspapers suggesting the visitors were spies.

Both governments have stressed that they were in fact tourists or businessmen with no political purpose.

The Iranian foreign minister, Kamal Kharrazi, said press reports to the contrary were regrettable.