Obama Tries To Make Secret Deal With Iran

According to Iranian newspaper Hamshahri, President Barack Obama recently sent a private message to Ayatollah Khamenei and the rest of Iran’s leadership, just before Tuesday’s deadline. The messenger was implied to be Iraq’s Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi. Al-Abadi visited Tehran to meet with Khamenei back on June 17th, less than two weeks after he met with Obama in Germany. Last November President Obama had previously sent a letter to Iran’s government proposing drawing Iran back to the negotiation table as well as cooperation against Islamic State. If the claims are true, then this would be the fourth attempt by the Obama administration to engage Iran’s government in dialogue.

The president clearly views Iran as a key component in stopping Islamic State, and also wishes to establish a nuclear deal with Iran to, what will be in his view, create detente between the USA and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Obama reportedly stated in the November letter that the USA’s military actions inside Syria are not intended to depose the Assad regime, Iran’s ally in Syria.

Iran has previously made secret requests of the US government as well. Back in 2009 Iran had contacted the US government via Omani channels with names of prisoners the Iranian regime wanted released. The released prisoners included convicted arms smugglers, and a diplomat and scientist convicted of illegal exports to Iran. Iran has frequently used American openness towards normalizing relations with Iran to achieve tactical goals. It would be safe to assume that the Iranian regime is not interested in integrating with the world at large and sees talks as a means to buy time for its nuclear program as well as get sanctions lifted.

As if to illustrate the point, former CIA director Michael Hayden voiced concerns that Iran is ahead of the US when it comes to the geopolitical strategy behind nuclear talks during a televised appearance on Fox News Sunday. Hayden believes that the proposed nuclear deal does not do enough to counter Iran, especially when it comes to their activities throughout the Middle East. Of particular criticism is any consideration of waiving weapons inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities. Iranian General Masoud Jazayeri stated firmly on Sunday that any inspection of Iranian military facilities will be forbidden, a sentiment echoed earlier by several high ranking Iranian military officials.