Why Iran May Be More Open To Negotiating On Its Nuclear Program

Barry Rubin observes the continuation of Obama's Iranian policy as The Obama Administration Puts Its Trust in Negotiations with Iran.

He addresses the claim that between the impact of sanctions on the one hand and the election of a potentially more flexible in June president come June 2013 -- and notes:

I won’t dismiss this altogether. The truth is that despite extremist statements and radical tactics, the Iranian regime is by no means ideologically or theologically mad. The rulers want to stay in power and they have been far more cautious in practice than they have in rhetoric. Despite the claims that the Iranian regime just wants to get nuclear weapons to attack Israel as soon as possible, a serious analysis of this government’s history, its leaders and factions, indicates otherwise.

Despite Denials, Obama Is Having Secret Talks With Iran After All

Last month, I posted about the question Is Obama Making Behind The Scenes Deal With Iran To Win Election?. It was based on the WND story claiming that Obama had cut a pre-election deal with Iran for a temporary halt to its nuclear program.

According to the story:

By Helping Obama, Iran Hopes To Help Itself Create A New Distraction

Barry Rubin addresses the question Negotiations with Iran: Obama’s `October Surprise’ to Help Win Election?:

Are supposed negotiations with Iran the “October Surprise” intended to win the election for President Barack Obama, an Iranian trick for buying time, or both? The answer is both. It’s an incredibly transparent ploy though with the cooperation of the mass media such a gimmick might well have some effect.

Is Obama Making Behind The Scenes Deal With Iran To Win Election?

WND is reporting that Obama has cut a pre-election deal with Iran for a temporary halt to its nuclear program

Reza Khalili is the pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards who now serves on the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, who writes:

Iranian and U.S. negotiators have reached an agreement that calls for Iran to halt part of its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of many of the U.S. sanctions against the Islamic regime, according to a highly placed source.

Is Obama Encouraging Iran?

When Obama took office, he made a point of calling Abbas and visiting Cairo -- making overtures to the Arab world as he also indicated there was a need for daylight between the US and Israel.

As a result, Abbas has consistently refused to sit down for negotiations with Israel, leaving it to the US to force more unilateral concessions.

Obama is now at it again, now refusing to definitively drawing a red line for Iran nor visiting Israel to show that his claim to have Israel's back has any meaning.

As Michael Rubin puts it, Is Obama Repeating Truman’s Error? Rubin gives a key portion of a 1950 speech given by then-Secretary of State Dean Acheson, laying out US interests in Asia.