U.S. President Barack Obama wrote a top secret letter to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei sometime in the middle of October.
The letter reportedly included issues dealing with the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria and Iraq, including a guarantee that the United States would not target the Assad regime in Syria. Another primary focus of the letter revolved around the United States’ ongoing nuclear negotiations with the Shiite theocracy, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Supreme Leader Khamenei (Left) and President Barack Obama Photo: AFP
In his appeal, President Obama urged the Iranian dictator to strike an agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program by November 24th. He also allegedly stated that should Iran agree to a deal, the U.S. was willing to work with Tehran against the Islamic State.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the President’s appeal marks at least the fourth time that he has written directly to the Ayatollah.
Some on both sides of the aisle in Congress have expressed discontent with the ongoing Iran negotiations.
“The best way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is to quickly pass the bipartisan Menendez-Kirk legislation–not to give the Iranians more time to build a bomb,” Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) told WSJ Wednesday.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) commented, “I don’t trust the Iranians. I don’t think we need to bring them into this.” Boehner added that he had serious doubts about the seriousness of the ongoing negotiations.
The Obama administration had previously said there is no connection between the nuclear negotiations and the fight against ISIS. According to Armin Rosen of Business Insider, on September 26th, a senior White House official said regarding ISIS and Iran, “These are two separate issues.” However, Mr. Obama’s letter shows that the White House has tied the two issues together.
The Iranian Ayatollah reportedly has not directly responded to any of Obama’s several appeals. Instead, he has openly called for the destruction of America.
Khamenei said in May:
Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.
Iran is widely seen as the world’s foremost promulgator of Shia Islamic terror, aiding and abetting organizations such as Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and Hamas in Gaza.
Iran is also one of only four states that the United States considers a State Sponsor of Terrorism. The State Department said of Iran in its 2013 country report:
Iran continued its terrorist-related activity, including support for Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and for Hizballah. It has also increased its presence in Africa and attempted to smuggle arms to Houthi separatists in Yemen and Shia oppositionists in Bahrain. Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its regional proxy groups to implement foreign policy goals, provide cover for intelligence operations, and create instability in the Middle East. The IRGC-QF is the regime’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting terrorists abroad.
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