Iran’s so-called “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was reportedly persuaded to talk with the Trump administration about a new nuclear deal after being told by advisers that the regime could collapse if he did not.
Khamenei had previously rejected talks with Trump. But with Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions, his military action against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, and Israel’s destruction of Iran’s air defenses last year, Khamenei’s advisers appear to have believed that the regime was on the ropes.
The New York Times reported Friday:
Mr. Khamenei had publicly and repeatedly banned engaging with Washington, calling it unwise and idiotic. The senior officials, in an unusual coordinated effort, urged him to change course, said the two officials, who asked not to be named to discuss sensitive issues.
The message to Mr. Khamenei was blunt: Allow Tehran to negotiate with Washington, even directly if necessary, because otherwise the Islamic Republic’s rule could be toppled.
The country was already dealing with an economy in shambles, a currency plunging against the dollar and shortages of gas, electricity and water. The threat of war with the United States and Israel was extremely serious, the officials warned. If Iran refused talks or if the negotiations failed, the officials told Mr. Khamenei, military strikes on Iran’s two main nuclear sites, Natanz and Fordow, would be inevitable.
Trump has not said exactly what a new nuclear deal would look like, but the 2015 nuclear deal reached by President Barack Obama — from which Trump withdrew in 2018 — did not bar Iran from funding and arming terrorists, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Nor did Obama’s deal include requirements that Iran respect the human rights of its own citizens, whom it has brutally repressed for nearly half a century. And Obama did not insist that Iran stop threatening Israel and the United States with death and destruction. Crucially, the Obama-era deal also did not require Iran to come clean about its past nuclear activities; did not allow United Nations inspectors access to military sites; and did not stop Iran from pursuing its ballistic missile program.
Talks are scheduled for Saturday in Oman. Though Trump called them “direct,” it is unclear whether American officials will interact directly with Iranian officials. The two countries do not currently have diplomatic relations.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
