WSJ: Obama wrote secret letter to Iran's supreme leader

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. President Barack Obama is said to have written a secret letter to Iran's supreme leader describing a shared interest in fighting Islamic State.

The letter, reported by the Wall Street Journal, urges Ayatollah Ali Khamenei toward a nuclear agreement.

The U.S. president stressed any cooperation on fighting IS is contingent on Iran reaching such an agreement by a Nov 24 diplomatic deadline.

The White House has declined to comment on Obama's "private correspondence".

The letter, sent last month, is at least the fourth time Obama has written to the Iranian leader since taking office in 2009 and underscores his view that Iran is important in an emerging campaign against IS, the BBC says.

Officials with the Obama administration have, in recent days, placed the chances for a deal on Iran's nuclear program at only 50-50, according to the Journal.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to begin negotiations on the issue with Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif this weekend in Oman.

World powers suspect Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb, a claim it denies. An interim deal agreed late last year gave Iran some relief from sanctions in return for curbs on nuclear activity. But talks later stalled on the extent of uranium enrichment Iran would be allowed and on the timetable for sanctions to be lifted.

America's Arab allies are bound to be dismayed by news of the letter. Foreign diplomats said US administration officials they spoke to did not deny its existence. And key Gulf countries who are part of the current military coalition against IS were not informed about the letter in advance, which diplomats said could undermine trust between U.S. and its partners at a crucial moment. When the US started secret negotiations with Iran in 2012, it did not inform countries like Saudi Arabia or Israel. They were outraged when news surfaced of the secret channel. This letter will be seen as another example of Mr Obama acting with little regard for his allies as he doggedly pursues a deal with Iran. American officials will argue they are doing what's best in America's national security interest, the BBC notes.

On Thursday, Nov 6, White House spokesman Josh Earnest declined to comment directly on the secret letter.

"I can tell you that the policy that the president and his administration have articulated about Iran remains unchanged," he said in response to questions.

Also on Thursday, Republican speaker of the House John Boehner said he did not trust Iran's leaders and said they should not be brought into the fight against IS.

IS militants currently control large areas of Iraq and Syria and have engaged in mass killings across the region.