Mullahs Bearing Gifts?
Blog of the Week Jules Crittenden quotes from a just-released Stratfor report on Iran that is available only to Stratfor subscribers:
[Saudi] Prince Bandar bin Sultan … plans to visit Iran on Thursday to hold talks with senior officials, including his Iranian counterpart, Ali Larijani.Bandar’s trip … is an indication that the two rival states are engaged in serious negotiations over Iraq. The driving force behind these talks has been Iran, which signaled last week that it is willing to work with Saudi Arabia to help stabilize Iraq and resolve other regional issues.
In fact, it appears Iran is using Saudi Arabia as a conduit to send messages to the United States
In another development, Ahmadinejad told Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Wednesday that Tehran is “fully ready for any cooperation which will lead to security and peace in Iraq.” … Iranian officials said they are ready to negotiate a settlement with the United States on issues ranging from Afghanistan to Lebanon.
The Iranians are moving toward a conciliatory approach on all fronts, which has been made possible in part by what appears to be a reining in of Ahmadinejad and his ultraconservative faction.
Crittenden is skeptical; I am too, but Stratfor has generally been a pretty reliable source, I think.
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