We're approaching a critical moment, and David Ignatius, on a string of scoops, has a must-read on a quiet Obama-Erdogan outreach to Khamenei. Money quote:
President Obama has signaled Iran that the United States would accept an Iranian civilian nuclear program if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei can back up his recent public claim that his nation “will never pursue nuclear weapons.”
This verbal message was sent through Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Khamenei last week. A few days before traveling to Iran, Erdogan had held a two-hour meeting with Obama in Seoul, in which they discussed what Erdogan would tell the ayatollah about the nuclear issue and Syria.
The Iranian foot-dragging on the location of the upcoming talks could be interpreted as buying time to figure out how to respond to Obama. The details of inspections will also be critical. But Iran is struggling through sanctions – it's set to lose a third of its oil exports by mid-summer. And they must surely fear a potential attack from a president other than Obama after next January, let alone an Israeli rogue attack.
In some ways, we are approaching a key test of the Obama strategy with Iran. If there's a breakthrough, it will help change the paradigm of the West's relationship with the Iranian people, who are our natural allies.
The Dish 