Iran’s Main Man in Washington

If Kerry, now President Biden’s special envoy for climate, really did reveal information about Israeli covert operations to Zarif, that’s outrageous. It would mean he betrayed our Israeli friends to benefit an Iranian regime that chants “death to America” and “death to Israel.” By Aaron Kliegman Despite his best efforts, President Obama was never able to open an American embassy in Iran. But Iran had an embassy in the US. It was located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, DC, operating out of the Harry S. Truman Building from February 2013 to January 2017. There was no official ambassador, but there was one man running the show. Of course, John Kerry was actually secretary of state at the time, not an Iranian ambassador. But as America’s top diplomat, he might as well have been Iran’s man in Washington, acting on behalf of the regime. Kerry had been chummy with Iran for years. As a senator in 2007, he met with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Davos, determined to reorient American policy to work with Tehran. And then in 2011, Kerry began nuclear negotiations with the regime, holding secret talks with Iranian officials in Oman. As secretary of state, Kerry was the chief proponent of the nuclear deal with Iran. No one wanted a deal more, and no one was more willing to make concessions. But even after the nuclear agreement was implemented, Kerry wasn’t satisfied. He tirelessly lobbied European banks to invest in Iran, telling them to ignore their concerns about doing business with the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and one of the world’s foremost abusers of human rights. Perhaps most egregiously, Kerry declared that, out of fairness, Iran “absolutely” deserved access to American dollars to get more investment. Remember, all this lobbying on behalf of the regime was extra work undertaken after the deal was done. Iran had already curbed its nuclear program, and the US had already lifted economic sanctions. In other words, none of Kerry’s efforts to encourage investment in Iran were necessary. Yet, he did the work anyway. Kerry’s bizarre and dangerous obsession with bolstering Iran continued once he left the State Department. In fact, when President Trump was in the White House, Kerry actually colluded with Iranian officials to try to save the nuclear deal and undermine the Trump administration’s tougher policy toward Iran. All of this has been known for some time. What wasn’t known until just this past weekend, however, was that Kerry informed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, to his astonishment, that Israel had attacked Iranian interests in Syria at least 200 times. That’s according to Zarif, who made the comment on a tape recounting his years as foreign minister for archival purposes. Iran International TV, a Persian news station based in London, somehow obtained the tape and shared it with the New York Times, which reported on its contents. If Kerry, now President Biden’s special envoy for climate, really did reveal information about Israeli covert operations to Zarif, that’s outrageous. It would mean he betrayed our Israeli friends to benefit an Iranian regime that chants “death to America” and “death to Israel.” To be fair, Kerry denied Zarif’s claim, and Israeli strikes against Iranian targets in Syria have been public knowledge for years. Plus, Zarif is a pathological liar who serves a regime led by pathological liars. (Remember, these are the same people who say their nuclear program is for medicine, not bombs.) There are all kinds of reasons why Zarif would lie. Still, Kerry’s history suggests he would do such a thing. At this point we need more information. Ultimately, however, Zarif’s comment about Kerry is a distraction. The most important point on this leaked tape is that Zarif has no real power; the supreme leader and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) set the regime’s policies. The media portrayed this as some major revelation, with Zarif “pulling back the curtain” on Iran’s foreign policy. To those who know Iran, however, this isn’t news. The tape is a reminder of the obvious, what’s been clear for decades: that Iran’s president and foreign minister have no power in forming the country’s foreign, defense, and nuclear policies. But even if they had power, the policies wouldn’t be much different, because the Zarifs of the regime and the IRGC share the same basic goals: to ensure the Islamic Republic’s survival and to bring about its preeminence in the Middle East. After that, it’s just details — disagreements about how to balance practicality and ideological purity. Here’s where Kerry comes in: He, along with the rest of Team Obama-Biden, see the situation differently. They believe Zarif is a moderate, someone they can engage to put US-Iran relations on a path toward a brighter future. The hardliners of the IRGC are the problem, they argue, but don’t represent Iran’s future. Zarif’s tape will only strengthen the belief of Kerry and the rest of the Biden administration that the Iranian regime is divided between moderates and so-called hardliners. This will encourage them to continue engaging Iran in a bid to revive the nuclear deal, seeing it as the catalyst to transform the Iranian regime through cultural and economic engagement with the West. This is all nonsense. Zarif is a weapon, deployed by the regime’s true leaders to fool the West into buying this narrative. And as long as John Kerry is around, someone in Washington will be fooled. Newt hosts monthly virtual events in which he discusses news of the day and why it matters to you and your community. These Newt Live events are your opportunity to communicate directly with Newt. We hope you will join us next time and let Newt answer your questions and provide his insight on the issues that concern you most. JOIN TODAY to be a part of this special event and receive a BONUS GIFT. Click here to join Newt’s Inner Circle. More from Aaron Kliegman:

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