American diplomacy with Iran is apparently not mythical. Foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan gathered before dawn on Thursday in Riyadh for talks aimed at a peaceful resolution of the conflict with Iran. According to the lead story in today’s Wall Street Journal, Egyptian intelligence officials opened a channel with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and proposed a cessation of hostilities for five days. The discussions reportedly led to President Trump’s announced threat to hit Iran’s power plants.
The Journal further reports that “Arab mediators privately expressed skepticism that the U.S. and Iran could quickly reach an agreement, noting that the two sides remained far apart.” The Journal gingerly alludes to Iran’s familiar terms: guarantees that the war will not resume in the future and compensation for damage done in the course of the conflict.
The dire strait of Hormuz is of course in the mix. Iran thinks it should be compensated for letting ships proceed unmolested:
Gulf officials objected to the idea of fees, with Saudi Arabia saying the kingdom wouldn’t allow Iran to have the upper hand in operations in the strait, some of the officials said. They feared such a deal would entrench Iranian influence over Gulf energy exports for years to come.
Messages continued to be exchanged, with Qatar, Oman, France and the U.K. working their back channels, European and Arab officials said. Among the proposals bandied about was Pakistan hosting a meeting between U.S. and Iranian senior leaders, the officials said, adding that the U.S. quickly warmed to that idea.
Perhaps Iran could throw in a Persian rug in exchange for the fees. Perhaps laughter is the best medicine:
Washington will now negotiate with a more hard-line Iranian regime officially headed by new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei—whose father, wife and sister were killed in airstrikes—while strong disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz’s future remain.
Asked Monday who would control the strait after the war, Trump told reporters: “Maybe me—me and the ayatollah,” he said, “whoever the next ayatollah is.”
President Trump’s statement raises the question whether Mojtaba is still with us. Who’s zoomin’ who seems to me to remain an open question. Amit Segal articulates a few more quandaries in today’s edition of It’s Noon In Israel.
