The Latest Details from Obama’s Letter

In one part of Barack Obama’s letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, he emphasized that America will not commit any hostile action against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

During an interview with Fars, Hujjiat al-Islam* and deputy chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian parliament Hossein Ebrahimi described the details of Barack Obama's letter to the Supreme Leader of the Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei: “This letter has three major points and has arrived in Iranian hands from three channels: our ambassador to the U.N., the Swiss ambassador in Tehran and the president of Iraq.”

While stating that on the whole, the major points of the letter indicate that it has been written with timidity, he added, “Obama assumes the mantle of leader of a superpower from the outset of his letter and says, "The Strait of Hormuz and international waterways are for every nation, and the Strait of Hormuz is considered a red line for America."**

The deputy chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission clarified, “In continuing the letter, Obama said, ‘We can have interactions and discussions with each other, all the while preserving each other's rights, of course.’”

Ebrahimi says that at the end of Obama’s letter to the Supreme Leader of the Revolution, he proposed, “We will not commit any hostile action against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

He noted, “The reality is that this letter does not fit with the American temperament, but rather the writing of this letter is due to the authority by which our country has received this letter – an authority which has brought Obama down and reduced him to meekness.”

The deputy chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission added, “Of course there is another analysis of this letter, and that is since America is supposed to be on the threshold of holding presidential elections, Obama is trying to avoid Clinton’s fate [sic] by taking action against Iran.”

Ebrahimi also said, “The navy battle exercise that was held and the news of holding a Guard Corps battle exercise in the near future was another page in our nation’s military power. Furthermore, the powerful stances of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution and the American withdrawal from Iraq were also among the factors that forced Obama to write this letter.”

At the end of this interview, he expressed, "Usually these types of letters are referred to the Supreme National Security Council, but in this instance, these sections have also been made available to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission.”

Seyyed Hossein Naqvi, another member of the commission, also talked about Obama’s letter to the Leader of the Revolution: “In this letter, Obama has suggested the establishment of a direct line of communication between Tehran and Washington through the establishment of a telephone connection.”

He added, “Obama, in explanation of this request of his has announced that we must have a line of communication because one can resolve many issues with dialogue.”

*Note: Hujjiat al-Islam is an honorific title meaning "proof of Islam."
**Editor's note: This quote, while accurately translated, could not be verified.