Under the headline "Khamenei 'Open' to Closer Ties with the West", Ms. Najmeh Bozorgmehr and Ms. Bita Ghaffari present a curious article in today's edition of the Financial Times, which I interpret as an unofficial diplomatic communiqué from Tehran to Washington. From my analysis, it appears that Iran, faced with a series of significant strategic losses since September, is now reconsidering its position. These losses include the near-collapse of Lebanese Hezbollah, the failure of Iran’s missile capabilities to breach Israel’s multi-layered air defense systems, and Israel’s repeated incursions into Iranian airspace. The situation is dire enough that the regime may be contemplating a negotiation of its capitulation with the United States. The question now is whether Washington is prepared to accept Tehran’s overtures, and how Israel is likely to respond. I suspect Israel will do everything in its power to obstruct such a development, and so will Russia and China.
