Regime affiliated Tehran Times has published a “sensitive but unclassified" US government memo allegedly showing three violations of US national security protocols by suspended Iran envoy, Rob Malley.
The document, purportedly from Erin Smart, Director of the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Personnel Security and Suitability, cites three reasons for Malley's suspension: “Personal Conduct,” “Handling of Protected Information,” and “Use of Information Technology.” The memorandum further underscores that Malley's “continued national security eligibility is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security."
Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was referring to the bill passed by the parliament, dominated by hardliners, in December 2020, dubbed the “Strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions and Protect Iranian Nation's Interest.”
Eslami made the remarks during an event to unveil domestically-produced Cesium-137 radionuclide, announced as a “nuclear achievement” by the state media. The radioactive isotope of cesium is formed by the nuclear fission of uranium-235 in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. The product easily becomes volatile when released suddenly at high temperature, as in the case of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and with atomic explosions, and can travel very long distances in the air.
During a press conference on the sidelines of the event, Eslami was asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment. "Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law," he replied, adding that “Our enemies were and are against Iran’s nuclear industry, but they all should know that the nuclear industry is a strategic industry."
The bill obligated the government to step up Iran’s nuclear program and enrich uranium beyond the limits set by the 2015 nuclear agreement, an effort aimed at forcing the United States to lift economic sanctions imposed in 2018, when former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA. The bill also mandated restrictions on monitoring by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adding to the complicated dynamics of renewing the JCPOA.
The bill’s stipulation about higher levels of uranium enrichment was not an empty negotiating tactic. Iran actually began enrichment at 20 percent in early 2021, breaking the JCPOA limit of 3.65 percent. Subsequently, enrichment was increased to 60 percent during talks with West to revive the JCPOA.
Tehran now has enough fissile material for at least two nuclear bombs, and it also gradually restricted IAEA monitoring access to its nuclear facilities, introducing another complicating factor into the JCPOA talks.
Earlier in August, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had significantly slowed the pace at which it was accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and diluted some of its stockpile, moves that could help ease tensions with the US and revive broader talks over Iran's nuclear program.
The report came a day after Iran released four US citizens from prison into house arrest with another American already there, the first step in a planned prisoner swap that Washington expects will eventually see them return home. Iran will gain access to six billion dollars of oil revenues trapped in South Korea under US sanctions, If the US detainees are set free. The US agreed to the release of another $3 billion held in Iraq.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Eslami said that Iran has maintained interactions with the IAEA, claiming that issues regarding four Iranian nuclear sites have been reduced to two. He added that a deputy of IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi is set to visit Iran in the near future.
Iranian lawmakers are divided over cooperation with the IAEA, with some against any cooperation. After the UN nuclear watchdog signaled its unhappiness with what it said was slow progress in its dealings with Iran, lawmakers pointed out that parts of a recent agreement with the IAEA are contrary to the "strategic action."
In June, Iran said it reinstalled 10 cameras of the UN nuclear watchdog in one of its installations that were removed last year when the UN watchdog’s board of governors in June 2022 censured Tehran for its lack of cooperation with the agency. Lawmaker Ali Khezrian said that re-installing IAEA monitoring systems at Esfahan (Isfahan) nuclear site was beyond the Safeguards Agreement and based on the additional protocol to the IAEA-Iran agreement, which cover basic requirements of cooperation with the IAEA under the NPT.
The secretive unwritten deal between Washington and Tehran appears to have several dimensions not disclosed yet with reports claiming that Iran has also restrained proxy militias in Iraq and Syria in addition to limiting nuclear activities.
“The prisoner deal is a key step forward for Washington and Tehran’s efforts to lower tensions as they eye a return to formal nuclear negotiations later this year,” the New York Times quoted Henry Rome, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
While Iran International has yet to independently verify the document's authenticity, it has been informally corroborated by two congressional sources, who have described it as seemingly "authentic."
Iran International reached out to the State Department for confirmation on the authenticity of the leaked document; however, there was no immediate response.
Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed concerns in July, hinting at a possible subpoena if the Biden administration remains reticent on the specifics of Malley's situation.
McCaul, relying on publicly available information, voiced serious apprehensions: "If he (Malley) has leaked very sensitive or classified information to our foreign adversaries like Iran or Russia, that's a very serious act that would fall under treason."
The State Department, citing privacy, has remained largely silent on the matter. However, the memo published by Tehran Times suggests that Malley might have been privy to the reasons behind his suspension, contrary to his earlier statements to the media.
"I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon," Malley said in response to press inquiries at the time.
In the wake of the leaked document, Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department advisor on Iran, took to Twitter, suggesting, "The letter indicates Malley lied about not knowing why his clearance was pulled."
Richard Goldberg, a National Security Council official from the Trump era, remarked, "The Tehran Times knows more about Rob Malley than the New York Times. This is insane."
The controversy has also stirred debates among Iran analysts. Princeton University's decision to employ Malley at its School of Public and International Affairs has drawn criticism. Alireza Nader, an Iran analyst and a former senior researcher at the RAND Corporation questioned the institution's judgment, asking, "What in the world are Princeton and its SPIA dean Amaney Jamal thinking in hiring Malley? Does anyone want someone like this teaching students?"
Jason Brodsky, a policy director at the United Against Nuclear Iran, weighed in on the situation, expressing deep concern over the leak to a state-run newspaper of a nation often at odds with the US. "Can you imagine if this situation happened during the Trump administration? Somehow, I think there would be more press and congressional scrutiny. Just extraordinary. This is a newspaper of a hostile foreign power in possession of a seemingly authentic sensitive document."
Earlier this year, Iran International revealed Malley's interactions with Iran's UN ambassador, Amir Saeed Iravani, a former high-ranking member of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. These interactions marked a pivotal diplomatic touchpoint, being the first direct US-Iranian official communication since the US's 2018 JCPOA withdrawal. The State Department, when questioned about these meetings, responded, "We have the means to deliver specific and firm messages to Iran when it is in America's interest to do so.”
Iran International first reported June 29 that Malley had been absent for a considerable time, his security clearance was suspended and he is under investigation related to his handling of classified documents. The Involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was also reported, although until now no official details have been announced, except that Malley is on “unpaid leave.”
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