Khamenei Holds The Keys to Iran's Future
Roger Cohen, The New York Times | February 19, 2009
Whilst he does not possess absolute authority, on Iran's political stage nothing can be done without the green light of Ayatollah Khamenei: "he can no more be bypassed than the Great Recession." ++ The relevance for the US is that dealing with Tehran begins with dealing with this "supreme leader." ++ Obama must promise Khamenei that the US has discarded its goal of regime change, his worst nightmare. ++ In exchange, Iran must back the US in the stabilization of Iraq and Afghanistan. ++ Both countries would gain from cooperation.
