There's no mistaking the desire of Iran's new president and his allies to open greater contacts with Washington over nuclear talks and possibly other regional crises such as Syria. The messages that really matter, though, come from the ultimate decision-maker in Tehran: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The immensely powerful Khamenei opened the door a bit six months ago by saying he wouldn't oppose closer diplomatic exchanges but did not believe the Washington was ready to make meaningful accommodations. Now, it appears Khamenei is giving President Hasan Rouhani critical room for the moment at least to explore potentially groundbreaking overtures with Washington.
A series of statements this week from Khamenei including saying Iran can show "heroic flexibility" in diplomacy suggest a significant shift could be underway. Khamenei appears to be aligning his views more closely with Rouhani's initiatives to repair tattered relations with the West and reopen stalled nuclear negotiations with world powers.
Perceived backing from Khamenei would bestow major credibility to the outreach appeals by Rouhani, who is scheduled to arrive in New York next week for the annual opening of the UN General Assembly session. Already, Rouhani's foreign minister, Mohammad Jadad Zarif, was in New York today making preparations.
There also is increasing speculation that Rouhani could use the sidelines of the UN gathering to seek directly or indirectly more dialogue with the White House following the recent exchange of letters with US President Barack Obama. One possible pathway is a planned meeting in New York between British Foreign Secretary William Hague and Zarif.
