Photo: Former Defense Secretary William J. PerryEx-Defense Chief Met With Tehran Aide -- Washington Times
Perry talks reach highest level so far.
Former Defense Secretary William J. Perry held a series of previously undisclosed meetings last year with a senior adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss Iran's nuclear program, a person familiar with the back-channel talks said Thursday.
The person, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic, said the talks took place with Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi, Mr. Ahmadinejad's closest aide, and were "discussions, not negotiations," aimed at clarifying understanding of the two sides' positions.
Former U.S. officials have had numerous conversations with Iranians over the years, but few, if any, with officials as influential as Mr. Samareh.
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My Comment: The U.S. political establishment wants to play footsie with the devil. But this will end like all other attempts .... U.S. embarrassment and regrets.
For the Iranian mullahs, the most important thing to them is the development of their nuclear weapons program. This is a project that has been ongoing for almost 20 years, and after billions of dollars spent they are on the verge of being successful. They will talk .... but appeasing U.S. interests is at the bottom of their priority list right now.