Report: U.S. Began Secret Nuclear Talks With Iran In 2011

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L), U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman (2nd R) and staff watch a tablet in Lausanne as U.S. President Barack Obama makes a state address on the status of the Iran nuclear program talks, April 2, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool

NPR: How Obama Misled Us about the Concessions He Was Making to Iran

If what senior Iranian officials are saying is true, the Obama administration’s duplicity in explaining its nuclear negotiations with Iran is even more staggering than we realized.

In a new report, MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) reveals that, according to Iranian officials, the Obama administration initiated secret negotiations with Iran not after the 2013 election of President Hassan Rouhani, but rather in 2011 when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was still Iran’s president.

That means the administration did not wait to reach out until Iran was governed by Rouhani, the purportedly “pragmatic” moderate the Obama administration contrasts with Iranian “hardliners” who supposedly oppose the Iran deal. It reached out when Ahmadinejad, an unapologetic “Death to America, death to Israel” hardliner, was running Iran’s government.

Update #1: Obama Signed Off on Iran’s Right to Nuclear Program in Secret 2011 Talks -- Washington Free Beacon
Update #2: 'Obama recognized Iran's right to nuclear program in 2011' -- Israel Hayom

WNU Editor: The report from MEMRI is here. What's my take .... this is an issue where I am now having problems on who to believe? Since the Iranian nuclear agreement the Iranian government has been open and public on the details and timeline for this agreement. This openness is very unusual for the mullahs in Tehran .... but it appears they have made the calculation that by releasing the details of these talks as well as the timeline would .... for their own public consumption and to counter hard-line critics .... bolster their case that these talks were initiated by the U.S. and were done to recognize Iran's "right to a nuclear program". If this is even 50% true ... if I was Israel, Saudi Arabia, or any of America's allies directly impacted by this Iranian nuclear deal .... I would be "beyond angry" .... that these talks were initiated years in advance, were done without consultations, promises and commitments were made in secret,  and its impact on Israel/Saudi Arabia/etc. were secondary to the White House desire for a deal. For these countries ... trusting this administration on any issue in the future .... I am willing to bet that they will not.