Ball in Tehran's court

US President Barack Obama did it again: we've just learned that in October, and for at least the fourth time, he wrote a personal letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. That means Obama continues his course of moving closer to Iran. Ever since he took office, he's pressed ahead with finding a settlement between Iran and the US. In his very first TV interview in the White House, Obama told an Arabic broadcaster about the importance of a dialogue with Iran.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Obama's most recent secret missive indicates a potential US-Iran cooperation in the fight against the "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group and the ongoing talks on Iran's nuclear program. Obama, the paper says, made cooperation on the Islamic State contingent on reaching a comprehensive agreement on the future of Tehran's nuclear program.

It's a smart move because Obama uses this new correspondence to link two issues of enormous significance to both the US and Iran. In his letter, Obama even takes another big step toward Iran by making it clear that the US military operations inside Syria aren't targeted at Tehran's ally Bashar al-Assad.

The statement shows that Obama is not only aware and considerate of Iran's strategic interests, it also clearly indicates that, for Washington, a change of regime in Syria is not a priority at this point in time - a risky strategy for Obama, in particular in domestic terms.

Hardline criticism

Reaction from Republican hardliners was prompt. Republican House Speaker John Boehner said he doesn't trust Iran, warning Obama othat he is courting disaster. Republican Senator John McCain, expected to gain more influence as the incoming head of the Senate's military affairs committee, called Obama's written advances "outrageous" and the aim of getting closer to the Iranian regime "illusionary".

Remarks by leading Republicans and pending legislation in Congress to extend even harsher sanctions against Tehran not only show that Obama is taking a great personal risk in his course on Iran, but that it will be even more difficult to push a possible nuclear accord with Tehran through Congress after the midterm elections.

At this point, Iran needs to send Washington positive signals. And above and beyond that, Tehran must finally budge in the apparently stalled nuclear negotiations. Not to finally hand Obama a visible foreign policy payoff, but because its in Iran's own strategic interest. With its claim to power in the region, the "Islamic State" is a much more immediate threat to Iran and Tehran's influence in Syria and Iraq than to Washington. Compromising on the Iranian nuclear program is also more important for the regime in Tehran than it is for the US.

Iranian interests

In a pinch, the Obama administration could handle failed negotiations; it would feel compelled to continue to toughen sanctions. Doing so would amount to a severe personal defeat for Obama, but the domestic political effect for his outgoing presidency would be manageable.

Iran faces an entirely different situation: as a result of international sanctions and low oil prices, the country is headed for economic collapse. Should the regime not succeed in ending the country's economic isolation and improving living conditions for its citizens any time soon, it faces an uncertain end. So Tehran can't afford failed nuclear talks and ensuing harsher sanctions against the country. The Iranian government knows that. And it also knows that it is not likely to find a better negotiating partner in Washington than Obama, not now or in the forseeable future. Tehran should finally take appropriate measures. Time is running out.