In its June 11, 2012 editorial, the Sobh-e Sadeq weekly, which is the organ of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), attempts to persuade U.S. President Barack Obama that recognizing Iran's nuclear rights at the upcoming nuclear talks in Moscow, June 18-19, will get him reelected. The editorial, headlined "The Importance of the Moscow Conference for Iran and Obama," states that Obama has an opportunity to turn the Moscow talks into a springboard to victory in November. Warning that it is Obama's time that is running out, not Iran's, it adds that if he does not promote recognition of Iran's nuclear rights at the Moscow talks – what the paper calls "a win-win" for both sides – Tehran will simply bide its time and wait for his successor.
The following are the main points of the editorial:
"The Nuclear Talks Will Have A Special [Impact] On The Presidential Election... [Obama And Iran] Must Try For A 'Win-Win'" For Both
"... According to the most recent poll published in the U.S., Obama's rival Mitt Romney has overtaken him by 1%, and this percentage could grow. Members of the Obama administration and his strategy and propaganda teams have focused [his reelection campaign] on his successes in the war on terror, with the aim of attracting U.S. public opinion. The New York Times reported on drone attacks, and on cyber-attacks on Iran's nuclear program, exposing new information on Barack Obama's role in them. Following this revelation, senators and congressmen raised a ruckus, perceiving the leaking of this information as a threat to U.S. national security...
"Since, in order to be reelected, Obama must deal with security issues [in public] before the American people and the judiciary, he should be asked how he intends to conduct the nuclear talks [with Iran], and what his motives are.
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"If Obama thinks that he has no chance of reelection, the talks will lose their importance for him and will not top his agenda. [In that case,] he will try to treat the issue like an everyday issue, and will pass the decision on to the next president. But if Obama senses that the gap between him and his rival is small, and that he can close this gap using a political shock [tactic], then his perception of the nuclear talks will be different, and he will see them as an opportunity, as a tool, and as leverage.
"Now, when the gap between Obama and his rival [Romney] is 1%, [Obama] is closer to being in second place [and in need of such a political shock tactic]. He clearly thinks that the outcome of the nuclear talks will have a special [impact] on the presidential election – and this could be where [Obama and Iran] must try for a 'win-win' [for both]; that is, Obama will see the door of the White House open for him for a second time, and Iran will be able to implement its nuclear rights."
"It Is Obama's Time That Is Running Out," Not Iran's – He "Must Not Delay"
"The only way to ultimately reach this point is for Iran to ignore the West's search for new excuses in this round [of talks]... and to continue on its determined path. [Iran must] clarify to the other side that it is completely unconcerned about the West's new game, that it will not return to the starting point... that it [is unconcerned about] the intensification of the sanctions [against it], and that it is absolutely prepared to deal with these issues.
"Although the West has repeatedly claimed that Iran's time is almost up, two sides that want a 'win-win' must internalize the reality – namely, that it is Obama's time that is running out for good.
"What is needed to end this exhausting marathon is a decision by Obama... He must choose one of the two options: either to get his wish [for reelection] and [thus] incur the wrath of the Zionist leaders, or satisfy the Zionist leaders and sabotage himself.
"... Obama must not delay, for at any moment he could miss his chance to choose [between the two alternatives], and Iran will [simply] wait for his successor, continuing to display might and determination."
