NEWSRAEL: A famous saying by a prince of Qatar: "American politicians are the cheapest to buy". The question: Was Robert Malley working on Tehran's payroll, or was he doing their dirty work for free?
This are the main points of an in-depth investigative report from Iran International:
Three aides of Robert Malley, Biden's special envoy for Iran, were part of an Iranian government network
- The Iran Experts Initiative (IEI) was established by the Iranian foreign ministry in 2014 to extend Tehran's soft power
- The IEI members simultaneously worked for top Western think tanks and gave advice to US and Europe
- The joint reporting project with Semafor is based on thousands of emails from Iranian diplomats
Three Iran experts who have worked closely with Robert Malley, the Biden administration’s special envoy on Iran, were members of an influence network formed and guided by Tehran, an investigation by Iran International shows.
The investigation was based on thousands of emails between Iranian diplomats and analysts obtained by Iran International, which shared them with Semafor. The two organizations jointly reported parts of this story together, and wrote and published their stories independently.
Malley has spent the past decade in and out of government, at times occupying crucial diplomatic posts. In between those stints, he has held a perch at the International Crisis Group, a major think tank. Of the three Iran experts, one of them worked for him at the State Department, one worked for him at the ICG and was an unofficial adviser when Malley was in government, and one worked for him only at the ICG.
Malley was put on leave in June, following the suspension of his security clearance amid an ongoing investigation. The exact cause of his suspension remains unclear.
This investigation offers new insights into internal operations of Iran's foreign ministry, especially during 2015 nuclear negotiations with world powers, and highlights the extent of Tehran’s campaign to gain influence in Washington and other Western capitals.
NEWSRAEL: There are two optional answers here to why the American government stopped Robert Malley's work with them:
1. Malley, was an Iranian spy
2. Malley was an idiot who teamed up with Iranian spies and didn't know
Either way, this is a BIG scandal for both Obama, John Kerry (who was the secretary of State under Obama) and the Biden administration.
It should be noted that the current Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken is a childhood friend to Robert Malley