Security Achievement: What Did Robert Malley Do to Exclude Washington from Negotiations with Iran?

The investigation conducted by the U.S. State Department into Robert Malley, the U.S. envoy to Iran, has sparked many questions about the underlying reasons and its impact on the trajectory of the nuclear agreement negotiations between the West and Tehran, especially following discussions of his mandatory leave.

“I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon,” Malley said in a statement to CBS News. “In the meantime, I am on leave.”

 

Security Investigation

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed that Malley was on leave and told reporters Thursday, “Abram Paley is serving as acting special envoy for Iran and leading the department’s work in this area.”

However, CNN reported on June 30, quoting an unnamed official, that Robert Malley had his security clearance suspended and was granted unpaid leave due to an investigation into his handling of classified documents earlier this year.

The U.S. official stated that Malley remained in his position for a period of time after the State Department’s investigation, but he was not allowed access to classified information, and the State Department investigation identified an issue with his security clearance.

The network highlighted that the State Department intensified its investigations into Malley’s handling of classified information, resulting in the suspension of his security clearance over the past two months.

It is not clear what specifically prompted the suspension of his security clearance, and sources did not indicate any indication of a criminal investigation related to the matter, according to CNN.

CNN noted that in recent months, Malley played a prominent role in working to secure the release of wrongly detained Americans in Iran, maintaining regular contact with the families of the detainees and recently speaking with them.

Malley also had previous communication with the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, Saeed Khatibzadeh, earlier in 2023, but it is unclear whether these interactions occurred before or after the suspension of his security clearance.

However, Robert Malley, according to CNN, has been sidelined from efforts to impose restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, and the administration of President Joe Biden assigned Brett McGurk, a senior official in the National Security Council, to fulfill this role.

 

‘Misleading Congress’

The accusations of “misleading” the Congress by the U.S. State Department regarding its role in ongoing negotiations with Iran, especially with discussions about the security investigation into Robert Malley, have raised many questions about the true reasons behind it and its impact on the trajectory of the nuclear agreement negotiations between the West and Tehran.

On June 30, 2023, Michael McCaul, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, demanding further details about the case, particularly highlighting the potential mishandling of classified documents by Malley.

McCaul urged the Biden administration to allow acting Special Envoy for Iran, Abram Paley, and Middle East and North Africa National Security Council Coordinator Brett McGurk to testify in a public hearing and provide a classified briefing to the committee by the end of July 2023.

He pointed out that media reports about the placement of Robert Malley on unpaid leave and the investigation into his potential mishandling of classified documents raise serious concerns regarding his conduct and whether the State Department has misled Congress and the American public.

Given the gravity of the situation, it is imperative for the State Department to promptly provide a full and transparent account of the circumstances surrounding the suspension of Special Envoy Malley’s clearance and the investigation into it, along with the administration’s briefing to Congress on the matter, according to McCaul.

In the same context, Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted on June 30, 2023, stating that this situation with Malley makes it more important than ever for Congress to scrutinize and influence the secret deal he is negotiating with Iran.

This comes in light of 249 lawmakers from both U.S. parties, including 110 Democratic representatives, sending a letter to President Biden on June 27, 2023, urging him to take additional steps to confront Iran’s nuclear program and prepare for the re-imposition of UN sanctions on Iran.

Members of the U.S. Congress from both Republicans and Democrats, in particular, highlighted Iranian cooperation with Russia and China, which enhances the regime’s confidence and emboldens it to challenge U.S. interests.

Additionally, 26 senators from both Republican and Democratic parties wrote a similar letter to the Biden administration on June 28, 2023, reaffirming that Congress is united in its stance against allowing Iran to possess nuclear weapons, and calling on the U.S. administration to remain aligned with their efforts.

 

Negotiations: Where to?

On the Iranian side, no official statement was issued until July 4 regarding the ongoing investigations into Robert Malley and its impact on the trajectory of the nuclear negotiations between Tehran and the West.

However, the Iranian press has addressed the issue, highlighting the potential dismissal of Malley and its potential complications in reviving the nuclear agreement.

The conservative newspaper, Khorasan, stated on July 1, 2023, that the potential dismissal of Malley from his position may complicate the process of reviving the nuclear agreement and praised his expertise and extensive experience in this matter.

However, the newspaper also claimed that Malley’s stance on the recent protests in Iran made him an undesirable person in Tehran, which could be the reason for his removal from the position as a step toward reaching an agreement.

The government-affiliated newspaper “Iran News Daily” welcomed the decision of the U.S. administration on July 1, 2023, stating that Robert Malley was among those who believed in the policy of pressure and diplomacy with Iran, and his dismissal and removal may help revive the nuclear agreement.

On the other hand, on July 1, 2023, Donya-e-Eqtesad, an economic newspaper, noted the lack of clarity regarding the reasons that led to the suspension of Malley’s work.

It suggested that the reason could be Malley’s mishandling of classified information or disclosure of the content of secret negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Meanwhile, Gawdat Bahgat, a professor at the Middle East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the U.S. National Defense University, commented that the news about Robert Malley is surprising, considering his extensive experience as a high-level diplomat that spans decades.

He added, in an interview with Al-Jazeera on July 2, 2023, that senior diplomats and experienced individuals make mistakes, but it doesn’t happen often. In the coming days and weeks, “we may learn more about what actually happened. In this information age, it is difficult to keep secrets.”

The international affairs expert emphasized that despite the mysterious news surrounding the case of the U.S. envoy, both the United States and Iran have strong institutions that implement their strategies and policies.

He affirmed that while Malley is a key figure in the nuclear file negotiations, his replacement is possible, especially since the negotiations do not revolve around senior officials conducting the talks, but rather focus on the obstacles that Washington and Tehran need to overcome, such as prisoner exchanges, uranium enrichment levels, and lifting sanctions.

Robert Malley, appointed by the Biden administration as Special Envoy for Iran in 2021, was one of the architects of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran during the presidency of Barack Obama, which his predecessor Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018.

Since then, opponents of the agreement with Iran in the United States consider Robert Malley one of the strongest voices in the Biden administration, which is pushing for a diplomatic approach to the nuclear file.

In an article by American writer Eli Lake, published by Bloomberg on January 25, 2021, he stated that the choice of Malley means that Iran will be the beneficiary of Biden’s first foreign policy mistake.

The writer attributed his criticism to the fact that Malley - known within the corridors of Washington’s foreign policy for the past quarter-century - has a long record of appeasing America’s enemies, and he is precisely the wrong person for such a position.

Similarly, Republican Senator Tom Cotton found it extremely concerning that Biden would consider appointing Robert Malley to guide U.S. policy toward Iran, as the latter has a long record of sympathy for the Iranian regime and hostility toward “Israel.”

The American senator from Arkansas added in a tweet on January 22, 2021, that he would not believe the ayatollahs in Tehran would be pleased if he were chosen. Appointing extremists like Malley would give him the opportunity to lie to President Biden and Tony Blinken, as he described it.