Former US Ambassador: We Had Talks with Iran Before the Iraq Invasion

The former US ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the United Nations states that he had meetings and confidential discussions with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the then Iranian ambassador to the UN, prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In these discussions, assurances were obtained that American planes would not be fired upon if they accidentally entered Iranian airspace. According to the New York Times, Zalmay Khalilzad mentions in his new book titled 'The Envoy' that meetings held in Geneva with Zarif continued even after the capture of Baghdad in April 2003. Khalilzad writes, 'We had asked Iran to guarantee that American planes would not be fired upon if they accidentally entered Iranian airspace.' He added, 'Zarif agreed,' and 'we also hoped that Iran would encourage Iraqi Shiites to constructively participate in the creation of a new government in Iraq.' However, the turbulent relations between the two countries continued to experience new tensions. In May 2003, the Bush administration halted the talks after accusing Iran of harboring al-Qaeda leaders. Donald Rumsfeld had accused Iran in May 2003 of sheltering members of al-Qaeda. At that time, US intelligence sources stated that Saad, the son of Osama bin Laden, and Saif al-Adel were among senior al-Qaeda officials believed to have been sheltered by Iran. These two were wanted in connection with the bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Allegations regarding Iran's involvement in Iraqi affairs continued later; Khalilzad himself accused Tehran in Spring 2008 of creating instability in its western neighbor, stating that the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard was training and financially supporting Iraqi insurgents. The US ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan, and the UN in his new book states that from his perspective, if 'a combination of diplomatic interactions and coercive actions had been undertaken together, it could have shaped Iran's behavior.' Khalilzad informed Zarif that the US sought to establish a democratic government in Iraq 'that would live in peace and tranquility with its neighbors.' According to the New York Times, this conveyed the message that Washington had no plans to expand its military operations into Iran. On the other hand, Mohammad Javad Zarif had called for an immediate transfer of power to exiled figures, stating that Iraq's security apparatus needed fundamental restructuring and expressing his opposition to the US occupation of that country. The parties expressed two different views; a strategy that would lead to the expansion of Iranian influence in Iraq versus the establishment of a temporary government composed of individuals remaining in the country during Saddam Hussein's time, not just exiled figures. At the same time, when the issue of al-Qaeda leaders in Iran was raised, Zarif had requested that the US hand over the leaders of the 'People's Mujahedin.' The Bush administration opposed this issue, and shortly thereafter, the diplomatic channel was cut off. In another part of the New York Times report on Khalilzad's book, events from 2006 (when he was ambassador in Baghdad) are referenced. At that time, the policies of both sides regarding replacing Ibrahim al-Jaafari (the then Prime Minister of Iraq) 'were aligned.' The senior US diplomat during George Bush's administration states that Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, made a secret trip to Iraq and carried the message that 'Jaafari must go.' Khalilzad's book mentions Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's trip to Tehran as an intermediary, the Supreme Leader's agreement to negotiate with the US, the formation of a delegation for this purpose, and the delegation's trip to Iraq. Khalilzad, who also requested his government to allow talks, states that he only wanted to discuss Iraq. However, the Iranian parties intended to steer the negotiations towards other issues. Khalilzad mentions that for reasons unclear to him, Washington ordered the cancellation of the meeting at the last moment. As a result, Hakim, on behalf of Khamenei, stated that the US is not trustworthy. Zarif has not yet reacted to the report and contents of Khalilzad's book. This book is published at a time when relations between Tehran and Washington, the nuclear agreement, and the lifting of nuclear sanctions have become one of the hot topics in the American political scene. Republicans, who were in charge of the government during George Bush's time, have widely opposed the nuclear agreement and Washington's interactions with Tehran.