In response to President Obama’s video message to the Iranian people this morning, Iranian presidential aide Aliakbar Javanfekr is quoted as saying, “The Obama administration so far has just talked. By words and talking the … problems between Iran and America cannot be solved.”


I wish we knew the reaction of Khamene’i, but I do find myself fearing that the CIA may continue its major covert operations to undermine Tehran’s clerical regime. The administration has yet to repudiate this official policy. If Obama decides to repeal it, and dialogue with Iran falls through, Bush administration officials will trumpet that their policy could have had a chance to succeed.


Obama may be in a tough spot, but history is on his side. As we witnessed in 1953 with the overthrow of Mossadegh, covert activities, at least in the long‐​term, hold no promise of achieving our desired objectives.