Obama’s ‘lame duck’ status looms large in Iran nuclear negotiations

In a briefing with Israeli journalists on Sunday, a senior US official was asked how the reported ill health of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was impacting the dynamic of the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

 

“I can’t speak to the supreme leader’s health,” the official said. “We have to deal with what is in the negotiation room.”

 

Foreign news sources have reported in recent days that Khamenei was hospitalized in critical condition last week, though the 75-year-old – who underwent prostate surgery in September – was seen in public on Sunday.

 

The senior US official said while there was information from “lots of different places and voices” about Khamenei’s health, it was important to “try to stay focused on the real issues” in the negotiating room and deal with those problems.

 

Read More: Obama’s ‘lame duck’ status looms large in Iran nuclear negotiations – Middle East – Jerusalem Post