Iranian media outlets and officials have had a relatively muted response to a report by the Wall Street Journal that President Barack Obama had written a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in mid-October saying that the two countries have a shared interest in the fight against the Islamic State group (IS) and that any potential cooperation is contingent on reaching a final nuclear deal between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1).
A few news agencies covered the story, but very little analysis or official reactions have been offered by Iranian observers or officials. Unlike some administration officials who have advocated for cooperation with the United States, a number of the more conservative officials who oppose it gave interviews and speeches restating their insistence that the nuclear negotiations do not extend to any other topics.
