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Is Khamenei Preparing Iran For a Nuclear Concession?

Despite his defiant rhetoric, Iran's Supreme Leader may be looking for a way out of the nation's isolation, writes Fatemah Aman. As sanctions take their toll and Iran's Syrian ally weakens, Khamenei’s website has begun stressing the importance of flexibility in dealing with the enemy. But does he have the charisma to silence the hardliners?
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with Iranian nuclear scientists and managers in Tehran February 22, 2012. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear course would not change regardless of international sanctions, assassinations or other pressures. REUTERS/Khamenei.ir/Handout (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS PROFILE ENERGY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DIST

Despite his frequent harsh and defiant rhetoric, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei may be looking for a way out of Iran’s growing isolation — and finding a precedent for doing so in the history of Shi’ite Islam.

Recently, the Supreme Leader’s website has been stressing the importance of flexibility in dealing with the enemy in order to serve the greater good. Using the occasion of Imam Hassan's birthday on August 4, the website devoted a big chunk of its content to a peace forged by Imam Hassan, the second Shi’ite imam, with his rival Mo’awia in the early days of the Shi’ite sect.

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