Sensational: US Special Envoy to Iran, Malley, Suspended for “Mishandling of Secret Material”
Rob Malley, the US special envoy for Iran, has been suspended from duty without pay after his security clearance was withdrawn earlier this year following an investigation into his handling of material classified, multiple sources told CNN.
A U.S. official said Malley's clearance was suspended following a State Department Diplomatic Security investigation into possible mishandling of classified information. Another source familiar with the matter said Malley was placed on unpaid leave Thursday afternoon.
“I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. No further information has been provided to me, but I expect the investigation to be resolved positively and soon. In the meantime, I'm on leave,” Malley told CNN.
Robert Malley
For a period of time following the State Department investigation, Malley remained at work but could not access classified information, said the U.S. official, who requested anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Malley's role was by no means secondary: in the absence of a direct US embassy in Iran, he was the one who maintained diplomatic contacts, including through international offices, between the US and Iran and dealt with very important issues, such as the release of prisoners and the military treaty between the two parties.
State Department spokesman Matt Miller confirmed to CNN Thursday afternoon that Malley is on leave, though he previously said Malley was still the special envoy for Iran. “Rob Malley is on leave and Abram Paley is serving as special envoy for Iran and leading the Department's work in this area,” Miller told CNN on Thursday afternoon, after previously saying Malley remained in the role.
Malley had been in office for many years and had negotiated on behalf of President Obama the JPCOA nuclear agreement which had led to an interruption of sanctions in exchange for control of the Iranian nuclear program. The JPCOA was later terminated by President Trump.
Now it turns out that, at the very least, Malley was a bungler who couldn't keep the information he had secret. As long as all this doesn't hide something worse!
The news of his suspension was not immediately released to the public, but in an initial phase an attempt was made to justify his absence with family reasons, but, in the end, the excuse fell through.
This is the latest scandal to hit the democratic administration of foreign policy, which is increasingly inadequate in the face of the challenges of the current situation.
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The article Sensational: US Special Envoy to Iran, Malley, Suspended for “Mishandling of Secret Material” comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/clamoroso-linviato-speciale-usa-in-iran-malley-sospeso-per-cattiva-gestione-del-materiale-segreto/ on Thu, 12 Oct 2023 20:12:21 +0000.