I wonder how much this has to do with Obama’s tepid response to the Iranian protests.

Obama sent letter to Khamenei before the election, report says

Barack Obama sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, before this month’s disputed election calling for an improvement in relations, it was reported today.

According to the Washington Times, the US president sent the private letter in May setting out the prospect of “co-operation in regional and bilateral relations” and a resolution of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. The message was passed to the Iranian foreign ministry by the Swiss embassy, which represents US interests in Iran.