Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Wednesday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the far-reaching implications — from primaries to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — of Sen. Bob Menendez’s recent indictment, and spotlight newly revealed documents about Iranian efforts to build an echo chamber in the West. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sam Altman, John Bolton and Haim Katz.
Nearly a decade ago, Iran sought to build an influential network of allies in the U.S. and Europe — an effort that included building relationships with current and future associates of Rob Malley, the State Department’s Iran envoy currently on leave amid an investigation over his handling of classified information. The influence campaign came at a pivotal moment, as Tehran was conducting negotiations with world powers over the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to a blockbuster report from Semafor’s Jay Solomon.
The Iran Experts Initiative, according to documents obtained by the London-based Iran International publication and shared with Solomon, sought to include individuals who “were prolific writers of op-eds and analyses, and provided insights on television and Twitter, regularly touting the need for a compromise with Tehran on the nuclear issue.”
The efforts to infiltrate Western thought circlesextended to the International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez, whom Solomon describes as a “protégé” of Malley’s. In June 2014, Vaez sent an op-ed to IPIS, Iran’s state-run think tank, for editing; the piece would appear two weeks later in The National Interest. In a 31-tweet thread, Vaez accused Solomon, who as The Wall Street Journal’s top foreign affairs correspondent a decade ago was one of the first reporters to cover initial talks between the U.S. and Iran, of “hatchet journalism” and defended his contacts with IPIS, noting in particular that he shared the draft of the National Interest essay “as a courtesy” to Iranian officials who claimed Vaez had “been too harsh on their position.”
Ariane Tabatabai, now a senior policy advisor at the Department of Defense, vetted her participation in conferences and events with Iran’s Foreign Ministry on two occasions, according to Semafor’s reporting. In one communique to IPIS head Mostafa Zahrani, Tabatabai broached the topic of an upcoming conference being held at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University on the topic of nuclear proliferation. “I am not interested in going, but then I thought maybe it would be better that I go and talk, rather than an Israeli like Emily Landau who goes and disseminates disinformation,” Tabatabai wrote. “I would like to ask your opinion too and see if you think I should accept the invitation and go.” The conference in Israel, Zahrani replied the same day, “is better to be avoided.”
Dina Esfandiary, who worked with Malley when he headed the International Crisis Group, was a third individual named in the documents. Those monitoring the Iran Experts Initiative from Tehran kept meticulous track of the media appearances and published articles by each of the individuals selected for the IEI project.
The revelations were met with swift condemnation from Washington. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called the reports “indescribably troubling” and called on the Biden administration to “immediately cease its secret diplomacy with Iran and its dismantling of sanctions.” Cruz also called for those named in the documents to have their security clearances revoked pending investigations.
Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told JI’s Marc Rod that he is “looking into this as we speak to figure out the extent of this reported operation by the Iranian regime and how many Obama and Biden officials were ensnared in it.”
Elsewhere in Washington, U.S. officials are preparing to announce Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program as soon as today, according to officials in Jerusalem. Israelis with biometric passports will be allowed to enter the U.S. without a visa and vice versa, within 72 hours of submitting a request, beginning in November. Israel will be the 41st country to join the program. The program is expected to be enacted by the end of November, with Israel’s adherence to the standards of the program subject to the same standards and reviews as other participating countries.
Under the terms of the program, entry into the U.S. for Israelis will be valid for 90 days. Those going for longer periods, including those studying or seeking employment in the U.S., have to apply for a visa.
The approval is set to come after years of efforts in Israel and the U.S., with the Shin Bet, Israel’s Security Agency, changing its policies to allow Palestinian Americans without known security offenses who reside in the West Bank and Gaza to freely enter Israel as part of the American requirement of reciprocity.
Earlier this week, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that Israel would join the Visa Waiver Program in the coming days, but the U.S. Embassy called the statement “entirely premature” and said a determination had not been made.
Axios reportedlast night that Secretary of State Tony Blinken has already given his sign-off to Israel’s entry into the program, a necessary step before Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, with whom the decision officially rests, makes his final determination.
And up north in Canada, House of Commons Speaker Anthony Rota resigned following an uproar over the invitation to appear in the chamber extended to a 98-year-old Ukrainian man who served in a Nazi unit during WWII; Rota, who said he did not know the man’s background, had described him on Friday as “a Ukrainian hero, [and] a Canadian hero.”
Michal Cotler-Wunsh, Israel’s new special envoy for combating antisemitism who grew up in Canada, told JI’s Lahav Harkov that the incident highlights “the importance of comprehensive education on antisemitism, the Holocaust and the history of WWII, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism.”
“The incident is embarrassing beyond words, a real undermining of the responsibility of countries like Canada to the shared prospective commitment of ‘Never Again,’” Cotler-Wunsh said. “The speaker’s resignation is a first step to acknowledging responsibility for this wrong. Turning this into a teaching moment, next steps will hopefully include educational measures and Canada coming to terms with its history of Nazi fighters who immigrated to the country following WWII.” Stay tuned for an in-depth interview with Cotler-Wunsh about her new posting later this week.
Last night’s Saudi National Day celebration, held at the Saudi Embassy in Washington, featured speeches from Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Princess Reema and Daniel Benaim, deputy assistant secretary of state for Arabian Peninsula Affairs. Attendees at the reception included Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), Rob Satloff, Dennis Ross, Rich Goldberg, Michael Makovsky and John Hannah.
on the hill
Menendez’s legal woes could reshape direction of Democratic foreign policy

More than half of Senate Democrats have called on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign since his indictment Friday on federal corruption charges over alleged transactions with Egyptian businessmen and government officials, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The New Jersey Democrat’s legal troubles could spur a major shake-up in the direction of his party’s foreign policy. Menendez, who served as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a Democratic hawk and a pro-Israel stalwart. There will likely be competition for the top Democratic spot on the committee between lawmakers with different views on international affairs.
Short term: Menendez announced that he would temporarily step aside as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position from which he has been a powerful ally of the pro-Israel community and a strong skeptic of the Biden administration’s efforts at diplomacy with Iran. In the short term, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) will assume the chairmanship — as he did during Menendez’s first indictment in 2015 — a Senate source told JI Tuesday evening. Cardin is another longtime ally of the pro-Israel community who, like Menendez, broke with his party to vote against the Iran nuclear deal.
Long term: In the longer term, the Foreign Relations Committee’s leadership could be up for grabs, given that Cardin will retire at the end of 2024. He is followed in seniority on the committee by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Chris Murphy (D-CT). Shaheen’s potential leadership of the committee could cause consternation for some pro-Israel advocates, given her occasional criticism of Israeli policy. Coons, a close ally of President Joe Biden, currently serves as the chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the State Department and foreign aid. He’s seen as an unofficial representative of Biden on foreign policy, as well as a close AIPAC ally.