How Mattis softened on Iran — for now
His position on Iran may not last much longer. But for now, it's a striking change. By WESLEY MORGAN
| 01/16/2018 05:00 AM EST As former President Barack Obama's top commander in the Middle East, then-Gen. James Mattis pushed for military strikes to punish Iran for arming anti-American militias in Iraq.
But as President Donald Trump's defense secretary, Mattis has softened his stance and emerged as one of the administration's chief voices of moderation toward Tehran.
Mattis' position may not last much longer, however, as the U.S. war against the Islamic State transitions into a struggle for territory and influence between America's allies and Iran's. But for now, it's a striking change for the former military commander who repeatedly clashed with the Obama administration's diplomatic approach — and who once described the top three threats in the Middle East as "Iran, Iran and Iran.â€
In the past year, Mattis has openly contradicted Trump by testifying that Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran “is something that the president should consider staying with." (Trump declined once again to scrap the agreement Friday despite repeated pledges to do so.) And with U.S. troops and their Iranian counterparts often in close quarters in Iraq and Syria, Mattis has so far declined to take a confrontational approach to limiting or rolling back the influence of Tehran and its proxies.
The shift has surprised some insiders.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/16/mattis-defense-iran-nuclear-285473
