Image Source: European Dialogue

BY JONATHAN KETZ

Days after President Obama warned Iran against closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz -- he’s reportedly ready to negotiate.

One-sixth of the world’s oil flows through the Strait. If Iran closes it, analysts say the price of oil is likely to spike.

An Iranian lawmaker says President Obama asked for the two sides to talk in a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini. Politico’s MacKenzie Weinger looks at what the National Security Council said.

“Obama offered to engage with Iran and warned the country against closing the key shipping route in the Middle East. … the U.S. has a number of ways of communicating with the Iranian government and remains ‘committed to...this issue if Iran is willing to move in a different direction.’”

Wednesday morning, the Associated Press quoted an anonymous White House official that no letter existed. But in a press conference just a few hours later, Press Secretary Jay Carney seemed to acknowledge a letter. He would not expand on its contents though. Here’s CSPAN:

CARNEY: “If the Iranians are serious about restarting talks then they need to respond to that letter. That is the channel by which the -- the mode by which the restarting of those talks would take place.”

But direct talks with Iran could prove controversial. Fox News’ Megyn Kelly talked to former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman. Kelly notes -- when President Obama was running four years ago, he got flack for saying he’d talk to Iran without preconditions.

KELLY: “At the time Hillary Clinton called him irresponsible and frankly naive.
AMB. GILLERMAN: “I think it's a dangerous and ugly world we live in. Even the perception of weakness is very dangerous.”

Gillerman told Fox News that talking to Iran could hurt the Israeli-US bond. But an opinion columnist for the Gulf News suggests the U.S. weigh its options carefully.

“One would think Obama would do anything to avoid this Israeli trap after his predecessor ... got involved in the fruitless and costly war in Iraq.”

Politico says Iran’s considering replying to the letter. The letter reportedly says closing the Strait of Hormuz would be Washington’s “red line.” For Newsy, I’m Jonathan Ketz, multiple sources, the real story.