Iran envoy Rob Malley on leave over security clearance probe

WASHINGTON — The US special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, is "on leave," the State Department said Thursday, potentially complicating the administration’s diplomacy with Tehran over its nuclear program and detained Americans. 

"Rob Malley is on leave and Abram Paley is serving as acting Special Envoy for Iran and leading the Department's work in this area," US State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said in an emailed comment Thursday, without elaborating. 

Malley told Axios reporter Barak Ravid on Thursday, "I have been informed that my security clearance is under review. I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon. In the meantime, I am on leave." 

Earlier Thursday, Farsi-language satellite news channel Iran International reported that Malley was "under investigation" while a deputy assumed his duties. CNN and the Washington Post reported that Malley was placed on unpaid leave Thursday afternoon amid an investigation into a possible mishandling of classified information.

Malley, a former Middle East adviser in the Obama administration, has led the Biden administration’s work to rejoin the nuclear deal that former President Donald Trump exited in 2018.

Talks to resurrect the deal broke down last summer after Tehran put forward demands that Washington said fell outside the scope of the original nuclear agreement. 

Iran and the United States are now discussing an informal arrangement, which would reportedly involve Iran limiting its nuclear work in exchange for access to funds frozen abroad under US sanctions. The two sides are also close to an agreement for the release of American citizens considered wrongfully detained in Iran, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi told Al-Monitor this month. 

The Gulf country of Oman, which acted as a backchannel for the 2015 nuclear deal negotiations, has been the venue for recent indirect talks between Iran and the United States. The White House’s Middle East coordinator, Brett McGurk, has led the most recent Oman talks on the US side.

The Biden administration insists there is no formal deal on the table. Asked whether Washington is pursuing an informal arrangement with Tehran, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday there is "no agreement in the offing, even as we continue to be willing to explore diplomatic paths.” 

Some of Malley’s detractors have accused him of being too soft on the Iranian regime. In 2008, Malley resigned from his role as an informal adviser to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign after reports surfaced that he met with members of Hamas during his tenure at the International Crisis Group. The State Department considers the Palestinian militant group to be a terrorist organization.