"Rather than the postman ringing twice, the US chose at least two & possibly three postmen & woman"

"... Now, Yahoo News has learned some new details about the latest U.S. message to Iran and how it was delivered--and it appears that rather than the postman ringing twice--that in this case, the United States chose at least two postmen and women, and possibly three.

Involved in the transfer were the Swiss envoy to Tehran--the United States' official diplomatic proxy and protector in Iran; a second hand-off occurred between Obama's UN envoy Susan Rice and the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York, U.S. sources indicated. According to conflicting accounts, there may also have been a third relay: from Iraq's President Jalal Talabani to the office of Iran's Supreme Leader.

In perhaps one rare encouraging signal that Iran seemingly received the U.S. message relatively free of distortion, Iran's foreign ministry said this week Iranian officials had received the same message--three times.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast "said that Iran has received a US message regarding the Strait of Hormuz via three different channels," Iran's IRIB news service reported Monday.

"The US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice had handed a letter to Iran's Ambassador to the UN Mohammad Khazaee; the Swiss Ambassador to Tehran, Livia Leu Agosti, also conveyed the same thing; and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani delivered the same message to Iranian officials," Mehmanparast said, the IRIB report continued.

However, one U.S. source disputed Friday that Talabani was used in this case, however. How to reconcile the 180 degree conflicting accounts on that one small claim is but one gloomy demonstration of the almost Talmudic layers of complexity involved in the wider U.S.-Iran diplomatic impasse.

But one American theory has it that the Iranians (falsely) claimed Talabani was used in order to establish him as a future conduit.... ... Talabani's reported role, if accurate, would be different and more classic back-channel. It would be useful to ensure one key thing: that the White House message got not just to Iran's Foreign Ministry, but to Iran's Supreme Leader, a diplomatic source explained.The Iraqi president and long time Iraqi Kurdish leader "is friends with the U.S. and has good relations with Iran," the diplomat told Yahoo News Friday on condition of anonymity. Talabani "has access to the Supreme Leader. He has direct access to the ruler."....

However, despite the signs of an evidently functioning diplomatic communications apparatus, American officials said they are hardly encouraged about prospects for resolving the stalemate with Iran over its nuclear program. Expectations in the fall that new international talks on Iran's nuclear program might resume in January have dissipated, in American eyes... ..."