Barbara Slavin is as assistant managing editor for World and National Security of the Washington Times and the author of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S. and the Twisted Path to Confrontation. She had a piece this morning on the Obama administration’s outreach to Ayatollah Khamenei before the election. Slavin and I had a quick e-mail conversation about the situation:

Kathryn Jean Lopez: So we were seriously in talk mode with Iran, pre-election?

Barbara Slavin: The Obama administration made clear even before the president took office that it would seek direct, high-level talks with Iran. I find it not at all surprising that the administration would have sent a letter to the supreme leader before the Iranian election.

Lopez: How hard has it been to get anyone from the U.S. to talk on the record?

Slavin: It has been difficult to get U.S. officials to talk on the record about Iran policy. That is also not surprising, given the difficult history between the two countries and the missed opportunities for improved relations under past administrations.

Lopez: Do you have any indication that this outreach will continue?

Slavin: Given President Obama’s remarks yesterday, I think it’s clear that the U.S. understands that it will be difficult to engage with Iran right now. However, the president also made clear that the decision is still Iran’s whether to talk or not about its nuclear program and other issues.

Lopez: What’s the most overlooked/under-covered aspect of this story?

Slavin: Apart from my paper, most journalists still write about Iran as though it is a theocracy. What we have been seeing is the raw exercise of force on the part of the government and people power in the streets. The clerics have had very little to do with it

Lopez: What has been most surprising to you about the White House response to the election protests there?

Slavin: I haven’t been surprised by the White House response.

Lopez: Are there any lessons from history Obama ought to heed?

Slavin: I think Obama has learned from the mistakes of past U.S. administrations in dealing with Iran and has put the emphasis where it should be, on the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people. The U.S. has no embassy in Iran and few levers it can pull to impact events there. Aggressive action through the military or more sanctions will probably wind up helping the government, unfortunately.

Lopez: What are you expecting to happen next?

Slavin: I think the protests will continue in various forms, and that Iran will continue to evolve toward a more democratic system of government.