(CNN) -- An alleged letter from President Barack Obama to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has prompted consternation not just in Washington, but also Tel Aviv and Riyadh. According to the Wall Street Journal, Obama pointed out some common American and Iranian interests in defeating the extremist ISIS -- which calls itself the Islamic State -- and reportedly also suggested that a nuclear accord between Iran and the P5+1 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany) could result in cooperation on regional issues between Washington and Tehran. But the move has, according to one Republican source quoted by CNN, sent "shock waves" through Washington.
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Alleged Obama letter to Iran's Supreme Leader sparks controversy
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Yet anyone who visits Iran these days will surely see a country that is very different from the images that have been etched into the @placeholder psyche.
All this suggests that the United States has a real opportunity not only to put the brakes on Iran's nuclear pursuits, but also to bolster larger @placeholder goals.
And the problem lies not in Obama's letter to @placeholder, but the fearful reaction it has produced; it is time to take a deep breath and consider the success that has been achieved so far in bringing Iran to the table on the nuclear issue.