The Obama administration has picked a new diplomat to be the senior Iran official at the State Department. His name is John Limbert, and he is being hailed by advocates of improved relations with Iran as a great choice. Limbert sits on the advisory board of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC). Limbert is familiar with and has a lot contact with Iranian Americans like Trita Parsi. he was also one of the Iranian hostages who was held for over a year in 1979-1980.
He replaces Dennis Ross, a deeply compromised individual with strong ties to Israel and a warmongering attitude toward Iran.
I await the analysis of people whose opinion I respect (like Richard Silverstein, Jim Lobe, Eli Clifton, etc.) to explain what significance this is to the cause of peace and preventing American involvement in yet another war in the Middle East.
Predictably, this has inflamed the usual right-wing warmongers in the United States.