Memorandum for the President

SECRET DECLASSIFIED 13A Per; Rac Project ESDN; NLC6-32-5-15-8 MEMO FOR THE PRESIDENT BY B NABALOATE 5/18/2015 SUBJECT: Breaking Relations with Iran You have asked for views on the desirability of breaking relations with Iran and closing the Embassy and Consulates in the United States. The arguments in favor of such a step are: -- We would signal our growing impatience, both to Iran and the world, over the present stalemate and lack of positive response by the Iranians. -- By creating additional problems for Iranian students and other nationals here, we might impress upon moderates in Tehran the need for faster action in releasing the hostages. -- The expulsion of Iran's diplomats would deprive Iran of one forum for propagating exaggerated allegations, here and in Iran, of harsh treatment of Iranians in the U.S. The principal arguments against such a step are: -- We would deprive Iran of one element which might be a face-saver in the final resolution of the crisis. -- The initial inconvenience to Iranian students here, while a protecting power organized payments and other services, could aggravate the student captors in Tehran and lessen chances that they will accept any compromise solutions. -- We might undermine the efforts of moderates who are arrang- inq Christmas visits and trying to effect the early release of some hostages. An alternative to an early rupture in relations is to inform the Iranian Charge that the Iranian government should now give