TEHRAN- On August 28, the Tehran Times released a memorandum indicating that Rob Malley, former U.S. envoy for Iran, had breached three U.S. national security protocols. 

The ambiguity over Malley’s suspension has channeled a bunch of criticisms toward the Biden administration, prompting demands for a clear answer. One such demand is the letter of Michael McCaul, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman to Antony Blinken demanding clarification on Malley’s suspension. 

According to the memorandum written by Erin E. Smart to Rob Malley, he was informed about the reasons why his security clearance was withdrawn.

Erin E. Smart, the director of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, said in her letter to Malley, “Continued national security eligibility is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security.”

The letter informed Malley of the DS Office of Personnel which received worrisome information regarding him. The memo enumerates three reasons for the suspension of Malley’s security clearance that include actions that have to do with personal conduct, handling of protected information, and use of information technology.

The latest scoop from the Tehran Times about Rob Malley's dismissal elicited many reactions, some of which expressed awe at how the Tehran Times got a whiff of the tightly kept matter. Malley was asked to turn in his building ID card, any government-issued credentials, and his diplomatic passport, according to the memorandum.

The publication of the memorandum by the Tehran Times prompted reactions worldwide, which could be categorized into a few major fields.

Some of the reactions pointed to the importance of leakage of information regarding Malley's suspension. Some questioned the American universities' cooperation with Malley, and others criticized the Biden administration on its unclear policy toward Malley which has left a big question mark on what happened to the former Iran envoy.

Gabriel Noronha, a former State Department advisor on Iran, reacted to the memorandum published by the Tehran Times on X and asked why his clearance suspended?  

Noronha went on to say that the letter looked authentic to him, pointing to Malley’s lies about not knowing why his clearance was pulled.

“The fact that the Iranians Knew why his clearance was pulled- and that Congress did not until now- is deeply troubling in many levels,” said Noronha.

"Congress needs to know whether Iran has access to all State Dept unclassified emails, and what is being done to fix that," suggested Noronh.

Richard Goldberg, senior Advisor at FDD, said on X: "The Tehran Times knows more about Rob Malley than the New York Times.”

On the Memorandum regarding Malley’s suspension, Jason Brodsky, policy director of UANI, said on X that the Tehran Times had gotten its hands on what he described as a sensitive memorandum.

“If this is authentic, this raises all kinds of questions, and none of them good,” added Brodsky.

Xiyue Wang, a Ph.D. candidate in History at Princeton, told Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs on X, “Why did you hire Malley?” criticizing Amaney Jamal, the Dean and professor of Princeton on Malley’s hiring. Wang continued, “What do you expect him to teach?”