Turkey - otherwise known as the country that Obama supported for EU ascension at the cost of pissing off our Western European allies - wants to do business with the mullahs:

A protocol was signed on Monday on the sidelines of the Turkish-Iranian Business Forum currently being held in the Turkish capital Ankara, outlining the means to increase the value of the trade between the neighboring countries to $20 billion yearly within a five-year time period, Turkish media reported. The document was signed during a meeting between Turkish Minister of Customs and Foreign Trade Kürsat Tüzmen and his Iranian counterpart Masood Mirkazimi. The initiatives include preferential trade tariffs, an agreement to allow the free movement of goods, the merger of customs services and the establishment of a free trade zone.

No worries though. Dennis Ross is being dispatched to the region to... umm... actually I have no idea what he's supposed to be doing:

Dennis Ross, will travel to the Middle East beginning April 28 "to discuss with Gulf and Egyptian leaders issues of mutual and regional concern," State Department spokesman Robert Wood said Monday. "This trip will further advance the U.S. commitment to renewed diplomacy in the region and ongoing consultations with partners." Ross will travel to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, and Egypt. He will be joined by NSC Senior Director Puneet Talwar and CENTCOM Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. John R. Allen... Ross's trip "is about reassuring allies that they are not going to make a grand deal with Iran at their expense," an administration source suggested.

Steve Rosen thinks it's significant that Allen is coming along. I'm not sure that's so surprising. If the point is to assure Sunni states that they'll be safe after Obama shakes Ahmadinejad's hand, bringing along a guy who can credibly buy them off with conventional arms commitments seems reasonable. That's how State does these things, isn't it?

References:
* Change! Obama Successfully Alienates France [MR]
* Turkey set to boost trade with Iran [JPost]
* Interesting Dennis Ross mission [Obama Mideast Monitor]
* President, State Department, And US Media Totally Smitten By Arab World [MR]

Previously:
* Israeli Officials: Hey, Do You Think That Maybe Obama's Going To Detonate The US-Israel Relationship?
* Great News: Obama To Appoint Up To Five Special Envoys To Oversee Middle East
* Dennis Ross: "I'm Endorsing Obama Because He'll Make Iran And Iran's Financial Backers Like Us"