Q&A
Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Congress to Vote on Iran Sanctions in January
If a nuclear deal with Iran is not reached within the next six months, Congress is intent on passing new sanctions.
Published on Jan 5, 2015
Source: WBUR Here and Now
Speaking to Here and Now, Carnegie’s Karim Sadjadpour said that since becoming Iran’s president last year, Hassan Rouhani has tried to reconcile Iran’s revolutionary ideology with its national interests. However, Sadjadpour argued, these two things will be very difficult to resolve and there’s a group of very powerful, entrenched hardliners who stand to lose a lot if Iran becomes more integrated with the outside world political and economically.
“In order to reach a nuclear deal with the United States, Rouhani needs to somehow win the support of hardline forces within the Revolutionary Guards and the office of the Supreme Leader, who really oversee Iran’s nuclear program,” Sadjadpour said. Congress is very skeptical of these talks—they feel like it was their sanctions which forced Iran to the nuclear negotiating table, he concluded, and if a deal is not reached within the next six months, Congress is intent on passing new sanctions.
About the Author
Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.
- What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next StepsQ&A
Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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