Q&A
Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Obama’s Letters to Iran About Nuclear Arms
Given everything that’s taking place in the Middle East, Iran may be one of the few sources of hope for the Obama administration to reach some kind of diplomatic accommodation.
Published on Sep 18, 2013
Source: MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports
In an exchange of letters with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, U.S. President Obama said that the United States is ready to resolve the nuclear arms dispute with Iran. Speaking on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports, Carnegie’s Karim Sadjapour discussed whether the letters signal a shift in communication between the United States and Iran. Sadjapour noted that, given everything that’s taking place in the Middle East, Iran is one of the few sources of hope for the Obama administration to reach some kind of diplomatic accommodation. However, with Iran militarily propping up the Assad regime in Syria, Sadjapour argued that there are certain strategic principles within the Iranian regime which will be very difficult for anyone to change, including President Rouhani.
Sadjapour said the question is whether or not the United States and Iran can overcome their differences on Syria and Israel in order to reach a nuclear détente. “I would say between President Obama in Washington and President Rouhani in Tehran, this is the best opportunity we’ve had for a diplomatic breakthrough at least for 15 years,” Sadjapour concluded.
This interview was originally broadcast on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.
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.
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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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