A Moment of Opportunity in U.S.-Iranian Relations?

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In The Media

A Moment of Opportunity in U.S.-Iranian Relations?

While Iranian president Hassan Rouhani represents the popular opinion of a population that wants to be integrated with the outside world, the main levers of power in Iran are all controlled by the office of the Supreme Leader.

By Karim Sadjadpour

Published on Jan 9, 2015

Source: KCRW’s To The Point

Speaking to KCRW’s To The Point, Carnegie’s Karim Sadjadpour argued that while Iranian president Hassan Rouhani overwhelmingly represents the popular opinion of a population that wants to be integrated with the outside world, the main levers of power in Iran are all controlled by the office of the Supreme Leader.

Sadjadpour went on to note that Rouhani has never directly challenged the Supreme Leader. “I think it was a brave piece of political theater, Rouhani threatening this idea of a referendum,” he said, “but it was just that. It was political theater. I don’t think this reflects a true battle for power taking place in Iran.”

This interview originally aired on KCRW’s To The Point.

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.

Recent Work

Q&A
What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now
- Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
Q&A
How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps
- Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Political Reform Foreign Policy Middle East Iran

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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