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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.

Link Copied
By Karim Sadjadpour
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.

This interview originally aired on Here and Now.

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

Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour
Political ReformForeign PolicyNuclear PolicyMiddle EastIran

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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