Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour
{
"authors": [
"Karim Sadjadpour"
],
"type": "testimony",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [
"U.S. Nuclear Policy"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "NPP",
"programs": [
"Nuclear Policy",
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"North America",
"United States",
"Middle East",
"Iran"
],
"topics": [
"Foreign Policy",
"Nuclear Policy"
]
}Source: Getty
Iranian Political and Nuclear Realities and U.S. Policy Options
U.S. policy options toward Iran lie in engaging Iran on issues of common interest, focusing communication on the office of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and presenting a united international approach to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Source: Senate Foreign Relations Committee

- Attempt to discern which Iranian policies are driven by an immutable revolutionary ideology, and which are a reaction to punitive U.S. measures.
- Focus on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who steers Iran’s nuclear ship and whose constitutional authority is far greater than that of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The most influential institutions within Iran—the Revolutionary Guards, the Guardian Council, the presidency, the parliament—are all currently led by individuals who were either directly appointed by Khamenei or unfailingly loyal to him.
- The nuclear issue is a symptom of the mistrust between the United States and Iran, not the underlying cause of tension. Given that neither side trusts the other’s intentions, there are no technical solutions to this nuclear dispute, only political ones.
- Maintain an airtight multilateral approach on the nuclear issue. Iran is adept at exploiting rifts within the international community, and the entire diplomatic approach could unravel if key countries approach Iran with divergent talking points and red lines.
- A small group of spoilers will likely attempt to subvert a serious dialogue, whether by committing gratuitous human rights abuses or purposefully sending easily-discovered weapons shipments. Ending confidence-building efforts in retaliation strengthens the influence of these hardliners.
- Project the self-assurance of a superpower. Don’t mimic Tehran’s criticism; hostile U.S. rhetoric allows Iranian leadership to depict the United States as an aggressor.
- Refrain from any grand overtures to Tehran that could redeem Ahmadinejad’s leadership style ahead of the country’s June 2009 presidential elections. At the same time, refrain from commenting on the Iranian presidential campaign or expressing a preference for any particular candidate.
About the Author
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.
- Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?Q&A
- What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for NowQ&A
Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
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.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- The U.S. and China Need an AI Hotline. Here’s How to Build It.Commentary
It should address the shortcomings of previous crisis communication efforts and adapt to the demands of frontier AI.
Lucy Luo
- The UN Isn’t Declining. It’s Decomposing.Commentary
Washington’s decision to support some UN functions while letting others wither is pulling the organization apart at the seams.
Stewart Patrick, Theodore Zaritsky
- 2026 Carnegie California AI SurveyPaper
While there are notable demographic, economic, and geographic divides over AI, there is also substantial alignment between Republicans and Democrats.
- +2
Ian Klaus, Mark Baldassare, Rachel George, …
- Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?Commentary
Are Germany’s economic, industrial, and political struggles becoming a liability for the EU’s ability to rise to the geopolitical moment?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
- China’s Construction of Police Training Facilities in Global South Likely to Expand Global Security LeadershipResearch
China’s police training infrastructure construction projects provide benefits to recipient countries, promote China’s image as a major global security provider, and are likely to reinforce alignment between Beijing’s security priorities and those of countries in the Global South.
- +2
Cameron Waltz, Sheena Chestnut Greitens, Kim Nguyen, …