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Source: Getty

In The Media

Iran's Nuclear Threat

Any military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities will indefinitely postpone the shelf life of the Iranian regime and therefore be counterproductive.

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By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Nov 13, 2011
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The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

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The debate over Iran’s nuclear program often seems to leave out the fact that the largest anti-government protests the Middle East has seen in recent years have come from Iran. Karim Sadjadpour asserts that “military action may set back the nuclear clock back a couple of years, but it will also indefinitely postpone the shelf life of the Iranian regime.” Many Americans are now more worried about nation-building at home through improving the American economy and reducing the U.S.’ footprint in the Middle East. A military attack on Iran would greatly hinder an economic recovery by causing a steep hike in oil prices and further tumult in the region. “The best way we can help the Iranian opposition is by inhibiting the regime’s ability to control information and communication,” notes Sadjadpour. 

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
SecurityPolitical ReformNuclear PolicyMiddle EastIranGulf

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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