Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
{
"authors": [
"Karim Sadjadpour"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [
"Iranian Proliferation"
],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Middle East",
"Iran"
],
"topics": [
"Foreign Policy",
"Nuclear Policy"
]
}Source: Getty
A Breakthrough in U.S. Relations With Iran?
The Obama administration’s ambitions of reducing America’s role in the Middle East are contingent upon a better relationship with Iran.
Source: BBC
With Iranian president Hassan Rouhani expressing interest in improving ties with the West and reversing Iran’s economic isolation and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini reiterating his religious opposition to having nuclear weapons, is a potential breakthrough in U.S. relations with Iran possible? Speaking on the BBC, Carnegie’s Karim Sadjadpour argued that it’s clear that the Iranians are floating trial balloons. While Khomeini has been famously inflexible throughout his 24-year term, Sadjadpour said, he recently stated that Iran should be prepared to display “heroic” flexibility, a term uncommon for him. Many people are seeing it as a sign that Iran is preparing its public for some type of a nuclear compromise, Sadjadpour contended.
“The mistrust and ill-will between the two sides has been building for 35 years and it’s not going to be bridged easily but I think that this is the first time in 12 years in which we’ve had a moderate president in Tehran and a moderate president in Washington who’re interested in repairing the relationship,” Sadjadpour explained. While the Obama administration is interested in reducing America’s role in the Middle East, Sadjadpour noted, it will be contingent upon a better relationship with Iran.
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.
- What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for NowQ&A
- How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next StepsQ&A
Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour
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
- What Does Central Europe’s Post-Orban Russia Policy Look Like?Commentary
Though Orban is gone, Putin can still count on some like-minded individuals in Central and Eastern Europe. However, they will seek to avoid open confrontation with EU institutions over Ukraine and their ties with Moscow.
Dimitar Bechev
- Are Russia-Japan Relations Really Warming Up?Commentary
The truth is that Japan’s government is seeking a degree of reengagement but at a vastly reduced level than under Abe. Most significantly, Japan has shown no willingness to ease sanctions.
James D.J. Brown
- Brussels and Baku Are Talking Again: What Next?Commentary
Azerbaijan’s relations with the EU appear to be going from strength to strength after several years in the deep freeze following the military escalation in Karabakh in 2023 and Azerbaijan’s bitter fallout with France and several other EU member states.
Shujaat Ahmadzada
- Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of CoercionCommentary
The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.
Rym Momtaz
- The French Far Right’s Foreign Policy: Big Ambitions, Uncertain DirectionPaper
The National Rally’s electoral strength, coupled with its internal fragility at a crucial political juncture, contributes to foreign policy vagueness.
Catherine Fieschi