The first detailed Iranian account of the diplomatic struggle between Iran and the international community, begins in 2002 and takes the reader into Tehran’s deliberations as its leaders wrestle with internal and external adversaries.
Source: Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2012
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, previously the head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and spokesman for Tehran’s nuclear negotiating team, provides readers with intimate knowledge of Iran’s interactions with the International Atomic Energy Agency and global powers.
Mousavian’s personal story comes alive as he vividly recounts his arrest in 2007 on charges of espionage. This and other dramatic episodes of diplomatic missions tell much about the author and the swirling dynamics of Iranian politics and diplomacy—undercurrents that must be understood now more than ever.
As intense debate continues over the direction of Iran’s nuclear program, Mousavian weighs the likely effects of military strikes, covert action, sanctions, and diplomatic engagement, along with their potential to resolve the nuclear crisis.
“A fascinating, insightful, and new treatment from the perspective of an intimately involved former Iranian senior official on Iran’s nuclear program and responses to it. For those familiar with the details, there is much new information about the Iran side, its ideas, strategies, disputes, and aims. U.S. experts will have some key questions but will learn much from this extraordinary book.”
—Thomas R. Pickering, former U.S. under secretary of state
"…remarkable new book…"
—David Ignatius, Washington Post
“…a fascinating insider’s account…”
—Philip Stephens, Financial Times
Seyed Hossein Mousavian
Princeton University
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.
Germany's sometimes ambiguous nuclear policy advocates nuclear weapons for deterrence purposes but at the same time adheres to non-proliferation. This dichotomy can turn into a formidable dilemma and increase proliferation pressures in Berlin once no nuclear protector is around anymore, a scenario that has become more realistic in recent years.
Ulrich Kühn
The countries in the region are managing the fallout from Iranian strikes in a paradoxical way.
Angie Omar
French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his country’s new nuclear doctrine. Are the changes he has made enough to reassure France’s European partners in the current geopolitical context?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
The drone strike on the British air base in Akrotiri brings Europe’s proximity to the conflict in Iran into sharp relief. In the fog of war, old tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean risk being reignited, and regional stakeholders must avoid escalation.
Marc Pierini
In an interview, Hassan Mneimneh discusses the ongoing conflict and the myriad miscalculations characterizing it.
Michael Young
