Diplomacy

President Obama at Hankuk University, Seoul, South Korea, March 26 Under the NPT, Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear energy.  In fact, time and again the international community—including the United States—has offered to help Iran develop nuclear energy peacefully.  But…
     At a joint White House press conference on March 14, President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron commented on the new diplomatic effort with Iran by the world’s six major powers.      President Obama:     We also discussed the continuing threat posed by Iran’s failure to meet its…
The following is an interview by the Council on Foreign Relations with USIP fellow and Iran Primer editor Robin Wright:
The attack on the UK embassy in Tehran (BBC) on November 28 reportedly by Iran's Basij militia, a volunteer paramilitary wing, has led to heightened tensions between Iran and the…
Annika Folkeson           After the Iranians stormed the British embassy in Tehran on Nov. 29, Britain closed the Iranian embassy in London and expelled all Iranian diplomats. Britain also evacuated its diplomats in Tehran. The new tensions followed London’s new sanctions on all Iranian banks…
       The following is an excerpt from a CBS News poll on what Americans favor on U.S. policy preferences on Iran.  "Most Americans support a diplomatic approach when it comes to dealing with Iran; 55% think Iran is a threat to the U.S. that can be contained with diplomacy. Only 15% say Iran is…
Geoffrey KempWhat are the prospects for progress this year in diplomatic efforts?There is little chance for a major breakthrough in negotiations with Iran in 2011, or for that matter 2012.  Three major obstacles will prevent this. First, the political crisis in Iran itself, which suggests a…
Michael Adler in Istanbul Why did talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers in Istanbul January 21-22 fail to produce any agreement or significant movement toward a compromise?The talks deadlocked after Iran imposed two preconditions on any deal designed to assuage fears that the…
Michael Adler What does the new estimate by Israel’s retiring Mossad chief Meir Dagan-- that Iran won’t have a weapon before 2015-- do to the diplomatic effort? It reinforces it. Diplomacy needs time and and gets time if Iran is stalled in its nuclear program, as is apparently the case.  How…
Henri J. Barkey Previous talks have always been in European venues, so why Istanbul for this second round of talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers over Iran’s controversial nuclear program?  Iran called for the talks to be held in Istanbul to reward Turkey—and also Brazil, since…