Do U.S. Actions Affect Iranian Policy? Past Lessons, Future Prospects

Four decades after the Iranian revolution, the question of how much foreign governments can actually shape the Islamic Republic’s political makeup and decisionmaking remains controversial. Unsurprisingly, Washington is still caught at the center of this controversy given its exceptionally antagonistic relations with Tehran. What lessons can be drawn from the role that past U.S. administrations played during and after the revolution? And what are the Trump administration’s interests, constraints, and capabilities with regard to the prospect of future regime change? The panel included former Carter administration official Stuart Eizenstat, Iranian attorney Mehrangiz Kar, and Institute Libitzky Family Fellow Mehdi Khalaji. The discussion was moderated by Institute Adjunct Fellow Jay Solomon, author of the 2016 book The Iran Wars. Stuart Eizenstat has served in multiple Democratic administrations as special advisor on Holocaust issues (Obama); deputy secretary of the Treasury, undersecretary of stat