Should Washington Revive Nuclear Diplomacy with Pezeshkian’s Iran?

Nuclear diplomacy between the United States and Iran has effectively been put on pause since the October 7 Hamas attack. This is in spite of the fact that Iran’s nuclear program has continued to expand, and the IAEA has expressed increasing concerns about its lack of insight into the Iranian program. But Masoud Pezeshkian’s surprise election following the death of former President Ebrahim Raisi may provide an opportunity to restart talks. Pezeshkian’s foreign policy team is expected to include some of the key diplomats who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA). Moreover, Iran’s heart surgeon turned president has called for direct talks between the US and Iran. Should the Biden administration use the remaining months before the November elections to lay the groundwork for renewed nuclear talks? Is there political space in Washington for careful exploration of the intent of the Pezeshkian government? Is the nuclear issue the natural starting point, or do the US and Iran have a more pressing common interest in first preventing the Gaza war from spilling over into Lebanon? To answer these and other questions, the Quincy Institute held a discussion featuring Suzanne DiMaggio and Aaron David Miller, both senior fellows at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs at Johns Hopkins University. Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President at the Quincy Institute, moderated. Download the full webinar transcript here: