Report

Debating the Iran nuclear deal: A former American negotiator outlines the battleground issues

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries—has been the focus of formal congressional hearings, countless private briefings, exhaustive media coverage, strenuous lobbying efforts, and intense public scrutiny. Robert Einhorn examines the battleground issues that will drive the debate when Congress returns from its summer recess and prepares to vote on the agreement.

August 12, 2015, Robert Einhorn

Opinion Moment Magazine

Iran nuclear debate: No, the devil isn't in the details

Jeremy Shapiro discusses the congressional study of the Iran nuclear deal and argues that the Iran debate isn't about centrifuges at all.

September/October 2015, Jeremy Shapiro

Blog Post

The Iran deal & U.S. Senate rules: A guide

The President and Secretary of State John Kerry are closer than ever to getting the Iran deal passed by Congress. In this post, Molly E. Reynolds outlines a guide to the rules in the Senate that are shaping the deal negotiations.

September 3, 2015, Molly E. Reynolds

Blog Post Tablet

Hopes for Obama's address to the American Jewish community

Shadi Hamid contributes to an experts' discussion on what he hopes President Obama will say about the Iran nuclear deal in a speech to the American Jewish community. Hamid argues Obama has oversold the Iran deal in a way that has alienated fence-sitters and pushed away skeptics. He urges Obama to focus on what the deal means for U.S. strategy in the Middle East going forward and to connect the deal to American democratic values.

September 1, 2015, Shadi Hamid

Blog Post The National Interest

Here's how America can really make the Iran deal better

Based on his recent essay on the battleground issues of the Iran nuclear deal, Robert Einhorn writes that while the sky would not fall if the deal was not passed in Congress, neither would conditions exist for resuming talks and getting a better deal. Einhorn outlines six strategies the United States can adopt to bolster the agreement to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state in the foreseeable future and serve the security interests of both the United States and its regional partners.

August 28, 2015, Robert Einhorn

Blog Post

Captured: Mastermind behind the 1996 Khobar Towers attack

After almost 20 years, the hunt for the mastermind behind the 1996 attack on an American military base in Khobar, Saudi Arabia is now over. Ahmed al-Mughassil, military commander of the Saudi-wing of Hezbollah, has been captured by Saudi intelligence. Bruce Riedel provides background of the lead-up and aftermath of the attack and raises the question of why news of al-Mughassil's apprehension broke now.

August 26, 2015, Bruce Riedel

Blog Post

London calling: What the reopening of the British embassy in Iran means for the nuclear deal

Nearly four years after a mob attack shuttered the British Embassy in Tehran, the two countries reopened the historic compound this week in a ceremony attended by UK Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond. Hammond is the most senior British official to visit Iran in a decade, and the upgrade in bilateral diplomacy marks an important step forward in Iran’s rehabilitation of its relationship with the world. Suzanne Maloney considers the historical context for this milestone and how it relates to the debate over the Iranian nuclear deal.

August 25, 2015, Suzanne Maloney

Blog Post

Elevate the debate: A former U.S. negotiator bridges the partisan divide on the Iran nuclear deal

As passions on both sides have intensified, the debate over the Iran nuclear deal has devolved into hysteria and hyperbole. With their divisive rhetoric, both the administration and its critics are doing the country a profound disservice. Americans deserve a thoughtful discussion about the Iranian threat, the opportunity presented by the deal on the table, the range of viable alternatives to that deal, and a realistic assessment of the consequences. There is no better voice to lead such a discussion than that of Robert Einhorn, whose recent essay, "Debating the Iran Nuclear Deal," offers a careful analysis of the main areas of contention about the nuclear deal and endeavors to bridge the gap between the deal's supporters and its critics by outlining an array of U.S. policies to supplement the deal and bolster its effectiveness.

August 17, 2015, Suzanne Maloney

Article Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Iran and the Arab world after the nuclear deal

In this new piece, Ibrahim Sharqieh Fraihat explains why Arab states are concerned that the Iran nuclear deal will lead to additional chaos in the Middle East. He points out that Arab states blame Iran for perpetuating civil wars in Syria and Yemen and do not trust the Obama Administration to take a firm line to prevent further trouble. Ultimately, though, Fraihat argues that the deal presents an opportunity for Iran and Saudi Arabia to engage directly to address how to de-escalate the region’s conflicts.

August 16, 2015, Ibrahim Fraihat

Opinion Foreign Policy

Is Iran about to unleash a wave of terrorism against the United States?

Some of the expected windfall coming to Tehran from sanctions relief following the Iran nuclear deal will help support the Assad regime. Daniel Benjamin argues, however, that this isn't quite as dangerous as opponents of the deal make it out to be.

August 13, 2015, Daniel Benjamin

Blog Post

Will the Iran nuclear deal create a more stable Middle East? That all depends—on the United States

Kenneth M. Pollack testifies before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the implications of the Iran nuclear deal on the Middle East and on U.S. security interests there. He argues that it is U.S. policy toward the Middle East in the wake of the deal and not the technical details of the deal itself that will ultimately determine whether the deal ends up being good or bad for the United States and the region.

August 5, 2015, Kenneth M. Pollack