A Realistic Path for Progress on Iran

The Trump administration has adopted an aggressive Iran strategy. The United States seeks to achieve – via the application of maximum pressure – nothing short of a fundamental change to policies that have defined the Islamic Republic for decades. If the administration is serious about making progress on the biggest challenges facing U.S. Iran policy, it must be more than simply aggressive. It also will need a smart, pragmatic, and patient policy.

On Wednesday, January 30, 2019, the Center for a New American Security hosted an event to coincide with the launch of a new CNAS report, "A Realistic Path for Progress on Iran: 12 Guiding Principles to Achieve U.S. Policy Goals." The conversation, moderated by Ilan Goldenberg, featured Eric Brewer, Ariane Tabatabai, Elizabeth Rosenberg, and Nicholas Heras. The report aims to provide guiding principles and concrete policy suggestions for how to make realistic progress in preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon, countering its destabilizing behavior, and engaging constructively under the assumption that the United States does not return to the JCPOA and that it continues its current pressure campaign.