August 03, 2020

Elections provide U.S. and Iran a brief window to lower tensions: think tank

Featuring: Ilan Goldenberg, Kaleigh Thomas, and Elisa Catalano Ewers

Source: Reuters

Journalist: Jonathan Landay

The United States and Iran will have a brief window between their upcoming presidential elections in which to ease dangerous tensions, according to a new report from a Washington think tank that proposes pathways for resuming talks on Iran’s nuclear program and regional security.

The bipartisan Center for a New American Security report, co-authored by an informal adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, proposes a phased approach to easing tensions that could be adopted by Republican President Donald Trump in a second term or Biden, if he wins the Nov. 3 election.

Tensions spiked after Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated by world powers during the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president. A resumption of U.S. sanctions has battered Iran’s economy and pushed Tehran to breach restraints designed to block nuclear weapons development.

Read the full story and more from Reuters.

Authors

  • Ilan Goldenberg

    Former Senior Fellow and Director, Middle East Security Program

    Ilan Goldenberg is the former Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. He is a foreign policy and defense expe...

  • Kaleigh Thomas

    Former Associate Fellow, Middle East Security Program

    Kaleigh Thomas is a former Associate Fellow for the Middle East Security Program and 2020 recipient of the 1LT Andrew J. Bacevich Jr., USA Award at CNAS. She also serves as th...

  • Elisa Catalano Ewers

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Middle East Security Program

    Elisa Ewers is a Former Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Middle East Security program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), with 20 years of experience in U.S. natio...