Interview: Trump and the Iran Deal
Full Interview (starts at 4m30s)
“Trump and the Iran Deal,” NOS Public Broadcasting, October 13, 2017.
Interviews
Consequences of nixing the Iran Deal
Here is how Hossein Mousavian, Tehran’s former Ambassador to the US, explains Iran’s policy: After the revolution, Iran was invaded by Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and, for much of the past decade, chaos on its thousands of miles of borders with Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan – all factors that have compelled it to play a regional role.
“Consequences of nixing the Iran deal,” The Arab Daily News, Ghassan Michel Rubeiz, October 11, 2017.
Interview: Ex-Iranian diplomat: US position on Hezbollah is wrong
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian Diplomat who has negotiated with Hezbollah and is now a Middle East specialist at Princeton University, tells Al Jazeera why Hezbollah is a positive force and should be backed by the West in the fight against ISIL.
Full Video
“Ex-Iranian diplomat: ‘US position on Hezbollah is wrong,’” Al Jazeera English, October 11, 2017.
Interview: Trumps takes on Tehran: What future for Iran nuclear deal?
Donald Trump calls it “The worst deal ever”. The question is why is he so hell-bent on decertifying a 2015 Iran nuclear agreement when even his own cabinet seems to support it? The move consistent with the US president’s bid to unwind any and all the policies of his predecessor and on the day when Washington’s announced it’s pulling out of Unesco for being too anti-Israel, how far will he go? Few expect the US to walk away from the deal but Trump could stiffen sanctions.
Guests:
Ilan GOLDENBERG Director, Middle East Security Program at CNAS
Seyed Hossein MOUSAVIAN Nuclear policy specialist, Princeton University
Michael PREGENT Former US Intelligence Officer
“Trumps takes on Tehran: What future for Iran nuclear deal?” France 24, October 12, 2017.
The nuclear issue isn’t the real Iranian challenge
“How would Iran react? Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian official who stays in close touch with his ex-colleagues, told me recently that if Trump doesn’t certify, but Congress doesn’t re-impose sanctions, and the other P5+1 negotiators assure full implementation, then Iran may continue to adhere to the agreement. But he cautioned that this line is opposed by some political factions in Iran that argue for suspending the pact if Trump challenges Iranian compliance.
As for the administration’s hope of forcing Iran to renegotiate the ‘sunset’ provisions and other details of the agreement, Mousavian says that’s a nonstarter in Tehran.”
“The nuclear issue isn’t the real Iranian challenge,” David Ignatius, The Washington Post, October 5, 2017.
‘World’s most robust’ nuclear inspection program under fire as Trump tries to rewrite the Iran deal
“There is 24-hour surveillance, and we don’t have more than 24 hours in a day,” said Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian nuclear negotiator, now a scholar at Princeton University. “If the IAEA needs something more, they would raise it with Iran.”
“’World’s most robust’ nuclear inspection program under fire as Trump tries to rewrite the Iran deal,” Shashank Bengali, Los Angeles Times, October 4, 2017.
Interview: “Trump is Threatening More than Just the Iran Deal”
“As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani responds to Trump at the UN, former Iranian diplomat Seyed Hossein Mousavian says that an American withdrawal from the nuclear deal would lead Iranians to no longer trust the U.S.”
“Trump is Threatening More than Just the Iran Deal,” The Real News, September 20, 2017.
The right question to ask about the Iran nuclear deal
“Trump’s apparent hope that Iran will offer unilateral concessions is questioned by Iran experts. ‘I don’t believe Tehran would be ready at all to renegotiate the deal,’ said Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian official who now teaches at Princeton University but remains in touch with his ex-colleagues. He called the idea a ‘nonstarter.’”
“The right question to ask about the Iran nuclear deal,” David Ignatius, The Washington Post, September 14, 2017.
War not bringing security for S.Arabia: Former Iranian diplomat
War and military aggression would not lead to establishing security, Mousavian said in a televised forum hosted by CGTN (China Global Television Network). Diplomacy should have been put on Saudis’ agenda from the very beginning of the conflict in order to reach peace through dialogue, according to Mousavian.
“War not bringing security for S.Arabia: Former Iranian diplomat,” IRNA, July 29, 2017.
Part 2, Interview – The Heat: Yemen crisis
Tonight’s panel has the latest on the crisis and its symptoms:
Sama’a Al-Hamdani, a Yemeni political affairs commentator
Abdulateef Al-Mulhim, He is a columnist for the Saudi daily newspaper, AlYaum and The Arab News
Seyed Hossein Mousavian, former Iranian diplomat is a Middle East expert at Princeton University
Radhya Almutawakel, president of the Mwatana Organization for Human Rights that monitors events in Yemen
“The Heat: Yemen crisis,” CGTN, July 27, 2017.
