In Search of Monsters — A Dangerous Puzzle

This episode of In Search of Monsters turns to Iran and the dangerous puzzle surrounding its potential nuclear program. After the Trump administration abrogated the United States from the JCPOA, then candidate Joe Biden vowed a return to said deal. However, at this point, no such return has taken place and the Iranian breakout time, i.e. the time it would take for it to build a bomb, has lessened to a matter of weeks. 

To discuss this precarious situation and the potential path back to a deal, host Chris Lydon turns to three Iranian experts: Qi Executive Vice President Trita Parsi and professors John Ghauzvinian and Hussein Banai. Their insights shed light on the vital nature of a return to a deal, as well as a general understanding of the deterioration of Iranian-U.S. relations over time.

Listen to the full episode here:

Additionally, check out these related resources:

• Why the US and Iran hate each other – Daniel Larison in Responsible Statecraft, May 2nd, 2022

• Our Afghanistan Exit Won’t Shatter U.S. Credibility the Way Ditching the Iran Deal Has– QI Executive Vice President Trita Parsi, December 29th, 2021.

• Iran probably won’t cave on its nuclear program – John Ghauzvinian in The Washington Post, November 5th, 2021.