Professor Estimates How Soon US, Iran Might Sit at Negotiating Table

A tweet by US President Donald Trump has drawn a heated response from a senior Iranian military commander, leading to fears of relations between the two reaching a new low. Sputnik spoke with Hooshang Amirahmadi, Rutgers University Professor and American Iranian Council member to find out more on the situation.

Sputnik: Could we see US-Iran negotiations in the near future?

Hooshang Amirahmadi: Not any time soon. The way the two sides have cornered themselves has made it difficult, but there could be talks in the next 3 to 6 months, not any time soon. The situation as it is, is a bit tough, the two sides have got involved in extreme rhetoric against each other, which is sometimes completely meaningless.

The other problem also is that the leader of Iran has taken a position where it’s going to be hard for him to justify a new round of negotiations over the nuclear deal. They are currently talking about other issues including Yemen, and most likely very soon on Syria, so instead of the nuclear deal, they will most likely talk about other matters, particularly the regional issues. That is expected much sooner than the resumption of the nuclear one.

President Trump has demanded a comprehensive negotiation, leaving everything on the table and Iran has a hard time accepting this, because it will mean compromising almost everything that has to deal with Iran’s defence — including nuclear issue, missiles, pulling out from the region, most likely downsizing the Revolutionary Guard — or something of that sort.

The views expressed in this article are those of the speaker, and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.