WASHINGTON -- Efforts to reach a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran have intensified despite a spate of military exchanges between the two sides that have shaken an already fragile cease-fire.Matt Reisener, senior national-security adviser at the Center for Maritime Strategy, discusses with RFE/RL in an interview why diplomacy and military pressure are likely to continue side by side, what Iran and the United States each believes it has to gain from talks, and why any agreement may actually hinge on Israel.RFE/RL: Where does the US-Iran-Israel confrontation stand today? Are we genuinely moving toward de-escalation?Matt Reisener: We're in something of a holding pattern, and there are three big issues.First, the US and Iran still have fundamental disconnects on many key issues. [US] President [Donald] Trump has been very clear that Iran can't have a credible pathway to a nuclear weapon, while Iran is still holding firm that it isn't willing to give up more on this issue than what it agreed to in the JCPOA agreement signed back in 2015.It's a similar issue when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz. America's position is the strait has to remain permanently open for ships to transit, whereas Iran still has ambitions to exercise some level of permanent control over that waterway.
US-Iran Accord Could Hinge On Israel, Says US Security Expert Matt Reisener
Matt Reisener, senior national-security adviser at the Center for Maritime Strategy, talks to RFE/RL about why diplomacy and military pressure are likely to continue, what Iran and the United States each believes it has to gain from talks, and why any agreement may actually hinge on Israel.
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