The Iranian Elite and the Nuclear Negotiations: My Reflections from Iran

IRAN MATTERS

BY PAYAM MOHSENI

I recently returned from Tehran where I spent more than six weeks exploring possible avenues of collaboration and research between the Belfer Center’s new Iran Project and major Iranian universities and research institutes. My visit allowed me to interact with a broad segment of Iranian society as well as both the moderate and hardline members of the ruling elite within the highest institutions of the Islamic Republic. Engaging in dialogue with the Iranians and hearing their diverse voices contributed to one of the main objectives of the Iran Project—to gain a more nuanced and first-hand understanding of the complexities of Iranian state and society. In this piece, I intend to share some of my key observations from the trip that concern the current nuclear negotiations.

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