Eyes on Iran’s Nuclear Program

Thomas Donilon, national security advisor for the U.S. from 2010 to 2013, and Yaakov Amidror, national security advisor for Israel from 2011 to 2013, shared their views on the process of negotiating with Iran to reach an agreement on its current and future nuclear program. In a lively conversation moderated by Belfer Center Director Graham Allison, the officials, who often worked together during their national security tenures, noted their agreements as well as their disagreements on the likelihood and possible content of a deal.

The September “Iran Policy” forum, co-sponsored by the Belfer Center and the Institute of Politics, was part of the Center’s ongoing effort to  provide facts and facilitate high-level discussion and debate on Iran’s nuclear program. The JFK Forum discussion can be viewed at belfercenter.org/IranForum.

In October, Jake Sullivan, senior adviser on the Iran nuclear negotiations, enriched the debate at the Center with a discussion of the obstacles and opportunities for reaching an agreement with Iran. While some argue that no deal is better than a bad deal, he said it’s important to remember that in negotiations, any deal is “imperfect” for both sides.

The Center’s new Iran Project is directed by Payam Mohseni, who describes the project and his plans on page 6 of this newsletter. Iran Matters, a website for facts and analysis about issues relating to nuclear negotiations with Iran, is accessible at belfercenter.org/IranMatters.