Iran: Complications and Contradictions
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Political divisions inside Iran appear to be threatening a nuclear deal with the West, even though both Iranian factions may want it to happen. We ask, what are its chances…and what's liable to happen if it doesn't go through? Also, paying tribute to America's veterans, and a wounded vet talks about "thriving" in some respects, while still suffering five years later.
Banner image: Journalists and security guards surround the vehicle of the head of the UN atomic watchdog, upon his arrival in Tehran on October 3, 2009. Mohamed ElBaradei was there meet Iranian atomic officials after Washington and its allies demanded quick progress in revived talks on Iran's controversial nuclear programm. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty
Making News
A Somber Veterans Day as Fort Hood Investigation Continues ()
Before this afternoon's meeting on sending more troops to Afghanistan, President Obama paid tribute to veterans, first at a White House breakfast, then at Arlington National Cemetery. James Gordon Meek of the New York Daily News was visiting the grave of someone he knew, when he had a chance encounter.
Guests:
- James Gordon Meek: Washington Correspondent, New York Daily News
Main Topic
US Diplomacy and Iran ()
As President Obama tries to deal with Iran, that country's domestic politics are creating a nightmare for diplomacy. Both reformers and hard liners may want a nuclear deal with the West, but neither side wants the other to get the credit. In the meantime, Iran has charged three US hikers with spying, and Israel has intercepted an arms shipment it says Iran sent to Hezbollah in Lebanon. And major questions remain: is Iran really building a nuclear weapon? Is an Israeli attack really likely?
Guests:
- Our Correspondent in Tehran: social scientist who conducts research in Iran
- David Sanger: Washington Correspondent, New York Times, @SangerNYT
- Robin Wright: Public Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center, @wrightr
- Yossi Melman: Commentator, Ha'aretz
Links:
- Sanger's article on Iran's ignoring efforts to salvage nuclear deal
- Sanger's 'The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power'
- Wright's 'Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East'
- Melman's 'The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Iran'
Reporter's Notebook
A Wounded Veteran Reflects on Challenges at Home ()
In the past eight years, more than 35,000 wounded American soldiers have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan. One such veteran is Michael Jernigan, who was a Marine corporal on duty in Iraq when he was hit by a roadside bomb on August 23, 2004. Since then, he's been featured in the documentary, Alive Day: Home from Iraq and has written for the New York Times' Home Fires blog. He helps other vets get guide dogs through the Paws for Patriots program; and he studies political science. The severely disabled Marine says deepest wounds are the hardest to see.
Guests:
- Michael Jernigan: former Corporal, US Marine Corps
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